Grilleiant Fish & Chips Majestic in Memphis

Grilleiant Fish

The Majestic Grille’s fish (and chips) fried just right

By Jennifer Biggs – The Daily Memphian

Fishy Friday is back at The Majestic Grille, and owners Deni and Patrick Reilly are going through considerable trouble to make sure we get a stellar plate of fish and chips. If COVID supply snarls weren’t bad enough, we had that crack in the bridge, too.

“We bring our fish in from Boston,” Deni said. “Normally it’s trucked in twice a week, but then they closed the bridge and the truck stopped coming through Memphis, crossing at Dyersburg instead.

“Hopefully they’ll pick that route back up, but for now, we’re flying the fish in.”

Patrick discovered Foley Fish, a 115-yearold fish purveyor, many years ago, when he worked in Boston, and that’s where he gets his salmon and his cod or haddock, whichever is best that week for the fish and chips.

“We were bringing in whole salmon and breaking them down, using all of it, but now we’re getting fillets because we don’t want to pay to fly bones,” Deni said.

At present, The Majestic is only open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, brunch on Saturday and Sunday and lunch on Friday, though the Reillys plan to return to a more robust schedule when more Downtown workers return to the office.

I was barely in my seat last week when the server told me it was Fishy Friday. I already knew it – I was there for it – but there was still one question pending before my order was final

“Steak fries or parmesan fries?” he asked. As I started to speak, he said, “Parmesan. Excellent choice.”

And so it was. Look, I love fish and chips. Years ago, I’d eat a plate any time I had the chance, usually doused in malt vinegar, but at some point I became an adult who didn’t eat fast food and there

aren’t that many places where you can get fish and chips.

Celtic Crossing has it, I hear Boscos does for Tuesday lunch, and as I found out not so long ago when writing a story about fish sandwiches, there’s nothing wrong with Captain D’s, though that’s back in fast food territory. If I’m missing a place, let me know.

But right now, to The Majestic. The fish was excellent: Piping hot, fried crisp, firm and flaky inside, and the batter was on point.

That’s where fried fish hits make or break, whether it’s catfish in a cornmeal batter or cold-water cod in light beer batter. It needs to blend seamlessly with the fish, no milky line between crust and fish on catfish, no gummy layer on the inside of the cod batter.

And it’s not as easy as it sounds to get it right.

“Yeah, it has to be fried in good clean oil, fried at 350, but it has a lot to do with making the batter,” Patrick said. “You can’t overwork it, it needs to be almost lumpy but not quite, and it can’t be thick. It has to puff up and get crisp when it hits the oil, and you have to make it constantly, like a new batch for every 15 orders or so.”

He uses Memphis Made Junt in his batter; the beer’s carbonation helps keep it light.

All the trouble is worth it. And Mike, our server, was right about the Parmesan fries. They were skinny, crisp and salty, just like I like them. I had plenty left over to take home and ate it for dinner the next night.

I didn’t last week, but you should save room for a dessert shooter when you have lunch at The Majestic. They’re shot glasses of four-bite desserts that change a little. You can’t go wrong with the Key lime pie or tiramisu.

The fish and chips plate is $15 at lunch on Friday at The Majestic Grille, 145 S. Main Memphis

& Chips!