—————————————————— Crispy Battered Fish Can Be Yours—At A Hot Dog Shop | Houston Press

100 Favorite Dishes

100 Favorite Houston Dishes 2015: No. 86, Fish & Chips at Good Dog Houston



Phaedra Cook is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes of 2015. It's a collection of personal favorites that is also indicative of Houston dining. It's a scene where a vast range of dishes coexist: highbrow and lowbrow; local and international; cheap and expensive; modern cuisine and beloved tenets — and everything in between.

Oh, you thought I’d list one of the hot dogs at Good Dog Houston? Well, those are outstanding too, but the Fish & Chips are an unexpected and delightful find.

The fish encased within the light, crispy, beer batter changes depending on what is fresh and available. The filets are piled onto the “chips”—a stack of crispy, skin-on, seasoned fries.

The surprises go beyond the fact that a hot dog place has a terrific fish and chips basket. Bycatch, the unintended targets that get caught when fishermen are in pursuit of more popular fish, is often used. It’s a good match for a small restaurant that doesn’t need tons of product to fill hundreds of orders.

The last time I was in, it was thick, golden-battered pieces of Golden Tile. Other days, it could be Almaco Jack, Silver Snapper, Vermilion Snapper or Gulf Wahoo or. It all depends on what’s available. Served alongside are house-made tartar sauce and mignonette.

The fish is always moist and the batter coating wonderfully crispy. Don’t forget about the malt vinegar. They didn’t.


The List of Top 100 Dishes of 2015 So Far:

No. 87, Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit at Blacksmith
No. 88, "Saucy Balls" At Brooklyn Meatball Company
No. 89, Perry's Steakhouse/Perry & Sons Pork Chop
No. 90, General Tso's Chicken from The Rice Box
No. 91, Eggs, Refried Beans, Hash Browns and Hugo's Sauce at 59 Diner
No. 92, Shipley Do-Nuts Plain Glazed 
No. 93, Housemade Bologney at Public Services Wine & Whisky
No. 94, Bo Luc Lac at Cheno's (formerly Chino's) Fast Food
No. 95, Combo #5 at Soto's Cantina
No. 96, Carnitas Salad At Chipotle

No. 97, Pickled Shrimp At Punk's Simple Southern Food
No. 98, Lobster Roll At Maine-Ly Sandwiches
No. 99, Chili-Cheese Coneys At JCI Grill
No. 100, Corned Beef Hash And Eggs At House Of Pies
KEEP THE HOUSTON PRESS FREE... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Phaedra Cook
Contact: Phaedra Cook