Fish Fry Interlude - Norvelt VFD: March 10, 2023

March 10 is the anniversary of my first date with Chip, so it's always fun to celebrate in a way that hearkens back to that date lo those many years ago (28, to be exact). While we didn't eat at a fish fry back then (I don't even think that Hagerstown, Maryland, has fish fries), we did drink beer and watch basketball, so we definitely wanted to find a fish fry that served beer. You can't count on that in Western PA. But we knew we we'd be OK at Norvelt VFD, one of our favorites.

If the name Norvelt sounds familiar, it's because we tried Norvelt Pizzeria in January. That was the pizzeria staffed by a bunch of high school kids; you actually have to cut through the VFD parking lot to get to the pizza shop. Norvelt VFD had carryout in 2021 and didn't even have a fish fry in 2022, so we were super excited to go back but also wary of what the crowds might be like.

The parking lot was crowded but we easily found a spot in the auxiliary lot, so it definitely wasn't as packed as we'd seen it in years prior. The order line was out the door, but only by 4 or 5 people. At Norvelt you place your order, give your name, and then (hopefully) find seating while waiting for your name to be called. The menu was pared down compared to years past, and they only offered a la carte items, rather than dinner combinations.

One of our favorite things about Norvelt was the French fries. They served coated fries; super crispy on the outside and hot and soft on the inside. So we each ordered fish and fries. Chip ordered slaw, and I got a side of mac and cheese. They also asked whether we wanted cocktail or tartar. This was different; they used to have condiment stations scattered throughout the dining room, but COVID seems to have eliminated that offering.

The dining room was full, but we spotted seats at tables here and there. Roosevelt Hall (the name of the VFD social hall) uses 8-chair rounds rather than long tables. We wandered to the back and grabbed seats at a table with a couple who looked to be about halfway through their meal. They proclaimed the fish yummy but said they "had to wait a minute for it." My response was: "the minutes are easier when there is beer."

Which there was. Norvelt has a limited bar, with a few beers on tap, a few types of wine, and some mixed drinks available. We opted for beer. Of course.

For the size of the crowd, the wait wasn't long: only ~20 minutes from the time we ordered until our name was called. Chip brought back the dinners in bags. This was another change from pre-pandemic fish fries, as they used to put the dine-in meals on trays. But we realized as we read through all the flyers on the table that they didn't have clean-up volunteers, which trays would require.

The fish was just as we remembered it. Huge pieces of breaded cod on a really good hoagie roll. The biggest issue with the fish was that it was much thicker on one end than the other, so cutting the sandwich in half (which we decided to do rather than open two sandwiches) meant that one person got a much thinner piece of fish. I selflessly took the thinner piece, knowing I'd scarf up the thicker one from the second sandwich the next day at lunch. The tartar sauce packet was a brand I'd never heard of, but it was fine. 

Chip rated the coleslaw above average. However, the biggest disappointment was that they no longer offered the coated fries. Instead, the fries were thick-cut. Not quite as thick as steak fries, and still pretty darned delicious (they were fairly crispy), but not what we'd come to love and expect at Norvelt. The other issue is that they needed salt, but there was none to be had anywhere in the dining room that we could see.

The macaroni and cheese was okay, but nothing I'd specifically make a trip for (Norvelt is about 30 minutes from us). It was a tad runnier than I like, although the flavor was fine.

I'm really glad that the Norvelt VFD fish fry is back. Having said that, I think I'd bump it down my favorites list a bit due to the hard-to-find salt, the move away from coated fries, and the less-than-stellar mac and cheese.