I'm not Catholic; heck, I'm barely Episcopalian. But since I was baptized as an infant by my own grandfather who was an Episcopal minister, I figure that one was probably good for life. I still like to practice some sort of Lenten ritual of self-denial every year, mainly as an attempt at character building.
Some years I make bad jokes about giving up my New Year's resolutions for Lent or to stop throwing rocks at whales, but this year I'm really trying to do some things that would be good for me. First of all, I gave up swearing. That's a tough one, and I have slipped up more than once. But at least being cognizant of it means I try to pay more attention to what I say. Gosh darn it.
I'm also doing Meatless Monday and Fish on Friday, with the caveat that next Friday I'll be at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, so that one goes right out the window for one night. I enjoy the minor challenge of menu planning and restaurant selection to fall under these two criteria, and it's nice to cook new dishes and try out some dining spots that I don't frequent.
Surprisingly, not many local restaurants are making a big deal about Friday fish specials. In the areas of the country where Catholicism is more prevalent, you can't swing Benedict's hat without hitting a sign for a Friday parish fish fry. It's a bad time to be a walleye in Wisconsin. ... Does anybody know of any Friday fries in the Nashville area? I'd love to check one out.
The restaurants that are plugging fish deals lately are mainly the national fast food chains. Bites reader Love and Nachos née HungryHippo reports that she has seen McDonald’s, Arby’s, Backyard Burgers, Captain D’s, etc. all boasting about serving "real" fish sandwiches. I'll admit I hadn't noticed this trend, since I rarely pay much attention to that list of fast food joints, two of which I have been boycotting for more than a decade for personal reasons I won't bore you with here.
One place that is pushing some Friday fish deals (actually all week long) is McCabe Pub. They were nice enough to share that their kitchen in Sylvan Park is pumping out quite a roster of fish dishes including:
