NewPort Shores take Saturday lunch seriouslyExcerpted from Taste of the Town
by Dennis Getto
For some reason, few good restaurants serve lunch on Saturdays.
Maybe it's because so many people are busy at the start of the weekend. Or business is slow or unpredictable that day.
A friend and I faced that problem on a recent bright Saturday in April. We wanted to go somewhere pleasant where we could sit and talk and perhaps enjoy some scenery.
I remembered NewPort Shores, a small restaurant on the lakefront in Port Washington. The restaurant's lunch menu wasn't expansive, but sandwiches and fried fish were reasonably priced and good.
And best of all, it had large windows that looked out onto Lake Michigan.
I figured that my friend and I would have some extra time to talk on the road (it's about 25 miles from downtown Milwaukee) and that we wouldn't be rushed.
I was right. Lunch was leisurely and enjoyable.
Delicious Perch
Beside two shrimp and two scallops, two butterflied perch fillets were perfectly battered, fried to a light golden color and delicious. My friend chose a steer tenderloin steak sandwich ($7.25) on toast that was tender and full-flavored.
We washed down the meal with one of Wisconsin's lighter and better beers, Point, which NewPort Shores has on tap.
Dessert proved to be as much of a plus as lunch. Pumpkin chiffon pie ($1.50) was light, yet with a rich pumpkin taste, while strawberries schaum torte ($2) amounted to a huge, chewy meringue shell beneath ice cream, whipped cream and strawberry sauce.
NewPort Shores' menu at night is much more expansive, yet not fancy. We selected stuffed sole ($7.95) and a combination of broasted chicken and barbecued ribs.
The sole filets were wrapped around a light seafood seasoning, baked and covered with a mild, lightly lemony hollandaise sauce. Mild rice pilaf with almond slivers accompanied the fish.
The ribs in the combination actually were baked. Their sauce was respectable. Broasted chicken, served hot from the deep-fryer, had a deep brown, crunchy crust. French fries served with the combination were ordinary.
NewPort Shores Fish Fry
By Dennis R. Getto
Journal Sentinel dining critic
Published: Feb. 15, 2002
This casual bar and restaurant has always been one of my favorite spots for a fish fry, for two reasons.
The first is the view - large picture windows in the front room look onto Lake Michigan.
The second? A great variety of fish.
The basic fish fry, offered daily, is breaded cod served with fries, cole slaw, tartar sauce and rye bread ($7.95). Fried tilapia is offered for the same price.
Want something fancier? Walleye is $8.95. Lake perch (my favorite) is $10.95, and for the same price you can choose a seafood platter: three shrimp, three scallops and your choice of fish (perch is $1 extra).
If none of those interests you, there's still more. Try the whitefish dinner ($10.95) or the special - like catfish or opah - that's offered every Friday.
NewPort Shores
It's hard to say what I like most about a restaurant over-looking Lake Michigan. Standard fish fries are great, but there's usually some other fish offered. Orange roughy tastes great fried, as does grouper, when it's available.
* Prices and items may have changed since the publication of this article. *