St. Patrick's Day

We love St. Patty's Day at Madfish. We love it so much that every year we make a whole bunch of Corned Beef and Cabbage... and just about every year we sell out. We'll start serving the American version of the Irish specialty, complete with potatoes and carrots, at 11:00am... and we'll keep serving it 'til the pot is empty.

So, what's the deal with Corned Beef and Cabbage anyways? It's technically not even an Irish dish... it really comes from New England, where the Irish first settled in the US. In Ireland, the closest thing to 'Corned Beef and Cabbage' is 'Bacon and Cabbage', with a bacon similar to Canadian bacon or salty ham. When the Irish immigrated to America, they began using corned beef instead of pork. Somewhere along the way, Americans adopted this meal as the traditional meal for St. Patrick's Day... since, you know, St. Patrick's Day is an Irish holiday and all.


Speaking of St. Patty's being an Irish holiday, let's talk a little about it's history. In Ireland, Paddy's Day (as they call it) is an annual feast day celebrating St. Patrick, who is one of the patron saints of Ireland. Though Paddy's Day has been a religious holiday in Ireland for centuries, it didn't become a public holiday until 1903, and is now recognized as a national holiday. Those lucky Irish get to take a day off to drink and eat and celebrate!

Wearing green and shamrocks has been a tradition since the 17th century... evidently St. Patrick used the shamrock to teach people about the Holy Trinity. "The wearing of the green" actually means to wear a shamrock on your clothing. Just remember, whatever you do... don't wear a 4-leaf clover. They aren't Irish and it doesn't make the Irish happy when you get 4-leaf clovers and 3-leaf shamrocks confused. Trust me... I know from experience.

In the US, St. Patty's day is kind of a big deal, whether you are Irish or not. I think it's mostly because people like the excuse to drink green beer and dress in head to toe green. In all seriousness, though... the Irish Society of Boston held the first St. Patrick's Day parade in the United States in 1737. New York's first celebration was in 1766, where the parades were meant to be statements about the unfair treatment of Irish immigrants. Numerous cities in America now hold parades and find different ways to celebrate the holiday. Chicago (see picture above) dyes the river green, as does Indianapolis. Savannah dyes all of it's fountains in the downtown parks green, and Seattle and many other cities paint their traffic stripes green along parade routes.

We don't dye any waterways green in Sarasota, but we do dye the beer green at Madfish! Come and join us for a day of corned beef, green beer and shamrock-wearin' fun!

Beer at Madfish

Ahhh, beer. It seems that beer is the trendy beverage these days. Not wine... not martinis... beer. There are bars devoted solely to the glory and culinary experience that is often now associated with beer, like our Cattlemen Road neighbor, The Cock & Bull Pub. Microbrews are increasingly popular, as are IPAs, seasonal brews, stouts, porters and just about anything "different."

Now, Madfish is known to be more of a liquor and wine type of establishment, but we want you to know that we have some great beers available. We always have a few featured and special beers that aren't on our regular "Beer List," so don't be afraid to ask us what we've got on hand!

Of course, we have your "regular" brews: Miller Lite, Bud, Corona, Heinekin (& Heinekin Light!), etc. We carry MGD 64 & Bud Select, as well as Newcastle, Beck's regular, dark & light. We've also got Bass Ale in a bottle, which is a popular choice amongst our regulars.

Some of the newer and more interesting bottles on our list include Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Stella Artois and Abita Jockamo. One of our newest favorites is Arrogant Bastard Ale... it says on the bottle that you probably won't like it, but we've found plenty of customers who can't get enough. We also carry Redbridge for our gluten-free friends.

By the makers of Arrogant Bastard is Stone Smoked Porter, with a definite smokiness and some chocolate & coffee undertones. The most popular new beer we feature is Left Hand Milk Stout, which has won awards all over the place. Our regular bar guests (okay, and our beer enthusiast employees) really love this one.

We don't have a whole lot of space for taps, and we have a few staples, like Miller Lite, Mich Ultra & Yuengling, but we do like to keep what we have on tap rotating and fresh. We carry a Sam Adams seasonal brew, which right now is their Noble Pilsner. We're also pouring Brooklyn Brown Ale and are about to switch out Bud heavy for Mojo Risin', a double IPA from the Boulder Beer Company. Keep an eye out for tap handles to change every few weeks!

If you have any questions about the beers we carry, or have any suggestions about what you'd like to see in our bar, leave a comment!

Coupons for Haiti

Back in December, we held a donation drive for Toys for Tots that we called 'Coupons for Tots.' We had a lot of success with that program and were able to donate over $1600 to the organization. Due to the success of that donation drive, we have decided to do the same thing for Haiti Earthquake Relief.

For every $5 that customers donate, they may pick a Madfish coupon out of a box that they may use that day or on a subsequent trip. All donations will be sent directly to the American Red Cross to be used for Haiti earthquake relief. Coupons range from free desserts and appetizers to 10% off a guest's entire bill.

We are so blessed to be in this country, where we have safe buildings... and we are lucky to be in Florida, where we don't have to worry about earthquakes. At least we have a warning when hurricanes come through.

Please help us help those who are less fortunate. If you can't make it in to donate through Madfish, we urge you to make a donation on the Red Cross website or through another organization of your choosing.

2 Dine for $29

This month we are running a special promotion at Madfish. A special dinner for two promotion we like to call "2 Dine for $29." Go ahead, rub your eyes and read it again. 2 for $29.

Each guest receives one glass of house wine and gets to choose 1 appetizer and 1 entree. That's 2 glasses of wine, 2 apps and 2 entrees for $29. Total.

Want to switch out a dessert for an appetizer? No problem. Want a well cocktail instead of a glass of wine? Sure thing. Dining out for one or have a party of 3 that would all like this special offer? We'd be happy to accommodate and call it "1 Dines for $14.50" or "3 Dine for $43.50."

The menu consists of 8 appetizer and 11 entree choices, and will be offered for a limited time... come in and try it while it lasts!

The Holidays at Madfish

We love the holidays here at Madfish. We love it so much that the day after Thanksgiving, first thing in the morning, Alicia breaks out all of the Christmas decorations and we start playing Christmas music. We all just love the peace and giving and happiness of the season, and we love to be able to share it with our customers. It doesn't matter what religion you are, or what holidays you celebrate... this season is all about love, caring and being thankful.


We are already in the middle of Hanukkah and Christmas is only 11 days away (yikes!) but I wanted to share with you some of the things that we are doing here besides just being in the holiday spirit.


First, we have proudly partnered with Toys for Tots to help bring Christmas gifts to children who would otherwise probably not receive them. There are two ways that you can help us help the kids: 1. We have a big toy box up in our lobby for guests and staff members to fill with new, unwrapped toys. These toys will be picked up a few days before Christmas and distributed to the children.


2. We also have a Toys for Tots promotion called "Coupons for Tots." Through December 18, for every $5 that a customer donates to Toys for Tots, they can pick a surprise Madfish coupon out of a box. Each coupon is worth at least $5, and there are some good ones in there! Free cocktails, free desserts, free dinner entrees, even $25 gift certificates! All of the money raised goes straight to Toys for Tots and will be used to purchase gifts for the children. We began raising money the last week of November and have raised $1415.00 so far. That's a lot of toys for a lot of deserving kids!

The last thing we are doing this holiday season is giving a little something back to our customers. Through the month of December, we will give you $5 for every $25 in purchased gift cards. That's $20 for every $100 in gift cards you purchase! Our gift cards do not expire and may be purchased in any dollar amount. They make great stocking stuffers and gifts for everyone on your list.


I should probably mention our holiday hours:
Christmas Eve - Open 11am - 8pm (make your reservations now!)
Christmas Day - Closed
New Year's Eve - Open 11am - 10pm (make your reservations now!)
New Year's Day - Closed for lunch; Open 4pm - 10pm for dinner

The management team and staff at Madfish Grill sincerely wishes you and your family and friends a very happy and bright holiday season!

The Vault

Often, guests make reservations at Madfish for "you know, that little room you've got." That little room is called the Vault. You see, Madfish Grill used to be a bank, which we now find kind of ironic because the bank that currently resides next door used to be a restaurant. The Vault here at Madfish used to be the vault at the bank. We decided to leave it in place for several reasons:

• Vaults are heavy
• Vaults are meant to be permanent
• Vaults make really good hurricane & tornado shelters
• It costs a whole lot of money to remove a vault
• Vaults would probably make good wine cellars
• Vaults would probably make cozy little private dining rooms
  

The Vault comfortably sits up to 8 people, and we ask that you have at least a party of 5 people to reserve it. The Vault is a popular place, and often books up early, especially during season!

Remember how I mentioned above that vaults probably make good wine cellars? Well, just so happens to be true. We store our wine (and extra liquor) in the back of the Vault. It makes a great storage space, and also inspires some interesting conversation amongst guests.

So, that is the story of the Vault at Madfish. I am working on getting some pictures together on the transformation of Madfish from bank to restaurant. My favorite part of the transformation is the Vault, but I also love how we transformed the drive-through into a kitchen. Stay tuned to see the pictures... I should be able to post them next week!

Whole Belly Ipswich Clams

In the shell or out of the shell, steamers or Ipswitch clams are the same little delicacy. If you have ever tried to “shuck” a soft shell clam conventionally, you know it’s a process that can take a while. There is little to be found on the subject, but there are a few tricks if you don’t want steamers and you want to fry the little guys…

First you have to wash the clams. Put them in a pot that holds them all and then cover with boiling water (don’t boil the clams!) Just hot soak them for 30 seconds or so, then transfer them to an ice water bath so they don’t carry-over cook. This will loosen the dark skin that protects the clam and allow you to peel them. In the processed version that is commercially produced, the siphon is also usually removed partially or completely. The siphon is the protruding “finger” from the clam that retracts when you pick the little guys up. You can eat the siphon, but think chewier than a Quahog. It takes a while to get proficient, but if you are cleaning ten pounds of steamers for frying, have a couple (well, make that a six-pack) of cold beer on hand. You’re more likely to get your friends to help that way, and it will go a lot quicker. You’ll need about two pounds of clams in the shell to create one fried clam plate. There is an approximate 29% yield by weight. The other method is to lay them out flat and put them in the freezer for 15 minutes, but then you have to wait for them to thaw out a little before you get to work.

While you’re shucking, now’s the time to put someone on those hand-cut fries that you are going to need to go with them. Here’s a quick how to on that subject while we are here…. Some people swear by peanut oil for its high burn point, others shy away because of the frequency of peanut allergies in the world today. Either way, a candy or deep-fat thermometer is helpful to keep your oil in the sweet spot – between 350-375 degrees. The clams cook fast, especially at 375, so keep your eyes on them. Of course, all the usual disclaimers apply – don’t try this at home, wear goggles, consult an attorney, etc., etc.. Use a good fish fry (or chicken fry) dry batter. The clams will be “wet” enough on their own to hold the light coating. Separate them well before you drop them (read: gently place with a cast iron glove on (lawyers, you know)) Otherwise, you end up with a clump. I like a lot of salt, but I don’t salt them before serving, that is the beauty of their origin. Let them cool so you don’t burn the roof of your mouth before eating and enjoy!

Here’s some links on the topic… Oh yeah, and did I mention that we have Ipswitch fried clams on the menu at Madfish Grill? You don’t have to go through all this trouble, or even travel to New England to enjoy this unique fare. Sometimes we even have Steamers on special. Give us a call to check availability.

Some History…

Where to get ‘em in Ipswitch... Bring cash! No credit cards accepted, and these clams ain’t cheap!

The quintessential Cape Cod clam shack There’s a line to get ‘em in the “summa” that’s a mile long from 11AM ‘til 9PM!

How to cook, clean and eat a steamer…

Where to buy… or here...