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Fried Shrimp Joints
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  • Fried Shrimp Joints

    Post #1 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:17 pm
    Post #1 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:17 pm Post #1 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:17 pm
    A friend and i Stopped today at Lawrence FIsheries at Cermak and Canal after work for a bag of shrimp with his teenage son. We were talking about all the greasy shrimp joints gone by and it got me thinking. What is the best remaining fried shrimp joint in town?

    I remember loving Rockys and Als and the place on Armitage and the river (name escapes me maybe Joes?) but those are long gone. There is a place on lawrence that is pretty decent if i remember and the fish keg on howard used to be pretty good but i havent been there in years. What else exists and is there any consensus on what is best? Sorry if this is a repeat of an old topic but i didnt search before posting so forgive me if i am wasting time.
  • Post #2 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:21 pm
    Post #2 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:21 pm Post #2 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:21 pm
    calumet city fisheries on 95th gets my vote. killer smoked fish as well.
    "In pursuit of joys untasted"
    from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata
  • Post #3 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:38 pm
    Post #3 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:38 pm Post #3 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:38 pm
    Jeezus, I miss Rocky's.

    Tying the boat up to the seawall and grabbing a couple of pounds of fried shrimp and fries for the crew is an enduring memory for me...
  • Post #4 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:48 pm
    Post #4 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:48 pm Post #4 - May 22nd, 2007, 5:48 pm
    Hagan's, on Montrose at Central is my usual stop for shrimp.
  • Post #5 - May 22nd, 2007, 6:39 pm
    Post #5 - May 22nd, 2007, 6:39 pm Post #5 - May 22nd, 2007, 6:39 pm
    In my opinion, Chicago's oldest shrimp house is still the best. Troha's opened in 1920 and these days you'll find 4th generation Trohas behind the counter. The shrimp is fresh, the breading is light and subtly seasoned (unlike what now passes for "Chicago style"), and the frying is done with care. There's a good deal more to say about Troha's and one of these days I might actually get around to it.

    Image

    Image

    Troha's Chicken & Shrimp House
    4151 W 26th St
    Chicago
    773-521-7847
  • Post #6 - May 23rd, 2007, 9:08 am
    Post #6 - May 23rd, 2007, 9:08 am Post #6 - May 23rd, 2007, 9:08 am
    Troha's is the best fried shrimp I have ever had. Batter is light and tasty, does not overwhelm the shrimp. The shrimp are plump and juicy, can't say enough good about it.
  • Post #7 - May 23rd, 2007, 9:44 am
    Post #7 - May 23rd, 2007, 9:44 am Post #7 - May 23rd, 2007, 9:44 am
    Southside shrimp on 31st near Wells is very good. Lawrence's seems to have declined over the years, and I had a miserable batch from Hagen's. (But I love that place anyway-for other things) I gotta check out Trohas...
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #8 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:53 am
    Post #8 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:53 am Post #8 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:53 am
    Just shot over to Troha's-you guys aren't kiddin'-great place both the shrimp and catfish are excellent. A true gem-thanks.
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #9 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:54 am
    Post #9 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:54 am Post #9 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:54 am
    North side love: Goose Island and Snappy's.
  • Post #10 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:55 am
    Post #10 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:55 am Post #10 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:55 am
    Doble
    Last edited by JeffB on May 23rd, 2007, 11:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
  • Post #11 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:55 am
    Post #11 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:55 am Post #11 - May 23rd, 2007, 11:55 am
    Can't say I have really made a study of it, but I do tend to stop by Troha's whenever I am in the area (thanks to Rene for introducing me to it during Beefathon I, if I recall correctly), and Goose Island.

    Both have wonderful atmosphere if in different ways, but I do prefer Troha's food.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #12 - May 23rd, 2007, 12:11 pm
    Post #12 - May 23rd, 2007, 12:11 pm Post #12 - May 23rd, 2007, 12:11 pm
    Goose Island is better if you get the extra-large shrimp, because otherwise the breading is over-represented.
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #13 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:06 pm
    Post #13 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:06 pm Post #13 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:06 pm
    stewed coot wrote:Goose Island is better if you get the extra-large shrimp, because otherwise the breading is over-represented.


    Agreed - their breading is aggressive and does overwhelm the regular shrimp.
    d
    Feeling (south) loopy
  • Post #14 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:17 pm
    Post #14 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:17 pm Post #14 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:17 pm
    Can you eat in at Troha's and how is the chicken?
  • Post #15 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:40 pm
    Post #15 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:40 pm Post #15 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:40 pm
    You can't eat there-don't know about the chicken.
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #16 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:45 pm
    Post #16 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:45 pm Post #16 - May 23rd, 2007, 1:45 pm
    Agreed - their breading is aggressive and does overwhelm the regular shrimp.


    It can overwhelm everything else, too, (fish 'n chips in particular) especially if the dish has been sitting around for a while; i.e., service can also be a problem at GI. I try to focus on the beer.

    But the way, "order the jumbo" is good advice for Southside Shrimp, too.
    "The fork with two prongs is in use in northern Europe. In England, they’re armed with a steel trident, a fork with three prongs. In France we have a fork with four prongs; it’s the height of civilization." Eugene Briffault (1846)
  • Post #17 - May 23rd, 2007, 2:26 pm
    Post #17 - May 23rd, 2007, 2:26 pm Post #17 - May 23rd, 2007, 2:26 pm
    jbw,
    There ain't no beer here-this is the shrimp joint not the brewpub.
    For a moment there I thought you were bringing your own...
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #18 - May 23rd, 2007, 2:32 pm
    Post #18 - May 23rd, 2007, 2:32 pm Post #18 - May 23rd, 2007, 2:32 pm
    I have been driving around looking for the best fried shrimp in or near Chicago since I was 16 and ive tried most of them and found southside shrimp house to be the absolute best, and goose island to be the best bang for the buck, but I have yet to try the above mentioned Troha's which looks like a must do...maybe even tonight.
  • Post #19 - May 23rd, 2007, 3:44 pm
    Post #19 - May 23rd, 2007, 3:44 pm Post #19 - May 23rd, 2007, 3:44 pm
    jbw,
    There ain't no beer here-this is the shrimp joint not the brewpub.
    For a moment there I thought you were bringing your own...


    Sorry about that. :oops: You can see where I'm coming from . . .
    "The fork with two prongs is in use in northern Europe. In England, they’re armed with a steel trident, a fork with three prongs. In France we have a fork with four prongs; it’s the height of civilization." Eugene Briffault (1846)
  • Post #20 - May 23rd, 2007, 3:57 pm
    Post #20 - May 23rd, 2007, 3:57 pm Post #20 - May 23rd, 2007, 3:57 pm
    That's ok-I usually focus on beer at the dentist's office, post office, shoe store...
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #21 - May 23rd, 2007, 4:51 pm
    Post #21 - May 23rd, 2007, 4:51 pm Post #21 - May 23rd, 2007, 4:51 pm
    iblock9 wrote:I remember loving Rockys and Als and the place on Armitage and the river (name escapes me maybe Joes?) but those are long gone. There is a place on lawrence that is pretty decent if i remember and the fish keg on howard used to be pretty good but i havent been there in years.

    Joe's Fisheries was on Cortland at the river, right by Finkl Steel. I can't picture any shrimp house on Lawrence. About where is it?

    jazzfood wrote:calumet city fisheries on 95th gets my vote. killer smoked fish as well.

    I like almost everything at Calumet Fisheries but for me their smoked shrimp is the main reason to visit.

    stewed coot wrote:Southside shrimp on 31st near Wells is very good. Lawrence's seems to have declined over the years

    I agree.

    stewed coot wrote:Just shot over to Troha's-you guys aren't kiddin'-great place both the shrimp and catfish are excellent. A true gem-thanks.

    Jeez, that was quick. Glad to hear you liked it. Troha's deserves to be better known.

    JeffB wrote:North side love: Goose Island and Snappy's.

    I can't tell you how many times I almost went to Snappy's. I really have to get there one of these days.

    dicksond wrote:Can't say I have really made a study of it, but I do tend to stop by Troha's whenever I am in the area (thanks to Rene for introducing me to it during Beefathon I, if I recall correctly), and Goose Island.

    Yes, indeed. Even after we ate at Al's, Carm's, Patio, Mr Beef, Boston's and Chickie's I thought the shrimp tasted pretty good. Then we went to Scatchell's, Freddy's, Johnnie's and Massa.

    It's interesting you like both Troha's and Goose Island (so do I). Their styles are quite different and often people tend to like one or the other.

    Kim wrote:Can you eat in at Troha's and how is the chicken?

    No tables, no counter, nothing. Chicken is very good but, believe it or not, one of the best things to get at Troha's is the pork. Something like seven bucks gets you a cool little box holding a couple nice schnitzels, decent fries, a dill pickle spear and a lemon wedge—one of the great deals in Chicago.

    Image
  • Post #22 - May 23rd, 2007, 8:08 pm
    Post #22 - May 23rd, 2007, 8:08 pm Post #22 - May 23rd, 2007, 8:08 pm
    Does anyone remember Berwyn Fisheries? We used to drive there and get great shrimp where the grease would coat the inside of the lined bag...yum. I think it was at Berwyn and Western.
    "With enough butter, anything is good."-Julia Child
  • Post #23 - May 23rd, 2007, 8:42 pm
    Post #23 - May 23rd, 2007, 8:42 pm Post #23 - May 23rd, 2007, 8:42 pm
    The Lovely Donna wrote:Does anyone remember Berwyn Fisheries? We used to drive there and get great shrimp where the grease would coat the inside of the lined bag...yum. I think it was at Berwyn and Western.


    I absolutely remember Berwyn Fisheries. It was however at Berwyn and Lincoln.

    I grew up two blocks from there and we were always getting their shrimp, great french fries and the house specialty---Smoked chubs. You could smell the smoke from their smoker a block away---
  • Post #24 - May 23rd, 2007, 10:01 pm
    Post #24 - May 23rd, 2007, 10:01 pm Post #24 - May 23rd, 2007, 10:01 pm
    Yes, me too. I even remember the original shack that used to be on the southwest corner before they got all fancy-pants and built the brick building on the northwest corner. My neighbor's dad used to do a lot of fishing and he and I would ride our bikes over there with his fish to be smoked.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #25 - May 24th, 2007, 11:29 am
    Post #25 - May 24th, 2007, 11:29 am Post #25 - May 24th, 2007, 11:29 am
    ate at all the big ones and some of the not so big shrimp houses in February over three days...my almost side my side assessment is linked below
    Big Shrimpin

    I agree Troha's makes a really nice product...they understand breading thickness probably the best of anyone. The Southside shrimphouse butterflying technique as well as seasoning went a long way to transforming the texture above all the other places though

    ...alot of my tasting was not chronicled in the article, because most places were truly horrible...overbreaded, rubbery nasty shrimp etc....the best ended up here.

    Oh and Snappy's shrimp cocktail was some of the best Shrimp Cocktail I've had in the city...
    MJN "AKA" Michael Nagrant
    http://www.michaelnagrant.com
  • Post #26 - May 24th, 2007, 1:21 pm
    Post #26 - May 24th, 2007, 1:21 pm Post #26 - May 24th, 2007, 1:21 pm
    Maybe I was unlucky at Snappy's, I guess I have to try it again-the breading just seemed kind of cheap tasting-maybe because of the garlic powder, and they also seemed fried too hard. Sounds like most everyone agrees on their cocktail however...
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #27 - May 24th, 2007, 2:58 pm
    Post #27 - May 24th, 2007, 2:58 pm Post #27 - May 24th, 2007, 2:58 pm
    stewed coot wrote:. . . the breading just seemed kind of cheap tasting-maybe because of the garlic powder, and they also seemed fried too hard.

    I can't comment on Snappy's (haven't been yet) but I think you nailed the defining characteristics of Chicago-style shrimp: overuse of garlic powder, overbreaded, overfried. That's why I appreciate Troha's, I suppose. But, damn, after a night at the Matchbox a sack of those overgarlicked, overbreaded, overfried babies from the Goose sure do hit the spot.
  • Post #28 - May 24th, 2007, 3:36 pm
    Post #28 - May 24th, 2007, 3:36 pm Post #28 - May 24th, 2007, 3:36 pm
    I don't make it to Snappy's nearly enough, but I'm partial to the quality of the critter (wild Gulf whites (!)) if not the crust. When it opened, I questioned, here, how something as outdated as a shrimp shack could work in a place where substantially no one is even familiar with the genre. (That's hyperbole, of course; for every yuppie mcbrownstone there are still five old-timers who remeber Riverview in the area.) It seems to be doing pretty well. I like that they have stayed true to the form. While the place is relatively luxurious, the menu is basically standard shrimp stand.
  • Post #29 - May 24th, 2007, 4:03 pm
    Post #29 - May 24th, 2007, 4:03 pm Post #29 - May 24th, 2007, 4:03 pm
    Well, with a name like Snappy's, I guess it fits that the place indeed looks snappy.
    Going down memory lane-anyone remember Anderson's? It was on Ashland a little north of Archer, on the river, and you had to drive down a gravel-type road below street level.
    I love animals...they're delicious!
  • Post #30 - May 24th, 2007, 4:44 pm
    Post #30 - May 24th, 2007, 4:44 pm Post #30 - May 24th, 2007, 4:44 pm
    My favorite was always Ben's Fried Shrimp on North Avenue, just west of where Whole Foods currently sits. The former site of Ben's is now occupied by a Jiffy Lube type of establishment on the south side of the street. Their shrimp and breading were really good, as were the clam strips. I tried Goose Island once and got the extra large shrimp, but they were still at least 80% breading by weight. I also tried the clam strips, but thought they should have been called "small packets of breading". Maybe I caught them on an off day. Wish I could of had some Ben's.

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