(May 2008)

By Warren Rojas

Spare your wallet, but loosen your belt. The large cod ($6.99) brings flaky fish in a crunchy coating while the battered sausage ($3.50) packs a tasty banger into a deep-fried shell. Lincoln Log-like chips ($3.50) only improve with a squirt of malt vinegar. Meanwhile, fried Milky Ways ($2.50) yield cinnamon sugar-dusted confections hiding a vein of warmed caramel (sinfully rich).

Best New Deep-Fried Decandence

(March 2007)

By Warren Rojas

Was a time when you had to visit TWO separate dining establishments to satisfy cravings for authentic fish and chips and apocalyptically sweet, county fair-style desserts. Those days are now long gone, thanks to the arrival of celebrity chef Cathal Armstrong's latest project, Eamonn's.

The fledgling Irish "chipper"-slang for a traditional fish and chip joint-is the playful ying to sibling Restaurant Eve's swankier yang, offering a no-frills alternative that still manages to feel like a gourmet fish fry. Service is a mostly carry-out affair, although patrons are invited to mingle with fellow seafood lovers at the handful of communal tables.

A chalkboard menu touts lightly-fried cod filets (4- and 6-ounce portions of flavorful fish), battered ray (a delicious block of bone-in skate wing) and rotating fish of the day specials (swordfish yields a meaty mass of seafood goodness). Fried sausages (spice to spare) and salty, hand-cut "chips" hit the spot, while the battered "burgher," sadly, flops hard (thin, lifeless patty emerges limp and overly battered). Meanwhile, virtually every flash-fried delicacy gets a boost from one of the "secret seven" dipping sauces, a cadre of mayo-based blends including a terrific hot chili aioli and the savory Chesapeake (spiked with Old Bay seasoning).

Come dessert, Snickers bars get dipped in batter, deep-fried and then rolled in cinnamon sugar (absolutely debilitating), while homemade fried dough balls provide just the right balance between starch and sweet. Worthwhile liquid accompaniments include frothy Guinness pints, as well as bottles of Harp, Smithwick's and Amstel Light.