Off The Hook Fish N’ Chips
Cajun Catfish Bites – 8 Crispy Cornmeal Breaded Catfish Pieces with Awesome Sauce
Hushpuppies – 6 Golden Deepfried Hushpuppies with Awesome Sauce
1 Chicken Strip with Ranch
1 Piece Cod, 1 Piece Whitefish, 1 Jumbo Buttterfly Shrimp with Tartar Sauce and Cocktail Sauce
Loaded Mahi Mahi Fries – Grilled Mahi Mahi, Chips, Garlic Aioli, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole
Key Lime Pie – Vanilla Ice Cream
Noted during a disappointing visit to KoMex Fusion, the sign simply reading Fish N’ Chips from the road, a little research showed favorable opinions predominating for Off The Hook Fish N’ Chips at Flamingo Village, the locally-owned and operated store turning out freshly fried planks of Wild-caught Alaskan Cod alongside some more unexpected stuff.
Located at 4155 S Buffalo Dr, a weekend line at Babystacks only absent because arrival at the shopping plaza was after the breakfast hot-spot closed, entry to Off The Hook was greeted by a young man stationed behind a short counter in front of the open kitchen, “Dine-In or To-Go” given as options, the former selected as quiet IHeartRadio played overhead, just two-other tables filled as a driver from Uber-Eats arrived to take an insulated bag just a few miles up the road.
Hand-breading and frying a wide variety of choices to order, the laminated menu augmented by blackboard specials as well as weekday deals, it was largely a la carte that a collection of eight different items were selected at a cost of just $33.48, an online coupon slicing the cost nearly in half and generating nearly sub-Long John Silver’s pricepoint for far superior food.
Soon joined by an entire team of Little Leaguers and their parents, the small storefront immediately filled past capacity, it was as if sensing the sudden surge that the entirety of the order was brought forth, first taste of the Cornmeal-crusted Catfish bites proving flavorful even before a bath in “Awesome Sauce” that added a lightly acidic zip and just a hint of heat.
Sparsely decorated and low-ceilinged, thus prone to getting pretty noisy when filled by a dozen pre-teens plus a continuous flow of traffic coming and going with orders, Hushpuppies unfortunately featured too much surface area compared to center to avoid tasting oily, no such issue found in two small Chicken Tenders substituted for one, though the flavor of the Breast was lacking compared to spots focusing on Poultry instead of Seafood.
Turning attention to the main event, the Gluten-free Batter with little more than a touch of Salt and Pepper perceivable as seasoning frying up golden around moist Whitefish with flaky Wild-caught Cod deserving of the $2 upcharge, Butterflied Jumbo Shrimp seem a bit overcharged at $2.99 a piece, though those opting for one of the Combination Platters will assuredly score a far better deal.
Liberally adding Malt Vinegar, though others may prefer to spice things up with one of two Hot Sauces or to veer American by way of Ketchup, Tartar or Cocktail Sauce, Off The Hook’s “Chips” see a significant upgrade by way of the “Loaded Mahi Mahi” special, even a half-order presenting a substantial amount of fried Spuds topped in grilled Fish, Garlic Aioli and Tomatoes with a sidecar of creamy Avocado.
Not particularly craving Fair Food, both Oreos an Twinkies available battered and deep-fried, dessert consisted of a small triangle of Key Lime Pie with a small cup of Ice Cream, the bright Citrus mellowed by an all-butter crust plus a ribbon of Whipped Cream.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Featuring neither a fee-per-appearance celebrity Chef name nor a multi-million-dollar floorplan, Off The Hook Fish N’ Chips feels far more ‘British’ than anything dreamed up by Harrah’s or MGM Resorts to target tourists, the menu generally successful even when taking some chances while also offering a whole lot more value and less parking hassle.
RECOMMENDED: Wild-caught Cod, Loaded Mahi Mahi Fries, Cajun Catfish Bites.
AVOID: Hushpuppies, Chicken Strips.
TIP: $15 off $30 coupons available at Restaurant.com.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.offthehooklv.com/
