Did Someone say Walleye sandwich?

If you’re trying to decide where to have dinner on a Friday in Lent or just trying to pick a place for a date night. I would suggest Brennan’s Fish House in Grand River, Ohio. Because of their location sometimes they get forgotten about but they shouldn’t. Scene magazine voted them best seafood restaurant and with good reason. I spent last Friday, the first Friday of Lent, trying some of their new spring drinks and lent specials.

Not only do they have amazing food but their building has such an interesting history. The building was built in 1865 when the Sullivan sisters used it as a hotel, saloon, as well as some other things. In the 1940’s it was Harry’s and then in 1973 the Brennans bought it and turned it into a restaurant. It was then purchase by Sharon, who was a hostess for the Brennans before purchasing it. She ran the restaurant until 2019 when the now current owner Tim purchased it. He worked there in high school. He then left for a corporate job, returning many years later as an employee, when he was then provided the opportunity to purchase the restaurant. I love these types of stories and really love being able to support locally owned businesses. The restaurant has all kinds of memorabilia. It is all donated from people in the community or were items the owners had purchased years ago and were kept in the restaurant. There is a two man wheel from southern Ohio that hangs from the ceiling that the Breanna’s purchased and has been hanging in the restaurant ever since.

I tried a couple of their drinks off of their new spring drink menu. The bartenders brainstorm the specialty drinks and create them a couple times a year. The first one I tried was the Hippie Juice which was Three Olives Watermelon, Malibu, Triple Sec, pineapple juice and lemonade. This drink was very light and airy. I could really taste the pineapple juice and none of the alcohol. The second drink was the Mermaid Water, which was my favorite. This had Captain Morgan, Malibu, Blue Curaçao, and pineapple juice. I really liked that I could taste the Malibu and Captain. This drink was a little stronger but still was light and airy for the hopeful warmer weather of Spring.

The last drink I tried was the Sparkling Jalapeño and Grapefruit Margarita. It is made with 1800 Tequila, Triple Sec, lime and grapefruit juice, Jalapeño infused syrup, topped with soda. I am not a huge fan of grapefruit but I really couldn’t taste the grapefruit in this drink, just the spice from the jalapeño syrup and the tequila. I think this drink is also refreshing for spring and really enjoyed the kick it has.

Brennan’s does have tons of seafood options (which I have another review of here https://justaclevelandgirl.com/two-of-my-favorite-lent-specials/) and a couple different types of fish fry platters. Their special for Lent is a $6 Walleye sandwich, which is normally $12.29. They use the same recipe that the Brennan’s used in 1973. Of course it is a secret recipe so they couldn’t tell me too much, but the walleye is lightly breaded with a special breading. I am not normally a fan of walleye but WOW this sandwich was so good. A lot of breaded fish you taste the breading and not the fish, which is always a disappointment. Not in this case you could taste the fish, which was not fishy tasting at all, and the breading just added a crunch and extra amazing flavor. The walleye was not greasy at all either, which is also my complaint about breaded or fried fish. The sandwich itself comes with the bun, fish, a side of tartar sauce and a lemon just like it did in 1973. I didn’t even bother putting the tartar sauce on the sandwich the fish was so good. I also tried the coleslaw and French fries with the sandwich. The French fries are like carnival fries but were cooked just right. They were soft, but crunchy and not greasy either. I am picky about coleslaw but Brennan’s does their’s really well. The cabbage and carrots are chopped up tiny and there is a good amount of dressing, which I appreciate.

I was there during peak dinner time, while there was a wait and every table was full. The food was amazing even with how busy they were and the service was top notch. The owner was out in the dining room talking to customers, helping grab food and drinks and just really present in the everyday of the restaurant. I heard customers asking for him by name just to say hi or give him a hug. I appreciate the small town atmosphere and that there seemed to be so many regulars. I will be adding myself to the regular list, as I always loved Brennan’s but for some odd reason I don’t make it there as often as I should. That is about to change.

Thank you to Brennan’s for inviting me in to try their spring drink specials and their amazing walleye sandwich. All of my opinions are my own.