Irish Fish at Pius V

This is Pius V. He wasn't Irish, it seems. He's rocking the Spanish Inquisition getup, though.

First, it was the Mexican take on Lenten Fridays at St. Cecilia’s, now we’re going to go 2 miles north on Grand to the Catholic church equivalent of Ireland.

For our trip to Pius V, the Fish Fry Posse had been reduced by half: one had other plans (can you believe that?), and the other was grounded. (That would be the eleven year old.) So it was just me and Rachel, the proud mother of the very-sad grounded child who was not allowed to hang out with her mother at a church on Friday night. (Again, can you believe that?)

Like St. Cecilia’s, Pius has a similar family-friendly Cheers-like atmosphere where everyone acts like they know everybody else, even if they don’t. When you come in here, you’re family and you’ll get fed like a king.

Yum.

You will stand in a fairly long line that snakes through the bowels of the building. As you wait, you pay for your meal ($7.00 for fish and two or three sides), fill out your coupon for the attendance prize, and buy 50/50 tickets if you’re so inclined. You’ve arrived once you enter the cafeteria line, just like if you were a student. Grab your tray and let the volunteers load up your plate. (Observation: there were lots of open wine bottles behind the counter. These really were happy volunteers.)

Fish is pub-style beer battered cod, so it doesn’t have the cornmealy textured crunch of some other fish frys. You can also choose from baked cod or catfish. Despite being served from chafing dishes, the breading on the cod logs stay pretty darn crisp and it has a good flavor. The baked variety is served in foil packets with a spritz of lemon and butter. The portion isn’t huge, but obviously you’re watching your calories by ordering this, so hell-o? Portion control.

Sides include a rich and creamy potato salad, mac and cheese, green beans, and vinegar cole slaw. All the sides are good, and the cole slaw is notable. You will also get your obligatory bread at the end of the line along with condiments. Pius does it right: they even have malt vinegar for the fish.

After you have your tray, head out to the cafeteria to choose from the variety of homemade desserts and find an empty spot to set up camp. Pius is packed during peak dinner hours, so you will more than likely have to hunt to find seats for your crew, but everyone is friendly and willing to scootch to make room for you.

Coffee, tea and water are free. Beer is cheap: $1 for A-B products, $2 for bottles of Schlafly and Heineken. Also, watch your mouth when you’re ordering. I heard one of the ladies back there call another one “sister.”

Like St. Cecilia’s, Pius has their own brand of entertainment. Both evenings we enjoyed the sounds of Irish singers and musicians while we noshed on our cod logs and apple pie. Your tablemates will be friendly, and they are a diverse cross-section of St. Louis. Gleeful kids run around, dance to the music and provide additional entertainment.

The fish is tasty, and the experience is equally delicious. Check out Pius V this Friday:

Pius V Catholic Church, 3310 South Grand, St. Louis, MO 63116  (At the corner of Grand and Utah.) 4:00 to 7:30 Fridays throughout Lent. Enter the building on the Utah side.