If you think it’s cold here, imagine what it’s like up in Door County, Wisconsin.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine because FitzGerald’s Night Club is bringing Door County to Berwyn this Saturday, Feb. 7. It may be cold outside, but the first, possibly annual “authentic Door County fish boil” should warm things up.
Fish boil? Well not just any fish boil — the Washington Island Fish Boil, that being the island off the coast of northeast Wisconsin, made famous by Ken Koyen, whom you may (or more likely may not) know as “The Fish Mortician.” Koyen opened his restaurant, K.K. Fiske (Scandinavian for “fish”) and over the last three decades has built a tradition of serving fresh-caught “Lawyers” (i.e. Lake Michigan whitefish, which, according to Koyen’s website, “has many names, such as Burbot, Eel Pout, Mud Shark and the Native-American Meset. Islanders call it ‘Lawyer’ because the location of its guilty heart is in its Gluteus Max! This fresh fish is caught by Ken in the waters surrounding Washington Island. The Lawyer is North America’s only freshwater cod with a light tasting white meat.”)
Koyen will transport his catch to FitzGerald’s and boil them in a cauldron outside the main stage building, which has always maintained a North Woods roadhouse vibe (complete with animal heads on the walls, decorated with Italian lights). So a fish boil is a natural fit. Of course, so is Mardi Gras, which FitzGerald’s will feature later in the month, along with Cajun music, so this is one versatile roadhouse.
Koyen’s restaurant is also versatile, offering specials such as Lawyer Kabobs, Butter Poached Lawyers, and Death’s Door Lawyer Linguini. But those varieties may not be available at FitzGerald’s.
What will be available, of course, is music by “island troubadour” Julian Hagen, the opening act for the Celtic rock duo Switchback (featuring Bill FitzGerald’s brother, Brian). Hagen will then move over to the SideBar for a jam session, which FitzGerald’s promises will “make you feel as if you just stepped into Fiddler’s Green on the island.” They will also have Washington Island-connected door prizes, a slide show and a raffle.
Doors open at 4 p.m. The first boil will be followed by dinner at 5 p.m. Get there early if you want to watch the cauldron boil over. It should be quite a sight.
Admission to the festival to see Switchback/Julian Hagen plus door prizes, raffles, slide show and SideBar jam session is $15; advance tickets are available at the club (in person) or at ticketweb.com and may also be purchased at the door on Feb. 7, the day of the show. Children under 12 free for music but the fish boil is extra.
Separate tickets for the fish boil dinner are $17 and must be purchased in advance at the club (in person) or at ticketweb.com. Since the fish will be fresh-caught and transported from Washington Island, they need a headcount for the dinner. Walkup tickets will be sold for the show only, not for the dinner. The whitefish will be served with, Wisconsin red potatoes and cole slaw, plus Koyen’s family style dessert.
FitzGerald’s is located at 6615 W. Roosevelt, Berwyn. For more information on FitzGerald’s, go to http://www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.
