The second week of our small town culinary adventure took us to Bee, Nebraska for the fish fry at Lou and Mary Jane’s Bar. It was the last Friday of Lent, and we decided a fish fry was in order.
The drive to Bee only took about 30 minutes. It was a scenic drive, surprisingly hilly and picturesque. Once we got there, the town of Bee was very small. Our GPS gave us street names to watch for, but there were no street signs visible as we entered the town. Still, we managed to find the bar without any trouble. There were only a few streets, so we just drove up and down them until we found it.
The bar was sort of what you might expect a small town bar to look like. It was obvious it had been a small building at one point that had been added onto a couple different times. It was dark with mismatched furniture and carpet on the walls (do they vaccuum that?) and a pool table at one end. There was a banner on the wall advertising a local race and a homemade poster advertising Girl Scout cookies for sale. We seated ourselves in the middle of the restaurant.
Since we came for the fish, we didn’t bother to look at the menu - if there was one. Maddie and Ethan were skeptical about ordering fish, but they put on a brave face and didn’t even ask about chicken strips. We all ordered the fish fry special.
While we were waiting, we were approached by a gentleman who asked how we were doing tonight. We struck up a conversation, and it turns out, he was Lou of “Lou and Mary Jane’s Bar.” He spent quite a long time with us, telling us about his journey, his family and how he ended up in Bee, Nebraska. He also told us about how he uses Icelandic Cod for the restaurant, and how very few restaurants use that variety. He was a very nice gentleman, and before he departed, we took a picture with him.
Then, our plates arrived. They were heaping with planks of fish, French fries and a slice of bread. Oh, and there was a little pool of cole slaw hidden beneath the hot food. Everything was fresh and delicious. Even the kids liked it - mostly - even though it wasn’t chicken strips. Our only critique was that we all agreed the breading on the fish could have been a little more crispy. After steaming amidst the bread and fries for a few minutes, it had gotten kind of soft. Still, no complaints. We all agreed it was worth the drive from Lincoln.
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