Calumet Fisheries has been considered an institution by Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana residents and fishermen for decades.
Come Monday, the fish shack, located on the west end of the 95th Street bridge on Chicago's Southeast Side, will be known by even more seafood lovers.
The carry-out only eatery will be thrust into the national culinary spotlight at The James Beard Awards in New York when Calumet Fisheries' owners the Kotlick and Toll families are given the American Classics award.
Known as the Academy Awards of the food industry, the James Beard Awards annually honor esteemed chefs, restaurants, wine experts, restaurateurs and other food industry personnel.
"I don't think it's sunken in yet," said Carlos Rosas, manager of Calumet Fisheries. "It's an honor to be nominated. It's not something we were trying to get."
Restaurant co-owner Mark Kotlick will travel to the Big Apple to pick up the award, Rosas said.
According to the James Beard Foundation, the American Classics award is given to "restaurants with timeless appeal, beloved for quality food that reflects the character of the community,"
Through the years, Calumet Fisheries' menu has starred some of the best smoked fish around. And the offerings have virtually remained unchanged.
I remember frequenting the joint back in the late 1960s with my late brother Arthur who loved their chubs. Since it wasn't far from our house, we'd often stop for a seafood fix.
During a recent visit to CF (I hadn't been to the shack in years), I found it to have the same feel and fresh quality food I remembered.
Rosas said among popular items at the eatery are fried and smoked shrimp, smoked salmon. chubs and catfish.
"People even come from the north suburbs to get the salmon," Rosas said.
Everything is smoked in a wood smokehouse on the premises.
Though the building housing the eatery has been around since 1928, it was purchased in 1948 by the Kotlick and Toll families, natives of the area.
During our late afternoon stop at the shack, our menu picks were a fried shrimp dinner ($8.95) and of course, chubs ($10.95 a pound) for old times sake.
The dinner combo included fries, coleslaw, crackers and sauce.
Thick shrimp, with a tasty breading that wasn't greasy, starred in the combo.
The chub, with its smoky flavor, also received raves from my family. The taste was just as I remembered it as a kid.
Among other menu items: crab cake dinners ($6.99); scallops dinners ($9.49); a la carte items -- fish chips ($4.35 half order , $8.10 full order); frog legs ($6.79 half order, $12.65 full order) and more. Sides, salads and beverages are also available.
There are no seats in the eatery. But you'll often find patrons sitting in their cars enjoying the grub.
Got a taste for seafood? Just one visit to the fish joint will have you hooked.
The opinions are solely the writer's. Reach her at eloise.valadez@nwi.com or (219) 933-3365
Calumet Fisheries
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Sundays to Wednesdays; 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Thursdays; and 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
WHERE: 3259 E. 95th St., Chicago
FYI: (773) 933-9855 or www.calumetfisheries.com
