Published Aug. 8, 2005, in the Waukesha Freeman

Story by Matthew Webber

HARTLAND - When the restaurant's doors open, the sidewalk smells like fish. Other than it always has, Hartland residents aren't sure why.

"Well, Friday, it's a tradition," said Nick Gagan, manager of Bark River Bistro at 300 Cottonwood Ave. "It's a big tradition in the state of Wisconsin. The Friday fish fry, ever since I was a kid, it's been featured. We always used to go to the corner tavern and have Friday fish fries."

At a table in the packed restaurant, a Hartland couple scanned the menu, even though they already knew they'd be ordering something fishy. After all, they said, it's a tradition to go out for a Friday night fish fry, not just for them but for people across the region.

"It's about what everybody does, because you're in Milwaukee and everybody's always done it," said Kathie Trojanowski, deciding among the red grouper, Fiji escolar, American swordfish, Icelandic cod and baby walleye pike. "I think a lot of people, like us, like fish and look for an excuse to eat fish. 'Hey, it's Friday. Let's eat fish.'"

Kathie and her husband, Phil, both Catholic, hypothesized the high population of Catholics in the Milwaukee area contributed to the tradition. Catholics, they explained, don't eat red meat on Fridays in Lent, so numerous churches host fish fries.

But they couldn't explain why the tradition lasts year round, not that they're complaining.

"We need to get more fish in our diet anyway," Trojanowski said. "And we see a lot of our friends. It's a social outing where you don't have to spend $125 or $100. It's not a major meal. It's a fish fry. It's good and economical. Fish is healthy.

"And the drinks are good," she added, laughing. "And the price is right. Ten dollars is awesome for all-you-can-eat fish."

"Where's that?" Phil Trojanowski asked, and his wife pointed it out.

In between preparing dishes, the restaurant's chef and owner, John Rutchik, also attributed the popularity of Friday night fish fries to Catholicism as well as to a tradition that continues to sustain itself.

"Wisconsin is the capital of fish fries," Rutchik said. "Why it settled here as much as it did, I'm not sure. It's something you just do on Friday nights in Wisconsin."

As Friday nights continue to be the restaurant's "most consistent, busy night," patrons help keep the fish industry profitable, Rutchik said.

"They sell more cod in the state of Wisconsin than all the other states combined because of the fish fries," he said.

In addition to the all-you-can-eat Icelandic "Frozen at Sea" cod meal, Gagan, the manager, also tried to sell the booming municipality of Hartland itself.

"Hartland is a great, great little city," Gagan said. "It's a close-knit community. There are also a lot of businesses here. It's growing leaps and bounds every day. It's a small, little town, but we get the job done."

In the kitchen, someone's order sizzled on the grill.