Cooking For Engineers

[Patty]

Well, I finally made it to Chad's Fish & Chips in Willits to try their Icelandic Cod. I agree Michael that it was really tasty and that the fish was cooked perfectly. The butterflied prawns were something that really impressed me because there was not a lot of batter, but plenty of prawn. Chad's wife, Francis, takes great pride in her homemade clam chowder and her homemade condiments. I have to admit that her tartar sauce is the best I have ever had. I am not sure if I enjoyed the seafood the most or whether it was getting acquainted with this warm and friendly couple. I went in just before closing on a Saturday night and they had probably cleaned up the kitchen and were ready to go home for the night, but they were more than happy to fix us a couple of meals. Thank you, Michael, for mentioning the place, otherwise, I may have continued to pass by there without noticing the place.

[Patty]

I recently had my second visit to Chad's Fish & Chips in Willits. I live in Fort Bragg so it is only an hour's drive for me, plus I drive through Willits whenever I go out of town. The last time I ate there, I had his seafood basket which consisted of the Icelandic cod, prawns, scallops and coleslaw. The seafood was excellent, as were the condiments. This time, I had the fishwich sandwich with fries. The batter on the cod was unbelievably crunchy while leaving the fish very moist! The fries were the precut krinkle fries, but I didn't stop by there to eat the fries anyway! Thank you, Michael, for mentioning it on your website, or I may have continued to drive right past the place, as I have done for years. Fort Bragg has many terrific restaurants at which you can get great seafood, but Chad's is the only restaurant that I know of in the the area that serves the Icelandic cod and sometimes it is good to try something different. By the way, if you mention this website, you are certain to get a visit at your table by Chad himself.

[mary]

I am a little taken back by the statement that icelandic fish was used because halibut etc was muddy tasting. Obviously that restaurant has not samples the excellent halibut that come from Alaska. On the sme ocean..........

Try it you'll love it.. It's delicious. Buy American fool.

[Michael Chu]

[Liz]

Can't wait to try Chad's Fish and Chips. In Shelter Cove (turn west at Garberville) the cafe/general store does a pretty good job of them, and was recommended in Foghorn's coastal Calif. guide, but I expect Chad's will be the best.

Say it ain't so about Rolf's. It was awesome, and always a destination on North Coast trips.

[scrimshaw j machrihanish]

I'm starving after read all that. Best fish and chips this side of Chads - and Harry Ramsden's of course - is at Smiles in Beaconsfield. Oh, they have a shop in Bourne End too. We have plenty of takeaways that do fish n chips in High Wycombe but always hop on to the M40 for a couple of junctions to go to Smiles. Well run, variety of fish but cod and haddock the favourites with me and the missus. And no, I don't work for them! So if you are visiting South Buckinghamshire in the UK, try them out.

[Guest]

Cool to read your article, mate. I actually grew up in Willits, and my father was responsible for supplying Chad's with all their kitchen equipment and food from when they opened until my father stopped working.

Growing up there, I always thought they made excellent fish 'n chips, but it wasn't until I got out and started sampling elsewhere that I realized how truly good a lot of the local spots were back home. Willits is kind of unique and fortunate in that a lot of the local eateries are just sublime: if you like Italian or Mexican, I could not say enough nice things about Mario's on 101 just north of Willits and both El Mexicano and Taqueria Bravo right across from each other in downtown. But hey, I could go on for paragraphs about the great restaurants throughout Mendocino county.

Anyway, all that aside, thanks for writing the article, man. Made me homesick.

[drivinthru]

I am so glad there is an article about this place because my husband and I loved it. We were heading back from a 4 hour drive and were hungry but nothing sounded good. We were thinking we can get Burger King or Taco Bell anywhere so let's try something different. That's when we came across this place and boy were we glad we stopped. The quality of the food is amazing and the customer service is grade A....We were talking about making that a stop whenever were in that neck of the woods...thanks again for a great lunch

Rach from the Bay Area, CA

[Don Turner's daughter]

Chad's was a happy discovery for more than one reason. First time I stopped it was the best fish & chips ever. Second time I discovered that Chad knew and had worked with my father (now deceased) and told me some wonderful things about him I had not known. Stopped again last week and its still the best eats with the friendliest owner ever!

[Guest]

I hope to try the fish&chips here, though (being 85 years old), it's unlikely that I'll again be travelling up there from the Los Angeles area, and probably the best I can do will be to bring the place to the attention of Dian Crayne, who lives near there. I note that my first visit to the UK (about 13 years ago) left me marvelling that I could order, at any reasonably-good fish-and-chips place, a selection of three or four different kinds of fish that actually tasted, delightfully, like three or four different kinds of fish.

I Also note that the last time I was in the Robin Hood Pub on Burbank Blvd. in Burbank, CA their fish-and-chips (Icelandic cod, I think) had Absolutely The Best Crust I Have Ever Consumed In My Whole Life. From an Engineering standpoint -- contents & conditions -- I found it about as close as it's possible to get to Perfection. (The batter had Flavour, and Crispness, but so little oil that I recommended it to my cardiologist.)

--Don Fitch

[Greystoat]

As anyone got any photos of Chad.

[Drake Ducker]

Can anyone tell me if chads fish and chips is still open, Im planning on visiting this summer.

[Dilbert]

try calling (707) 456-9402

it may be, still there but under new management.

one of the joys of the internet, items with no dates....

[Jon Passow]

I gotta tell you, ever since we became neighbors with Chad a few years ago, he has talked about this article many times. I can't tell you how proud he is of the words your wrote. Unfortunately, he closed his shop few years back, but man, he still makes one mean Fish and Chips!

[Michael Chu]