There are a few things I like to take pride in when it comes to food. The first is that it’s hard to pressure me to order something once I’ve set my mind on something else. Call it stubborn, but it’s gotten me this far. The other is that I basically avoid fish at all costs. Yet, in two sittings I managed to break both of those rules at The Villager Pub in Charlevoix, Michigan.

On the first visit, it took a bit of convincing, but I was unable to not order the Chicken Pot Pie. This was partially because I love chicken pot pie, partially because it was only served on Thursdays and mostly because I was told to by my mother, my wife and my waitress. I’m sure if my son could have, he would have told me to as well. It came out just like a chicken pot pie should, with a flaky crust on top and scalding innards. Within the innards were delicious, tender chunks of chicken and gravy that was plentiful and delicious. The view veggies that were in there were manageable, but this wasn’t a veggie pot pie with chicken, it was a chicken pot pie through and through.

On my return to The Villager Pub (which, admittedly, was not my idea, but I could not argue considering the delicious pot pie I had eaten), I opted for the Great Lakes Whitefish and Chips. This is a Great Lakes twist on the classic, with whitefish snagged from one of the Great Lakes (well, obviously not Erie) and fried up in a light batter. Some prefer cod, I honestly don’t know that I can tell the difference and am simply happy to know that the fish isn’t fishy. This fish sure wasn’t, and the batter was quite good as well. The fries, or chips as the Great Lakes Brits say, went well with the whitefish.

The lesson from The Villager Pub is to not always be so stubborn. Could I have been happier sticking to my usual path? Perhaps, but now I know that you can’t go wrong with Chicken Pot Pie or Great Lakes Whitefish and Chips when you pay a visit to The Villager Pub.

Parkers’ Lighthouse in the Shoreline Village of Long Beach is not an actual lighthouse. Also surprising was the fact that during my time there I met not one person named Parker. It is, however, a seafood restaurant overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. So, for the third time in just two days, I found myself staring at menu full of fish and finally I gave in.

I went with the easiest fish possible, Fish and Chips. I also leaned this way because it was marked as one of the fish harvested from a sustainable source. I figure if I’m going to get something I probably won’t love, I should at least ensure that this thing will be replaced.

After a considerable wait, I finally got my order in, and then after another considerable wait, my order arrived. The results were actually a bit worse than expected. I love fried food and I love grease, but when I dug into these, I found myself a little greased out. Like to the point that my face dripped with grease with each bite. But this would be perfectly fine with me if the grease brought some awesome flavor along with it. Sadly, these bits of fish were relatively flavorless. Actually, that was a like, the only flavor that really came through was the grease.

So that’s how it went at Parkers Lighthouse. After downing only about half the fish, I was good and done. Fish and Chips is a damn heavy dish, but when there’s little flavor incentive to keep eating, you wind up with full, unsatisfied stomach and a great view of the ocean.

Walking into Brophy Bros. in Santa Barbara, based on the name, I expected some sort of frat house with waiters walking around with sweaters tied around their shoulders and referring to everyone as “Bro,” “Brah,” and “Brosef.” Instead, I found a seafood restaurant. Not sure which I would have preferred, as I seem to be finding myself at seafood places quite often lately, and I am not enjoying the pattern. Nonetheless, I rapidly found the most unhealthy dish on the menu, Fish ‘n’ Chips.

Despite the many terms we have changed from the original British, I find it very interesting that Fish ‘n’ Chips has withstood the test of time and more than 200 years of independence that other terms like “trousers” and “honour” couldn’t. I don’t mind though, since Fish ‘n’ Fries doesn’t have the same ring I can’t really imagine eating fish with potato chips.

My fried fish arrived soon enough and I began eating. They were a bit soggier than I would prefer and had that uncomfortable fishy smell to them. They were in dire need of the two sauces that were provided, and even those weren’t anything spectacular. In the end, I was full, but not really satisfied. The fish and chips had tasted just okay and left a lot to be desired.