Fish "Fry-Day" at St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church (Lebanon Valley Food Critics) (2024)

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Editor’s Note: Last year, Michael and Nicole Borrell began reviewing Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. Since then, the couple has aimed to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to be partnering with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. Bon appétit!

It was another Friday night during Lent so we planned to join our guest critics again for a meal out. This time, we were going to head to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Cornwall to enjoy a sit-down fish fry. Then, we did some research. Silly me, I didn’t read all the articles on Fish Fry’s in the area correctly. Sacred Heart’s fish fry is on WEDNESDAYS! Glad we made sure to look it up to verify. Luckily, we found that Saint Cecilia’s Catholic Church, located on Lehman Street in Lebanon, offered their fish fry night on Fridays. We headed down the steps to order.

When we arrived at St. Cecila’s, we found a well-oiled machine upon entering the parish hall. You had the option to eat in or take out. The ladies taking orders had order forms that they would used to mark the number of the meals that you chose, along with options for drinks at a small additional charge. They were also selling sauerkraut and peppered cabbage by the quart. You go down the line and another person takes your slip and fills your order, then you can choose drinks like lemonade, water, and coffee for free, or select a can of soda for a small surcharge.

Their options were breaded fried fish or baked fish, french fries or baked potato, and a side of peppered cabbage. The fish was fried perfectly, moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The french fries were average, but hot and tasty. The unsung hero of this dish came from the peppered cabbage. I would NEVER choose to eat peppered cabbage if it was an option, but this was a standard for St. Cecelia’s. No coleslaw option, so I chose to try it. Man was it yummy! I quickly finished the side before I got done with the rest of my meal and wished I had more! If I would have liked peppered cabbage on a regular basis, I might have gone home with a quart.

Our take: With all the fasnachts they sell before Ash Wednesday, of course their meals would be well organized and just as delicious. St. Cecelia’s makes a quality fish dinner, and you can get it on Fridays during Lent. The people volunteering were very pleasant to talk with and very helpful guiding us through their ordering process.

We give this place ?????.

If you have a restaurant you would like us to visit or review, whether a place you like or are nervous to try, please message us on Facebook or email lvfoodcritics@outlook.com and let us know. We thank everyone for the recommendations and the kind words we have received.

This article was updated after publication to mention the remaining dates of the fish fry (April 1 and April 8).

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