It’s a Friday night and you’re craving crunchy chicken tacos but its Lent. Fridays during Lent for Catholics means abstaining from meat. Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays because Christ died and sacrificed his own flesh for us on a Friday. It wasn’t until 1966 that Catholics abstained from meat every Friday of the year. In 1983 that Canon 1251 of Code of Canon Law was revised to say, “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities; abstinence and fast are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on the Friday of the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Christ the King  –  4 1/2 stars

Christ the King Parish did an outstanding job. The parish hall was so packed it was hard to find a seat. The hall was filled with much laughter and memories being made. They served a Wisconsin style fish fry with Alaskan Polick fish freshly fried by a team of Knights of Columbus members from Christ the King, Rockhurst University and UMKC. The boiled potatoes were coated in butter and parsley. The fried potatoes were crunchy and not fishy. They make sure to fry the French fries completely separately to avoid fishy fries. The coleslaw was phenomenal. Knights of Columbus member, Jerry Maschler, and his wife have made the coleslaw for the past five years. It’s a three day process; they put the cabbage, mustard, vinegar and sugar in a five gallon bucket and rotate it from Wednesday to Friday to make sure it all gets mixed up to give the best flavor. You may notice the coleslaw looks more purple than other coleslaw, they do this to embody the purple of the Lenten season. The cake was a bit dry but the chocolate frosting made up for it. Overall the Knights’ apron said it all, “It always tastes right when it’s served by a knight.”

St. Patrick Parish  –  3 1/2 stars

St. Patrick Parish hosted their fish fry in the parish hall with a moderate variety to select from. The southern fried fish was coated in corn meal that gave it a thin crunchy outer layer. The mac and cheese was everything you look for in the perfect mac and cheese; it was creamy, cheesy and the noodles were soft. The corn on the cob was cooked and buttered and gave a great sweet taste. The chocolate chip cookie was crunchy, sugary and chocolatey sweet. The hush puppies were by far the best item on the menu. They were crunchy on the outside and fluffy and flavorful on the inside with a bit of a spice to it.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish  –  3 stars

Within two minutes of being at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, I was thanked five times by workers with welcoming warm smiles. The boiled shrimp was a bit off-putting and hard to eat since the shrimps’ feet were still on it. However, the shrimp had a nice little spicy kick to them. The potatoes were plain b-sized boiled potatoes. The “Oh So Sweet Lemonade” was just as you’d expect: very very sweet. Although their selection was limited, their atmosphere made up for it. Everyone was really enjoying themselves, they had a packed house with music going and many conversations.