Ms D’s Fish House

I visited Ms D’s Fish House on a Wednesday for lunch. Since I had fish the day before I was looking for something different. Country cooking was also written on the front window so that’s what I went in for. I got the special which was beef tips over rice with gravy, a side of collards and cornbread with a coke to drink which totalled $ 9.14. I can appreciate that this is a family business that was clean with pleasant service. But… The beef tips/​gravy were relatively tasteless, collards were good and cornbread was good also. The portions were small. I would go back and try a fish dish as there are relatively few local clean places serving plate lunches in the area, it was a bit expensive for what I got.

I went in search of a great fish dish, and Ms. D’s didn’t disappoint at all.
It was a Lenten Friday, but I was seeking fish more out of tradition than any sort of obligation. I appreciate its presence simply because I like fish. I decided to make my way to Ms. D’s Fish House, a place that I pass on a regular basis but had never tried.
Ms. D’s is unceremoniously tucked into a shopping complex and one would likely miss it if they didn’t advertise along the adjacent streets. The inside is simple enough, a front counter space that opens to a modest dining room. One full wall is dedicated to a whiteboard featuring «Momma’s Sayings,» including such gems as «If it were a snake it would’ve bitten you by now» and «If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!»
The sweet tea being served in a handled jar was a nice down-​home touch. Having a good idea of what I was there for, I’ll admit I didn’t look too extensively at the menu offerings, instead locating the fried flounder lunch special and figuring out my sides, settling on collard greens and mashed potatoes with gravy. The meal, while not speedy by anyone’s account, wasn’t slow either, and judging by the embroidered shirt, was brought to me by Ms. D. herself.
The fish was tasty, so mission accomplished on the original goal of the trip. The mashed potatoes and gravy were nothing spectacular, but enjoyable all the same. I chose cornbread as my bread and that was well done as well. But the meal’s shining glory was certainly the collard greens, cooked to perfection.
All in all, it was an enjoyable experience. As I mentioned, it wasn’t fast food by any means, but it makes no claims of such. I’d definitely go back.

Hey, the 4 stars are mostly to counter a low review I see but havnt read. This place has good food at a fair price. The salmon patties special I had today came with collard greens [seasond withturkey not pork] pintos and a cheese biscuit. The beans were perfect and the biscuit was light and fluffy. The corn bread was grand as well. All in all I recommend this place very highly and look forward to trying breakfast. I am from Greensboro and visit often but now live in Atlanta. I sure wish I had a local place with affordable home cookin this yummy. Any place serving Neese’s sausage is worth a 300 mile trip ;-)

Ever heard the saying, «You get what you pay for». Well, that is truly the case here at Ms. D’s. While the prices are a little higher that Libby Hill or Mayflower; the quality is leaps and bounds ahead. Shrimp were well battered (not too much, could still taste the shrimp and the Flounder was moist and juicy. Also, no taste of using old frying oil. Sides were great too. Wish I had room for desert, as the cakes on the front counter looked amazing.

This recently opened fish house/​country cooking restaurant is in the location that formerly housed The Palmer Plaza Restaurant and the original site of Filet of Soul. It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We had lunch their today and there were more misses than hits, and I don’t sense that it is just a matter of getting the kinks out of a new venture, but I could be wrong. We ordered a Popcorn Shrimp plate ($ 8.95) and a Fried Perch plate ($ 7.95) with two sides and bread (corn muffin or yeast roll). It took over 30 minutes to get the order out of the kitchen, and this with only 3 tables occupied, with a total of 7 customers. When you have to have a refill of tea BEFORE you have had a bite, something may be amiss.
The food was also a series of hits and misses. The cornmeal encrusted Popcorn Shrimp was overcooked, tough and dry. The collards were excellent, as were the house cut fries. The Perch was also cornmeal crusted and done quite well, moist with nice clean fish taste. The slaw was sweet for my taste, as was the corn muffin. The yeast roll was just ok.
The service here was friendly, but a little unfocused, and the kitchen obviously was very, very slow. To succeed, especially at lunch, this place will have to get much quicker, and frankly the pricing is a little high, considering that the daily specials at Mayflower is around $ 5, and the portions comparable. I may give this another try, but without significant improvement, that would do it for me.