"Thanks Be to Cod" trumpets the front door of Eamonn's, a "Dublin chipper" on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. It's both a play on words and recognition of one of the most important foods in history, but I'm betting Cod would thank chef Cathal Armstrong and his team for serving what's probably the freshest and best tasting iteration of fish 'n' chips this side of Mizen Head.

Eamonn's, named after Cathal and wife Michelle's son, is a traditional chipper in that you order at the counter, grab a seat (if you're lucky, the restaurant has only 20), and wait for your name to be called. The place also puts on Eires by offering strictly Irish candies, "crisps," and beverages at the counter. No word on whether they accept the Euro, but I bet they'd take an old Queen Maedhbh pound.

The menu isn't expansive, but it doesn't really need to be. You have your basic cod in two sizes, fried ray, the fish of the day (which is cod, if there's none other), deep fried "burghers" (not the people), and battered sausage as your mains. Sides are extra, and include two sizes of chips, bachelors' baked beans, onion rings, coleslaw, and mushy peas. Each order comes with one homemade sauce and —clear the way for the condiment freaks—you get a choice of seven ranging from traditional tartar and "Marie Rose" (ketchup and mayo) to the unreal Kitty O'Shea (capers and kalamata olives) and curry. Think fried fish can't be sexed up? Slather it in one of these sauces and color yourself badd.

I headed over to Old Town for lunch last Wednesday at Eamonn's invitation to see what they had to offer (That was a disclosure right there; they paid for lunch. And dessert. Desserts, actually.). Only a couple days after opening, it was clear that the fry cooks were battering and dipping as fast as they could, since the place was full of people looking for some hot fish and tasty fries.

I had the ray, which comes complete with the animal's cartilage and a warning that "big Jim is the only man I have ever known to have eaten the bones." I ate the bones. Honestly? A little off-putting. It didn't ruin the ray itself, which is darker than and not as flaky as cod, but it was like getting a bite of fish with severely undercooked pasta running through it. Since you're eating with your hands (or a spork, which isn't worth the effort), don't get the ray if you're going to pick your way through it; but sign up if you're looking for adeventure. We also tried the cod, which was perfectly cooked, moist, flaky, and then totally devoured. Eamonn's gets fresh fish everyday, and it's surprising how much you can tell the difference. It tastes like fish, not like the smell of a fish freezer. Does that make sense? Run and lick the inside of a fish freezer, I'll wait.

Make sure to grab dessert when you're there. It might not be healthy, but it's damn good. I sampled the fried Snickers and the doughballs, and both were exactly what you'd expect: friedelicious. The candy bar was a little hard to get into, and it seemed that the nougat had BLEVE'd out the side, but a good showing nonetheless. The doughballs were the star though. Imagine a donut hole, a churro, and a funnel cake wrapped into one. That is these doughballs. I wish I could type the sound I make when I think about this. It's like, "garrrrrragagghhhhyes" with fluttering eyelashes. That's a good thing.

At $10.50 for regular cod and large fries, $6.50 for smalls of each, your wallet's not going to take a huge hit, so you can spend your savings in the upstairs bar, PX, which opens tonight. Since your lunch at Subway is running you seven dollars anyway, why not have something fresh and freshly cooked? C'mon now, do you actually like the charred paper clinging to your meatball sub? As an added plus, you can head back to your office after an Eamonn's meal and wipe greasy handprints all over your workplace's Michael Scott's computer.

Eamonn's – A Dublin Chipper, is located at 728 King Street in Alexandria. Eamonn's opens at 11:30 a.m. on weekdays, and 12:00 noon on weekends, and stays open until 11:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 1:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday evenings are up in the air still. Feel free to call ahead at 703-299-8384.