Best Fries?

Some of the best frieds i have had were at Al's French Fry's in burlington VT. Perhaps due to its proximity to Canada, they stole the cooking method?

Best fries? Caesario's Pizza, Manchester, NH.

quote:

Originally posted by i95

Without question, the best fries had by both Mrs. I95 and I were the shoe string variety accompanying the fresh grilled fish at San Francisco's Hayes Street Grill (across from that city's Performing Arts Center at 320 Hayes Street, see: http://www.hayesstreetgrill.com).

Such was reviewed in the Stern's "Eat Your Way Across the USA" (1999) and included the accolade that the Grill offered a "sophisticated San Francisco meal to remember."

Indeed, I do.

Hmmmm. That's right down the street, but it's been years since I've eaten there. Last time I did eat there, right after I left I went to McDonald's because I was still hungry (I had sausages and polenta--they gave me 2 small sausages and about 2 tbsp of polenta). I think I'm not sophisticated enough.

About 100 ft away, across Gough St., is Absinthe and they make very good fries too, served the French way in a paper cone with various dipping sauces like aoli, vinegar etc. This is a great spot either for a reasonably priced French meal or to just hang at the bar and maybe eat a cone of fries. Also it's one of the few good places open on Christmas Eve (at least it has been the last few years) so I begin my holiday festivities there with a great meal of cassoulet or something else warm and celebratory.

But still, I think the best French Fries I've ever had were the ones sold from a stand on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD where we used to vacation when I was a kid. Of course they used real potatoes (not frozen fries) and they sold so many that they always had a batch coming right out of the fryer. Douse with a little salt and vinegar and YUM!

You dogs. Now I have to find french fries. Must have fries!

Fortunately for me, the best DEAL in Columbia as far as french fries are concerned is available right across the street from the Tribune, at a little Greek pizza place called Tony's. For $1.25, I'll get double what I'd get in a large serving from McMaggie's, and they're pretty darn good, too. Now, if I can just find the bottle of malt vinegar that I hide in my desk...

I hate to admit it, but some of my favorite fries comes from a Sheetz gas station that just opened up next to the work place. For $1.00 you can get a decent sized cup of fries and their crisp and tasty.

I like Fatburger fries also.

i'm tempted to say fries are like ice cream
...no such thing as a bad fry
some are definitely better
...but all are good
that said, the best fry i've ever had was at arthur bryant's in kcmo

Some of the best fries I have had were from a place just off the boardwalk in Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. I believe they were double fried in the manner leechef describes. They are sold in containers which range from reasonable all the way up to what looks like a five gallon bucket. Outstanding taste and great to accompany a long walk on the boards.

The best fries I have had lately were at Rosco's Big Dog in Hartford, CT. The are Belgian (cooked twice) I believe. Delicious!

I'll take any sweet potato fries over the best french fries. Sweet potato fries with maple syrup...

Edwaste that sounds great I'm going to try it. I make my own Sweet potato fries in olive oil, I bet they would be good even for Breakfast with real Maple syrup.

My favotie fries were in the little place on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores, I ordered steak and fries...what I got was Horsemeat steak it was very good after I got over the mental image pictures of Trigger and My friend Flika, but the fries were done excellently in olive oil
with just a little salt and pepper. These by far were for me the best.

The fries that are so good on the boardwalks of Ocean City, MD and Rehoboth Beach, DE are from Thrashers, who have been serving them forever. People line up like crazy for them, especially in OC and the large does indeed come in a bucket the size of your head, and is probably the best seller. Salt and malt vinegar are the toppings of choice, but ketchup is available too.

In Rehoboth, Georges is a small takeout window operation on the opposite side of the street from Thrashers and is just as good. If memory serves me, they are the ones who double fry. I don't think Thrashers does.

Thrashers was the inspiration for the Boardwalk Fries operation that is in so many malls now. Fresh cut potatoes and peanut oil are the keys, but I passed a Boardwalk location recently, and saw no evidence of fresh potatoes being used. If they have gone frozen, at least in some locations, then there is no reason to patronize them, just as I no longer patronize Chili's, who before they got too big, used to prepare some of the best fresh cut fries you ever tasted.

I have to say the best fries I've had were probably from John Thomas in Ithica, NY. This is not your convention roadfood place, rather an expensive steak place, but the Sterns seem to like it: http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1237&RefID=1237. Likewise, the best onions.

But on a more reasonable scale, the fries at Super-Duper Weenie are my current benchmark.

Fries are SO subjective....Each person has different ideas of what appeals (no pun intended). I personally enjoy greasy with the skin on. Some of the best that fit this bill come from Parky's in Oak Park, IL. The rest of the food at this quirky looking hot dog stand is mediocre at best, but if you like the hot, greasy, cardiologists delight kind of french fries....this is the place to get them!!!

I found corn fries at Mr. Dz on Rte. 66 in Kingman AZ. Food of the gods served with a vingear dipping sauce!

The best fries I ever ate are the ones served at the Minnesota Fair. But for year-around good fries, I'll take those at Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, MS:

The best french fries in the world (in my opinion) can be found in French or Belgium restaurants. We have two places within 25 miles of us where they serve "Frites" and they are wonderful. I also remember wonderful frites in Quebec City, Canada. For the most part, I have never had outstanding french fries. I also love sweet potato french fries but find that very few places cook them right.........most taste like the ones that I have made at home.........soggy!

quote:

Originally posted by paul and louise

i'm tempted to say fries are like ice cream
...no such thing as a bad fry

Ohhhh no, there is definitely such a thing as a bad fry. I once had some at a Denny's that shall remain locationless that were probably cooked in oil that wasn't hot enough ... they were pale, limp and greasy.

I love the fries at Hildebrandt's in Williston Park, New York- they have thim slcioed frieds that are like potato chips. Crisp, potatoey and salty- perfect- good burgers and egg creams too~!

quote:

Originally posted by FoodLover2003

Mcdonald's

Applebee's has great fries, and the one's in the bag (Ore Ida) are awesome!! :)

you're joking right? Just thought this was funny? Or maybe trying to start some sort of flame war?

French Fries are serious business.

Will the court please strike this from the record?

quote:

Originally posted by Goose

quote:

Originally posted by FoodLover2003

Mcdonald's

Applebee's has great fries, and the one's in the bag (Ore Ida) are awesome!! :)

you're joking right? Just thought this was funny? Or maybe trying to start some sort of flame war?

French Fries are serious business.

Will the court please strike this from the record?

Goose--you read my mind.

FL2003, it would appear (to me at least) that you're a victim of a bit of roadfood snobbery here. Unfortunate.

The idea expressed here, in essence, is that anything from McDonald's is garbage, not worth a mention. More or less the same re: Applebees or any frozen fries from a bag. I'm not agreeing with the concept, simply restating it more bluntly. Frankly, I eat at McDoanld's about once every two weeks because it's a cheap and filling lunch, accent on the cheap.

If indeed you've never had better fries than those at McDonald's or the others you mentioned, then your post is from your point of view, the pure and simple truth. Best is indeed a relative term. If the only hamburger I ever ate was Burger King's new angus burger, then it would indeed be the best I had ever had, and so forth. Put another way, I have never eaten any pizza produced in New Haven Connectcut, where supposedly the pizza is the world's best, according to some. So I'd name a local pizza I have eaten as the best. From my point of view, this is the truth; but I'd rather suspect the two posters above would deride this opinion much as they did yours, because my choices don't fit theirs.

That said, I understand the core level basis for their point of view, as well. Look at the pic Michael Stern posted, and imagine how these must taste based solely on how they look. The point here is that there are many places with fresh cut, fresh cooked fries that (for most of us) taste a lot better than anything ever produced by McDonald's, Applebee's, or any bagged frozen potato. There's all kinds of places out there serving great, frsh food, and it's out there to be discovered, or read about here.

Bottom line: there's room in this world - and even on this board - for a wide range of opinions, including McDonald's as the best fries.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Stern

The best fries I ever ate are the ones served at the Minnesota Fair. But for year-around good fries, I'll take those at Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, MS:

These are the real thing. Thanks Michael, as I salivate!

I can taste the crunchiness and juiciness just by looking!

quote:

Originally posted by FoodLover2003

what's the point?? I was just simply stating my opinion and I really don't see a need for rude comments.

*shrug* prolly just best to just drop it, and move on. In a sense, they were doing the same as you - stating their opinions. I'll leave it at that, and thats the last I'll say about it.

quote:

Originally posted by FoodLover2003

Yeah I kinda figured they were being snobbish.

So tell me...Goose and T...what's the point?? I was just simply stating my opinion and I really don't see a need for rude comments.

Im just curious...thanks.

I can't speak for Goose, but my point is: What McDonald's passes off for french fries today is but a sad imitation of what they used to make thirty years ago.

Below is what I posted on page one of this thread a while back--the way McDonald's used to make the best, real, fresh fries. Not the cardboard consistency frozen items they fob off on unsuspecting consumers today. Don't take it personally (as you must be too young to remember) but you really don't know what you're missing re McDonald's fries today, versus what they used to sell.

To wit (from my post a couple of months ago--see page one of this thread):


I too worked at McDonalds in that time frame.

And your hubby is right--here's how McDonald's made french fries when they meant something:

You started by hauling a fifty pound sack of Russet potatoes from the basement. You put a bunch in a round container whose insides were coated with a rough material. The bottom of this cylinder was a turntable. You closed the lid on this thing and turned it on and it would spin the potatoes around, with the rough surface tearing most, but not all of the skin off. Then you'd open a chute and out they would tumble into a stationary tub.

Then you stabbed them with a big fork thing and sliced them lenghtwise in a slicer--the fries were really long back then. Then you filled the tub up with water and washed them by hand. You then drained the tub and repeated that six times (yes--we really washed them six times!) Why wash them? And why six times you ask? To remove the starch, which if you didn't would make them all stick together when you tried to fry them. After the first wash or two there would be a layer of starch half an inch thick on the bottom of the tub that you'd have to rinse away.

Ok, then they were ready to fry, which you'd do using that wonderful beef tallow.

But, since it took so long to make them as per above, and you wanted a supply ready to fry during the rush hours, so more often than not the french fry guy would blanch a bunch in boiling water so they wouldn't turn brown. This way, you could build up a supply for the rush times.

Now that made for real french fries. I'm telling you kids today, you don't know what a decent french fry is. These were real fries and tasted great!

Believe me, they were worth all that trouble.

What McDonald's passes off for french fries today is a pathetic excuse--a betrayal of the proud old McDonald's french frying tradition. I swear if McDonald's brought back the original way they made french fries, they would rule the world!

Much better stated opinion than before, thankee, and an acknowlegement that at one time, McDonald's did indeed have great fries

FoodLover2003:
One thing about message boards that I try to remember is that since we can't see each other as we read and write messages, nuance gets hidden, or worse, misunderstood. Those two posters probably thought that they were coming off as sorta funny, not rude. But I can certainly see how it could be interpreted either way.
Don't ever take any of this personally!
We actually do like each other around here!

Frank

quote:

Originally posted by signman

The fries that are so good on the boardwalks of Ocean City, MD and Rehoboth Beach, DE are from Thrashers, who have been serving them forever. People line up like crazy for them, especially in OC and the large does indeed come in a bucket the size of your head, and is probably the best seller. Salt and malt vinegar are the toppings of choice, but ketchup is available too.

Thrashers in Ocean City, at least the one around 8th street, does not offer ketchup. I am pretty sure none of them do. I was there this past summer and they have opened a new stand around the 1st street area. The best fries anywhere.

The best fries I remember were the ones from Ollie's Trolley in Louisville, KY. They were spicy, as were the burgers. Yum!
If I had to pick the worst fries I'd say White Castle. They're bland, bland, bland.

Andrea

I don't know if anyone mentioned White Castle's French Fries but Those are some great Fries !!! Their the Crinkle Cut Type of Fries and they taste Delicious Does Anyone else agree ?