ethnic fries

We were in St. Louis this weekend for a short roadtrip. One of our stops was a middle eastern market/bakery to do some shopping. Just recently the owners cut the size of the market in half and replaced the other half with a very nice cafe. Of course, we had to eat. One of our choices was an order of what they called Mediterranean Fries. They were fresh cut, twice fried potatoes sprinkled generously with ground sumac, the lemony red berry used often in middle eastern cooking, and parsley. These fries were wonderful! Crispy, citrusy and herby. They were so good we didn't need any sort of condiment. It was the first time I'd seen that sort of french fry offered in a middle eastern place. This is the place:

http://www.the-vine-cafe.com/thevinecafe/Home.html

Interesting. This weekend, Mrs. i95 and I had the pleasure of attending a Smithsonian offering (http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=219461) and lunch on Indian food. One of the presenters, author and writer Monica Bhide (http://www.monicabhide.com/), has a new cookbook...
 

 
 
...and which features a recipe for Indian Onion Rings with Chaat Masala and featuring red chili powder, carom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves. Not to keep any of you from purchasing this great book but the recipe for said onion rings can be found online here: http://www.nataliemaclean.com/recipes/view/indian-onion-rings-with-chaat-masala/367, FYI.

Zataar, do you remember the fry shop in Santa Monica Mall?

Fries were served in paper cones and there were a number of different dips or dressings that you could use on them.

I love that idea.

They were quite popular, but the rent was too high to be profitable selling only one item.

mar52: There was a place like that called Hollywood Fries in Westwood that was featured on the Food Network a few years ago.  It went out of business, too.  IIRC, Danny Glover was an investor.

Three deep-fried side-dish items that we have enjoyed -

1 & 2- at Farmer Boys, the mini Burger and Mex chain in the Inland Empire (mainly) in So Cal, were the Huge , thick-cut Onion Rings and the Zucchini Spears (Squash Quartered length-wise and battered then fried).  Both make great sides to the Burgers this outfit puts out.

3. Recently we visited Hap's , a small town cafe in Marengo, Indiana, for their Friday evening Fish Fry. While the Fish was "Good", nothing real special, the side of Fried Green Tomatoes was Outstanding. 10 good-sized slices, too hot to touch when delivered to the table, crusty, well-seasoned coating, and only $2.99 for the order. That was a real treat that we really enjoyed !

mayor al
 

3. Recently we visited Hap's , a small town cafe in Marengo, Indiana, for their Friday evening Fish Fry. While the Fish was "Good", nothing real special, the side of Fried Green Tomatoes was Outstanding. 10 good-sized slices, too hot to touch when delivered to the table, crusty, well-seasoned coating, and only $2.99 for the order. That was a real treat that we really enjoyed !

The only two things that money can't buy,
Are True Love and Fried Green Tomatoes! (Lyrics altered to make it fit)

  I really enjoy fresh sweet potato fries with Cajun spice. That particular side order is hard to come by way up north. I will be making fried green tomatoes in the fall with my late harvest crop. I like to dust them with grated Parmesan and fry them on the flat top or a hot skillet. The saltiness of the Parm is a great foil for the tartness of the tomato.

  I believe that there is or was a place in NYC that had pomme frites with various dips and spices.

  David O.

Pommes Frites was still there last month!

Foodbme

mayor al
 

3. Recently we visited Hap's , a small town cafe in Marengo, Indiana, for their Friday evening Fish Fry. While the Fish was "Good", nothing real special, the side of Fried Green Tomatoes was Outstanding. 10 good-sized slices, too hot to touch when delivered to the table, crusty, well-seasoned coating, and only $2.99 for the order. That was a real treat that we really enjoyed !

The only two things that money can't buy,
Are True Love and Fried Green Tomatoes! (Lyrics altered to make it fit)

while changing any lyrics to that song would be a sin, I'll go along with your alteration this
one time....cause in this case, it's true!




"Up in the morning and out in the garden

Pick you a ripe one, don't get a hard 'un"