Frites

Cambridge Brewpub

2009-06-11T17:29:00.000-07:00

Cambridge Brewing
1 Kendall Square, Bldg 100
Cambridge, MA

Review:

This was my second trip to the CBC in as many months. These were similar to the ones I had before, but were presented Belgian-style, with some garnish, too. Unfortunately, I think the paper in the cone may have made the frites more soggy, even as they soaked the grease up, it leeches back to the frites making them soggier. Too bad, they were probably better before that.

Rating:

Brasserie Jo

2009-06-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

Brasserie Jo
120 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA

Review:

Nice presentation (and more importantly good paper that doesn't make the frites soggy). The frites were Belgian-style but were also skin on. But they were nicely crispy with good flavor.

Rating:

Eastern Standard Chips

2009-06-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Eastern Standard
528 Commonwealth Ave.
Kenmore Square
Boston, MA

Review:

In addition to the frites at Eastern Standard, they also offered hand-made chips, so naturally I had to try those as well. They weren't as good as the frites, unfortunately, though I believe making chips in a restaurant setting is infinitely more difficult than frites. They were undercooked, making them too soggy and yet they were too brown, which normally you'd think would mean they were overcooked. So what actually caused such an obvious conundrum I couldn't say. The flavor was decent and they were appropriately thin, they just need to get the process down better.

Rating:

Eastern Standard

2009-06-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Eastern Standard
528 Commonwealth Ave.
Kenmore Square
Boston, MA

Review:

The second stop on the Boston fry crawl was a place that had been recommended by one of the marketing people from the Boston Beer Co. My local crawl companions, Todd and Jason, were very familiar with the spot. It was attached to a hotel, but had completely separate management. It was a beautiful place, with a great beer list to boot. My grilled cheese sandwich was terrific and the frites did not disappoint. I'm not usually a fan of seasoned frites, but these were subtle and did not overpower the potato flavor. They were also well-salted.Their rating was no doubt improved by the setting, the food and the beer list.

Rating:

Boston Beerworks

2009-06-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Boston Beerworks
Fenway Park location
61 Brookline Avenue
Boston, MA

Review:

The first stop on my Boston fry crawl was Boston Beerworks near Fenway Park. The frites were skin on and, sadly, a bit too soggy. They were also a little too brown which is usually a sign that they oil they were fried in has been in use too long. The flavor suggested the oil may have been peanut oil. There were some interesting large crystal salt on some of the fries but it was unevenly distributed. Overall, a disappointment, too mealy and chewy.

Rating:

Anchor Brewery Restaurant at SFO

2009-06-10T12:15:00.000-07:00

Anchor Brewery Restaurant
San Francisco International Airport
South San Francisco, CA

Review:

Despite being improved by having a Liberty Ale with them, Anchor's frites unfortunately were only average at best. They were slightly undercooked, possibly a feature of cooking for hurried travelers every day.

Rating:

El Toro Brewpub

2009-06-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

El Toro Brewpub
17605 Monterey Rd.
Morgan Hill, CA

Review:

On the way back from Monterey, we stopped by to pick up some beer at El Toro Brewing and decided to also have a quick snack, as the natives were getting restless (translation: my kids were hungry). Naturally, I ordered a plate a frites. The simple presentation initially hid the fact that these were awesome frites with great flavor and just the right amount of salt (trickier than it sounds). There were lots of small goodjums in the mix, too. Served with a nice chipolte ketchup.

Rating:

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2009-06-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Monterey Bay Aquarium
886 Cannery Row
Monterey, CA

Review:

For a museum cafe, these were not the worst I've had. A little dry (perhaps they'd been sitting under a heat lamp?) but they seemed to have a light batter on them. That made them descent tasting, at least.

Rating:

Ol' Factory Cafe

2009-06-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Ol' Factory Cafe
1725 Contra Costa St.
Sand City, CA

Review:

Monterey's best beer joint also has great food, especially their frites. Good skin on fries, well-cooked and crispy. Also, extra points for presentation, which many restaurants overlook. Tthese babies will go well with any beer.

Rating:

The Dog House

2009-05-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

The Dog House
537 S. Highway 1
Bodega Bay, CA

Review:

Damn fine frites, hand-cut, skin on, nice and crispy. What could make them better than that description? When purchased with a burger or a hot dog, you can eat as many frites as you want! That's as dangerous a prospect as I can imagine.

Rating:

Carl's Jr.

2009-05-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

Carl's Jr.
35 Rowland Way
Novato, CA

Review:

Despite the slight seasoning and being skin on, these are pretty average, a little dry and mealy.

Rating:

Long John Silver

2009-05-19T14:18:00.000-07:00

Long John Silver
7145 Redwood Blvd.
Novato, CA

Review:

Not terrible, and helped by having a good number of goodjums. Even though they're made from the batter used to coat the fish and chicken, they're a great addition. They're not soggy, the worst sin in my book, so they gain a full point for those two factors alone.

Rating:

Original Buffalo Wings Chips

2009-05-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

Original Buffalo Wings
7 Locations
Bay Area, CA

Review:

See my previous post about their fries, which has more general info, too. As decent as their fries can be, the homemade chips they offer are very tasty, some of the best you can find, especially surprising given how far outside the potato chip belt we are. But they make damn fine chips.

Rating:

Original Buffalo Wings

2009-05-07T22:08:00.000-07:00

Original Buffalo Wings
7 Locations
Bay Area, CA

Review:

While no one from eastern Pennsylvania would mistake the cheesesteaks at Original Buffalo Wings as authentic, they're tasty for what they are, and one of the few approximations of my beloved V&S Cheesesteaks anywhere in this part of the world. So we order take-out from them as often as my wife will let me. The fries are usually pretty decent, occasionally too soggy, but when they're good, they're very very good. This batch was just so-so, sad to say, not that I didn't finish the double-order.

Rating:

Lauren's Cafe

2009-05-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

Lauren's Cafe
14211 Highway 128
Boonville, CA

Review:

Great flavor and a terrific job of creating a fry with a crisp crust but flaky and soft inside. A real surprise.

Rating:

Italian Delite Subs

2009-04-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Italian Delite Submarine Sandwiches
971 Front St.
Novato, CA

Review:

The closest sandwich shop to where I live, a mere block away at most. They make decent sub sandwiches, including an okay west-coast approximation of a cheesesteak. It doesn't really pretend to be a Philly version, which is good, and so is alright for what it is. Unfortunately, the fries could be better. I like the chop cut with skin on, but they're always too brown, I presume because they use the same oil too long. They're also usually pretty greasy, but occasionally you're get a pristine batch. When that happens, they're much better. It's really too bad. They have an opportunity to make very unique frites, but instead ruin the effort by the way they cook them.

Rating:

Jack in the Box

2009-04-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Jack in the Box
7135 Redwood Blvd.
Novato, CA

Review:

Fast food fries are almost a separate animal in the frites pantheon, requiring that they be rated only amongst themselves. As fast food fries, Jack in the Box's have improved of late. The skin on gives them more flavor, even if they tend to be fairly greasy. But generally speaking, they're better than most fast food frites.

Rating:

S & S Restaurant and Deli

2009-04-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

S & S Restaurant and Deli
Inman Square
Cambridge St.
Boston, MA

Review:

I spent Sunday walking around Cambridge visiting toy stores looking to pick up some presents for my kids, when next to one happened to be the S&S Restaurant, which had been there since 1919. Being a sucker for a diner, I plopped down at the bar for some chow, including, naturally, frites. Nicely crispy, a little oily but the seasoning worked well. Decent overall.

Rating:

Green Dragon Boston

2009-04-25T14:38:00.000-07:00

Green Dragon
11 Marshall St.
Boston, MA

Review:

Many revolutionaries met at the Green Dragon, which first opened in 1654, and the place has quite a history. Here's how their website sums it up:

The Green Dragon Tavern has a long and rich history, playing an important part in the freedom of Boston during the War of Independence. Established in 1654 The Green Dragon was a favorite haunt of Paul Revere (Whom we consider a close Neighbor) and John Hancock (who’s brother lived next door!). Indeed, as has been ratified by Daniel Webster – the famous historian, that it was in the Green Dragon that the plans for the invasion of Lexington and Concorde were overheard thus starting the famous ride of Paul Revere.

Today, sadly, much of the interior has been modernized and appears tacky. Presumably more for historical and tourist reasons than political, the frites at the Green Dragon are still called "Freedom Fries." Their flavor, happily, was pretty decent though nothing to write home about. Mostly pretty crispy, they were fairly average.

Rating:

Bell In Hand

2009-04-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Bell In Hand
55 Union St.
Boston, MA

Reviews:

For a supposedly "historic" site, the Bell in Hand is surprisingly modern inside. The frites that came with the Sam Adams Burger (bacon, Swiss cheese and barbecue sauce) were battered with a light, tasty mix. Fairly crisp and good potato flavor. All in all, surprisingly good, despite being a little dry.

Ratings:

Roadhouse Craft Beer & BBQ

2009-04-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

Roadhouse Craft Beer & BBQ
1700 Beacon St.
Brookline, MA

Review:

I wanted to like these more, the place overall showed so much promise. The pulled pork sandwich I had with the frites was quite tasty. Unfortunately, despite good flavor, they were a little mealy and chewy, if not occasionally soggy.

Rating:

Deep Ellum Boston

2009-04-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Deep Ellum
477 Cambridge St.
Allston, MA

Review:

Although Deep Ellum's menu has four different presentations of fries, which they call "Fries 4 Ways," but I'm a purist and so ordered them just plain. The four ways, in case you're interested are Parmesean, Chili & Pepper Jack, Malt Vinegar & Fleur de Sel, and Truffled Gorgonzola. Nice and crispy, with a slightly sweet ketchup that wasn't Heinz. Pretty good flavor and very few soggy ones with a lot of what I call "goodjums," which are the small, very crispy bits and pieces that many places don't put in the bowl. But I love Goodjums (BTW, that's the phonetic spelling. I don't actually know how it's really spelled, even though I made the word up many years ago) and usually will give bonus points when they're included.

Rating:

World Trade Center Boston

2009-04-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

World Trade Center Boston
One Seaport Lane
Boston, MA

Review:

Part of the lunch offered during the Craft Brewers Conference, along with some generally tasty sliders. Unfortunately, the fries were only so-so, at best.

Ratings:

Atlantic Beer Garden

2009-04-21T22:50:00.000-07:00

Atlantic Beer Garden
145 Seaport Blvd.
Boston, MA

Review:

By the hotel, it's selling point during a rainstorm, I went there for a late meal with Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo, from Russian River Brewing, along with Bradley Lantham and Danny Williams, from the Brewers Association. I ordered the chicken and pear Panini. The fries were pretty standard, nothing special. A few were a little soggy, but most were fairly crispy and had decent, if unremarkable flavor.

Rating:

Cambridge Brewing Company

2009-04-21T01:40:00.000-07:00

Cambridge Brewing
1 Kendall Square, Bldg 100
Cambridge, MA

Review:

I've known the head brewer at CBC for a few years, and I think Will and I have judged together at the GABF. And while I know he makes great beers, I was worried about his frites, not that he was directly responsible for them. The menu holds few clues to the frites, but happily they were perfectly crispy and very tasty. I'd guess a vegetable oil base and a lightly seasoned salt.

Rating:

Seaport Hotel

2009-04-20T19:45:00.000-07:00

Seaport Hotel
One Seaport Lane
Boston, MA

Review:

Room service was never so delicious. The menu lists them as House Steak Fries. With sea salt, nice and crispy. The trick with steak fries, because they're so thick, is to get them crispy on the outside but still hot and soft inside. Hard to do, but these were pretty well-done, especially when you consider a hotel restaurant did these for room service.

Rating:

Original Tommy's

2009-04-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Original Tommy's
2575 W. Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

Review:

Despite being in business since 1946, I'd never heard of Original Tommy's until Stone Brewing founder Greg Koch took me there. They're most known for their outrageous chili hamburgers, though they have great old-time burger joint fries, too. Most things at Tommy's are slathered in chili, though I prefer my frites plain. They definitely tasted like they were made with freshly sliced potatoes. They had very good, rich potato flavor and were cooked to perfection, not underdone as so often happens at busy burger joints.

Rating:

Father's Office 2

2009-04-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

Father's Office 2
3229 Helms Avenue
Los Angeles, CA

Review:

Some of the best shoestrings I've had in a long time, with just the right amount of crispiness. They very, very thin, with a just a touch of seasoning. The garlic aioli sauce was very nice, too.

Rating:

Hollister Brewing

2009-04-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Hollister Brewing
6980 Market Place
Goleta, CA

Described on the menu as follows:

Duck Fat Fries
Fresh skin-on sliced potatoes fried in duck fat and soy oil topped with shaved Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley garnish

Review:

The duck fat gave them great flavor, though they could have been crispier. I couldn't tell if they were undercooked or if the fat and oil created that slight sogginess. The cheese and parsley gave them just enough extra something, too.

Rating:

Welcome To Frites

2009-04-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of Frites as long as I can remember. In my regular job, I'm often taking pictures of food (I'm a beer writer by profession) and so I recently decided to start taking photos of all the French Fries and Frites I encounter, too. I'll be simply posting them with ratings here for no better reason than I thought it could be fun.

The Rating will be simply 1-5 Fries, with 5 being the highest.

Bad

Okay

Good

Great

Divine