Cambridge Brewpub

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.


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Brasserie Jo

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.

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Eastern Standard Chips

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.


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Eastern Standard

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.

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Boston Beerworks

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.


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Anchor Brewery Restaurant at SFO

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.

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El Toro Brewpub

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.

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