Random Tater Pic of the Day #276

This one comes from friend Deb who saw these fries at the restaurant at Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Thanks, Deb!

French Fry Diary 189: Roy Rogers on the NJ Turnpike

I used to enjoy Roy Rogers and Roy Rogers fries quite a bit but over the last two decades, the fast food chain has seemingly disappeared from the South Jersey area. The only way to get that tasty Roy's food has been to get on the NJ Turnpike or take a field trip to Baltimore hitting the rest stops on the way. To me it was always infuriating when I would look at the Roy Rogers website and they would list a location for Cherry Hill – but you really couldn't get there without paying the Turnpike toll – or so I thought.

Recently through Facebook I learned that there actually was a way to get to the infamous Cherry Hill Roy Rogers without getting on the NJ Turnpike. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to find out there was a back way, used by employees, and of course, an enlightened few consumers who knew about this 'secret' entrance. I was so glad to have the Roy Rogers option once again. On the afternoon I found out on Facebook, I actually rushed over (just five minutes away) to get my fry fix.

Yep, sure enough, here was the mythical Cherry Hill Roy Rogers, and I didn't even have to get on and pay for the turnpike, or have to take the long ride all the way to the next exit – five minute ride and boom – Roy Rogers. There was of course the elevated extortion pricing of a rest stop, but for me, at this moment, it was worth it.

French Fry Diary 188: Roy Rogers

To quote Tommy Kiefer and Cinderella, the local glam metal band of that sadly lost era, "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone," and that's kinda how I feel about Roy Rogers restaurants and their fries.

They used to be everywhere, and I enjoyed them a lot, but then a few decades back, they all disappeared, except for on the turnpikes and on the way to Baltimore and Washington DC. Founded by the singing cowboy actor of the same name, Roy Rogers used to be the number three fast food place behind McDonalds and Burger King, a slot now held by the fry-switching folks at Wendy's.

I have fond memories of Roy Rogers, believe it or not. I played Dungeons & Dragons there. I read my comics there after picking them up on payday. I took dates there, yeah, I know, I was a cheap bastard. It was where I went with friends after the funeral of another dear friend. And the local Berlin Roy Rogers was once a Gino's where I got one of my first jobs. Roy's was a mainstay of my youth.

Roy's also has a special place in my heart if for only one non-favorite fried food reason - they serve their hamburgers plain. Being a catastrophically picky eater I like my burgers plain, 'regular grill' as some fast food places call it, just the burger and the bun as I have to stress whenever I go through a drive-thru or even go inside. As anyone who has asked for a special order at a fast food place will tell you - I might as well be robbing them at gunpoint, they don't want to hear it.

McDonalds is a major offender for getting orders wrong, White Castle is almost impossible, and despite what their ads say about 'having it your way,' Burger King has a shoddy record as well. And Checkers, just don't even bother, it ain't happening. Roy Rogers is the plain hamburger godsend in an apparently incompetent world.

Roy Rogers Restaurants have some of my favorite fast food French fries. They are golden brown regular cuts, crispy on the outside, and soft and hot on the inside. They're good for sandwiching, dipping and especially for running through a drive-thru for a quickie snack. Don't forget to get some of the bbq sauce from Roy's Fixin's Bar for dipping, some of the best.

These fries reheat well at home either in the microwave or the conventional oven, same for the burgers, I might add. They're terrific sandwiched in your burger and Roy Rogers bbq sauce is the best for dipping. And best of all, in true western tradition, the fries come in a holster. Now really, how cool is that?

In recent years, Roy Rogers has also gotten into the curly fry business with standard natural cut curly fries covered with that also standard spicy orange seasoning. Nothing special here, but I don't care as long I can still get their regular fries.

Come back to South Jersey, Roy Rogers, and I don't mean to the turnpike, back to somewhere we can actually get to when we want to, and with a drive-thru too. We miss you, come back!

French Fry Diary 171: Room Service, Disney Wonder

Whether you're in a fancy hotel or on a cruise ship, there is just something both amazing and enticing about the very concept of having food brought to you in your room. And the idea that they can bring you almost anything reasonable is good too. Whether it's bacon at a comic con in Baltimore or French fries at sea aboard the Disney Wonder - it's just magic.

Evening three of our most recent Disney Cruise I had a rather disappointing dinner so some time around two in the AM I decided that the magic of room service was needed. Macaroni and cheese, her favorite comfort food, was the weapon of choice for The Bride. I wanted, come on, what else would I want? If your answer isn't French fries, you haven't been paying attention for the last eight years.

I wondered what kind of fries would come. Last time, on board the Disney Magic, room service brought steak fries, a type I've yet to see on this trip on the Wonder. I know that so far on the Magic, I have seen regular cuts, natural cuts (on the top deck, at Pluto's Dog House and Pinocchio's Pizzeria, same as the Magic), slightly larger than regular cuts and something deliciously close to British chips.

What arrived were the less than satisfying natural cuts from the upper decks. Well, at least they were hot. Deep fried and unseasoned, these were good for the middle of the night munchies but little else. The mac and cheese satisfied as well. I honestly think if I hadn't been expecting steak fries - I might have enjoyed this more.

French Fry Diary 87: French Fry Gun

We don’t have Roy Rogers in South Jersey any more. Well, if you check the map, we do have a Roy Rogers in Cherry Hill, but you have to get on the turnpike to get there and then ride it out to the next exit to get back. A long trip and an annoying toll does not a quick lunch make, so Roy’s is a rare treat. Usually a trip down 95 and a rest stop is the only time I get to go to Roy Rogers.

The last time I went to Roy Rogers was on my recent trip to Baltimore for the Comic Con there with my friend Ray. While there, discussing the fries (what else?), the conversation went thusly...

Glenn: “What’s not to love? The fries come in a holster!”

Ray: “That’s why I’m surprised Roy Rogers never did well in the South. You could get a gun as a prize.”

Glenn: “Mmmm... Fry gun…”

Yeah, I’ve been doing this far too long.

French Fry Diary 55: Maisy’s, Baltimore

While attending the Baltimore Comic Con, we thought we would also do some fry hunting as long as we were also looking for a place to eat dinner.

My initial choice was a place called Tir Na Nog, as it had been recommended by a regular reader of this blog. When we mentioned it to someone at the hotel front desk, we were turned away because they were overpriced and had much too small portions. She instead suggested a similar Irish pub-like place around the corner called Mick O’Shea’s. Once we checked out the menu we found they alas had no fries.

On our walk back to the hotel we decided to try a place called Maisy’s, a cozy little bar/pub/restaurant that did, in fact, have fries. We were sold.

First came the onion rings, which magically were served in a French fry cone. They were only okay, breaded but greasy, but I have to give them points for presentation, just not for the food itself. The start of the meal however was ruined by a smoker just outside the open window by our table. Maryland outlawed smoking in restaurants and bars, but apparently not just outside open windows.

I was wildly original, being the catastrophically picky eater I am, and ordered the burger and fries. The burger was Angus beef and very good, juicy, so juicy it squirted my shirt – but it was so worth it. Very delicious. The fries were natural cut shoestrings sprinkled with parsley flakes – a little soggy (maybe from the burger) but quite tasty. Good friends, good conversation and good food, a great night out in Baltimore.

French Fry Diary 54: Comic Con Fries

I attended the Baltimore Comic Con this weekend and was surprised to see folks walking around on the con floor with cups of French fries.

Somehow a potentially greasy food is not something I would think would be sold at a convention dedicated to collectible pieces of paper of great value – especially considering what grease would do to them.

Nevertheless the snack bar was selling French fries. They were natural regular cuts and very greasy looking. Not surprisingly, I passed on these fries, for obvious reasons.