French Fry Diary 714: Burger 21

Burger 21, a chain with most of their restaurants in the Florida area, is now in New Jersey. They currently occupy the same place as The Doghouse in the Voorhees Town Center, opening there about two years back. Burger 21 offers a gluten free menu featuring burgers, shakes, and fries with a variety of dipping sauces, including sweet stuff for their sweet potato fries. All of their fries are cooked in soybean oil. I had been to the NJ location a few times and the quality of the food and service were wildly inconsistent so I was hesitant to write a review that would be on target.

Upon visiting Lakeland Florida house hunting, The Bride and I went to a Burger 21 there, and found it to be quite a pleasant experience. It was nice to see a familiar place in Florida where many things are much different, a good sign especially in the ninety-degree heat. I got a great thick burger on a grilled buttered roll and it was delicious. But it was the fries that were the stars.

The fries were frozen shoestrings deep fried, and were very good hot, but got cold fairly quickly. Not to worry, they were eaten quickly. As I said, the ones in New Jersey were inconsistent both in size and style, but these were near perfect. The Bride got cheese and ale as a side, and many other sauces were available at their amazing sauce bar, such as ranch, ketchup (both Thai and regular), ragin' Cajun, barbeque, mustard (regular and honey), chipotle mayo, apple cider, and toasted marshmallow.

To top it all off, the waitress who took our order was very friendly, and we found we had "Doctor Who" in common. She made a joke about our house hunting and to look for a home that was bigger on the inside. We took it as a good omen for that day of looking at homes. And we'd definitely come back to Burger 21, in Florida.

French Fry Diary 615: Tommy's! Roasted Cajun Potatoes

I saw this at the Shop-Rite and had to grab it for later inspection. This bag of steam able potatoes (usually not a good sign) just emanated fun with its packaging. Tommy's! (complete with exclamation mark) Roasted Cajun Potatoes just looked like it would be worth the price of admission, good or bad. I was sold.

Now Tommy's! is not the southern California burger chain nor the famous Los Angeles burger joint, it's apparently its own thing, connected to the healthy freezer food retailer Tommy's Superfoods. This packaging depicting the cowboy with the gator is slightly different than what I could find online. Keeping with the Superfoods line these are vegan, non-GMO, BPA free, POFA free, with no transfats.

They are however microwave steamable, and for French fries, even healthy ones, that's often not good. They can be nuked in the bag, in a microwave safe plate, or even just fried on the stovetop in a skillet. That last one is probably how I should have done these, maybe next time. In the nuke, the blew inflated like microwave popcorn and it filled the space with damp steam.

These potato wedges besides being 'blended' with roasted corn, and onions, are also seasoned with Tommy's! Cajun Style Baby spices. Okay, truth, once these potatoes are on the plate, they smell good, but they are not pretty. The mess reminded me a bit of ill-prepared breakfast potatoes at an abandoned buffet. It's a good thing they taste so good.

The potato wedges don't have crisp or crunch because of the cooking method, but they're also not wet it soggy. This is a solid cook, and they have a baked potato quality, soft and hot. The corn and onions are a surprising addition and the spices pack quite a hot kick.

I liked these quite a bit. I'm looking forward to the next time so I can try the stovetop method, or maybe reheating them in the oven to get a bit of a crisp. Recommended.

French Fry Diary 480: Zapp's Voodoo Chips

Former oil man Ron Zappe started his potato chip company in the 1980s when his old business was going bad. Headquartered in Louisiana, Zapp's specializes in local flavor style chips like Spicy Creole Crawtator, Cajun Dill Gator-tator, and of course, the dreaded Voodoo chips.

I had tried the regular Zapp's New Orleans Kettle Style potato chips before, but had wanted to try the Voodoo chips at some point. I guess my hunger was answered, twice. The bag o' rare chips had a bag, and my friend Marni also snagged one for me. Double the supply, these better be good.

The black bag, decorated with multi-pinned voodoo dolls, didn't help. When I opened the bag, the aroma was not good. The taste however was not bad, and definitely had a kick. Seeing how the chips had a definitely seasoned color, and almost barbecue potato chip look, I took a peek at the ingredients.

Other than the usual potato chip stuff in potato chips, there was a little bit of paprika, onion, garlic, and smoke among others. Basically these are glorified BBQ chips, not that there's anything wrong with that, 'cause these aren't bad. Their kettle cooking make for an excellent crunch and dipping shape.

Zapp's Voodoo chips are quite good. I'm glad I have double the chips. Thanks to The Bride, and to Marni!

French Fry Diary 439: Popeyes, Delaware House

It's been quite a while since I've been to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen (or as they are colloquially known, Popeyes Chicken), not since they started to replace local area KFCs at least, and I've never been to the Delaware House rest stop on I-95 despite passing it perhaps hundreds of times, so why not kill two birds (or chickens) with one stone?

Delaware House, recently renovated a few years back, is a more likely stop on I-95 now that personal favorite Maryland House is now itself being renovated. Oddly enough, the first time I had ever been to a Popeyes was also at a rest stop, this one somewhere between Chicago and Milwaukee back in 1992. I remember two things about the visit - the biscuits were good, and there was a 'gentleman' giving out business cards at the rest stop declaring himself a 'procurer of companionship.' Uh huh.

That didn't happen this time. Delaware House is actually rather nice, and has a loungey food court vibe. Originally The Bride was going to get pizza at Famous Farmiglia, but once she smelled what Popeyes was cooking, to paraphrase The Rock, she joined me in line there. Despite what seemed a long line on a busy Friday night, we were quickly taken care of with a friendly smile. A-plusses for customer service and appreciation.

The Bride and I shared some spicy chicken tenders, and I got a biscuit and some fries of course. The biscuits are still just as good as I remembered. The Cajun Fries were crispy and battered natural cut shoestrings, as opposed to the regular cuts I had gotten the last few times I'd been to Popeyes. I wonder if that's a franchise-wide change or unique to this location.

The fries came in an old style fast food paper pocket, but overflowed into their own mini-box, which was a nice touch. Some of the fries were stuck together in batches due to the batter in the deep frying - nothing wrong with that, just interesting. The Cajun spices and cracked black pepper gives the fries a good zing, not unlike those at Checkers. Good stuff.

Good relaxing stop and dinner break, and best of all, no pimps. ;-)

Diablo Potato Chips

Ingredients: 2 large russet potatoes, 6 cups vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon Cajun-style seasoned salt, divided

Thinly slice potatoes; place in a large bowl of ice water. *

When ready to cook: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 360 degrees F, or until a bread cube browns in 1 minute.

Drain potatoes on paper towels. Sprinkle with some seasoned salt. Lower potatoes into deep fryer with a slotted spoon. Fry in batches until chips are golden, about 3 minutes.

Remove chips from deep fryer with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with remaining seasoned salt. Place chips in a serving bowl.

* The potatoes can be sliced and kept in water in an airtight container for up to 2 hours before frying.

Servings: 4

Recipe courtesy of the Just-Potatoes Yahoo! Group.

French Fry Diary 413: Zapp's Potato Chips

I had been coming to the Market Café at our local Wegmans for regular Write-Ins with the South Jersey Writers Meetup. As the meetings are around dinner time, folks usually get snacks. I had determined to also do so on my next trip and kill two birds with one stone - get some fries at the Market Café and review them for the blog. The fries had been taunting me on previous visits, but tonight there were nowhere to be seen. I went for the next best thing.

After getting the prerequisite Mexican Coke (all the sugar, all the caffeine, all the good stuff), I went over to look at the potato chip selection. The only thing different that jumped out were a variety of Zapp's chips. If you check out their website, you'll see they make much of their Cajun flavor and crunch. I settled on a small bag of their regular flavor New Orleans Kettle Style.

They were a bit crunchier than most kettle chips yet not as thick I noticed. I did not however notice anything different or extra about the taste or flavor. This isn't a bad thing, as I enjoyed the chips, but based on the hype, I expected something more. They would be terrific for dipping.

Perhaps I might try one of the other types available at Wegmans next time like Jalapeno or Salt and Vinegar. Sadly, the flavors that had me excited on the website were not to be seen at Wegmans. I would have loved to given Spicy Cajun Crawtaters, or Baby Back Ribs, or Voodoo, or, and you know me, especially the Mesquite Bar-B-Que. Ah well, maybe next time.

French Fry Diary 174: Johnny Rivers' Grill & Market, Orlando International Airport

Southwest Airlines always has their gates off the beaten track no matter what airport you go to. If you arrive at any airport, be assured that Southwest will be the furthest point from where you are. In an airport like Orlando, one so big that they need a train to get you to your baggage, Southwest is pretty far from any of the malls or food courts. What is close to Southwest's gates is a place called Johnny Rivers' Grill & Market.

This is a tiny little oasis squeezed between two gates with an unimaginably tiny seating area and an even tinier 'market' where you can order and purchase stuff like sodas, candy and peach barbeque sauce. It does smell really good, specializing in Cajun fare, with delightful pictures rather than a menu. Here I was, with lots of time on my hands, and a taunting picture of golden brown steak fries overhead. So I ordered fries and a Dr. Pepper (which was odd, isn't Florida the land of Mr. Pibb?).

Ten minutes later I got a very generous portion of shoestring French fries. They were very hot as they were made to order, and they were sprinkled heavily with salt and cracked black pepper that gave them quite a kick. Not bad for an airport snack, and I would have been more than satisfied had it not been for that teasing pic of golden brown thick steak fries on the menu.

This place really has no web presence. I did find numerous bad reviews of the food at this particular location. The chef Johnny Rivers (not the Memphis Secret Agent Man from the Poor Side of Town, it should be noted) is apparently also responsible for the menus at such myriad restaurants as Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze, the Hawaiian Tropic Grill and Prime Minister Steakhouse. I guess he didn't spend much time at the airport.

French Fry Diary 152: Five Guys Cajun Fries

I love Five Guys Burgers and Fries. The burgers are better than most fast food places as are the fries, as a matter of fact, they are some of the consistently best franchise fries out there. One of the best things about Five Guys is the simplicity of the menu, including the fries - two sizes and two kinds - and I'd never tried the Cajun Fries, yet.

As friends and family converged on Five Guys for an August Saturday lunch, I felt brave and decided to try the Cajun Fries for the first time. We ended up with two orders as friends and family were game to help with the French Fry Diary experiment. The consensus was pretty unanimous.

The Cajun Fries at Five Guys are the same as the regular fries, natural cuts, but dusted heavily with Cajun seasoning. The seasoning includes, according to the manager on duty, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, white pepper, and 'spice.' These are hot, oh so hot. So hot I think I burned the tip of my tongue and the roof of my mouth, yow. I had to suck on ice cubes to cool off.

Thankfully we also got the regular style fries as well for those of us with milder dispositions. And as always, the peanuts and the burgers were terrific, but I doubt I'll be getting the Cajun Fries any time soon. They weren't bad just very hot. There's a time for that, and folks who love that, just not me. I still love Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

Cajun Potato Wedges

Cajun Potato Wedges

From Simple & Delicious
May/June 2009 issue
Page: 27

These terrific-tasting three-ingredient potatoes go with all kinds of summer entrees and just couldn't be much easier! - Merle Dyck – Elkford, BC

SERVINGS: 4
CATEGORY: Lower Fat
METHOD: Baked
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes (1-1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon Crisco® Light Olive Oil
2 to 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

Directions:

Cut each potato lengthwise into eight wedges; place in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan.
Drizzle with oil.
Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning; toss to coat.
Bake at 450° for 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning once.
Yield: 4 servings.


Nutrition Facts
One serving: 6 potato wedges
Calories: 156, Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 341 mg, Carbohydrate: 29 g, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 3 g

Oprah's Un-Fried French Fries

Oprah Winfrey likes French fries. I know she does. And there is no malice or sarcasm involved in that statement. We all know Oprah likes French fries. Come on, look at that smile. She’s thinking about French fries right now.

To make up for her (an myself as well) luring folks to try that nasty Kentucky Grilled Chicken (with beef seasoning! thank you, El Pollo Loco), here’s one of Oprah’s recipes for fries:

Ingredients

* 5 lg Baking potatoes (about 2 3/4
* Light vegetable oil
* Cooking spray
* 2 lg Egg whites
* 1 tb Cajun spice

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Slice each potato into 1/4 inch ovals, then slice each oval lengthwise into matchsticks. Coat a baking sheet with 3 sprays of the vegetable oil.
Combine the egg whites and Cajun spice in a bowl.
Add the matchstick potatoes and mix to coat.
Pour the coated potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them out into a single layer, leaving a little space in between.
Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the fries are crispy, turning them every 6 to 8 minutes with a spatula so that they brown evenly.

Rumor has it that Oprah also likes honey on her fries, whether it’s for dipping or poured right on, I don’t know, but I can’t say that I disagree. Honey is an intriguing condiment, not every time, but once in a while it’s great. I hear it’s extra great when the fries are a side for honey dipped chicken.

Brandy also likes Oprah and digs the whole honey and fries thing, read her blog entry about that here.


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French Fry Diary 28: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

This one’s for you, Quentin…

First off, I was surprised at the name change. I always thought it was Popeye’s Chicken. I’ve seen signs that say Popeye’s Chicken and Biscuits. But apparently it’s really, or at least now it is, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen.

Louisiana Kitchen does make a little bit of sense as the franchise started in New Orleans as Chicken on the Run. An additional fun fact is that the name comes from Gene Hackman’s character in The French Connection not the cartoon character. Although, that said, how one lends itself better to the name of a fast food franchise over the other is just beyond me.

But enough about that, you want to know about the favorite fried food, right? Their official name is Cajun Fries, or on the website, Cajun Battered Fries. Yeah, that about says what you need to know, doesn’t it? Popeyes Louisiana fries are natural cuts, thinner than standard straight regular cuts but not as thin as shoestrings. They are battered and deep-fried for that extra-extra-crispiness, and then heavily seasoned. They are actually very similar to Checkers fries.


The crispy factor, brought on by the battering, leads to lots of small pieces that are either all crunch and no potato, or just simply inedible. It also makes microwaving or reheating later after you’ve been home a while an exercise in futility. Only the full fries will make it through that process un-rock-like.

Warnings to heed… while the Cajun seasoning is hot, spicy and tasty – it will also stay with you for a couple days. It’s a heartburn I’m unsure is really worth it. But it is tasty when it first enters your body. Also, at Popeyes, a regular order of fries is the standard fries in paper packet, but a large is a big ass paper box. So unless you want that many Cajun fries, consider yourself warned.

Popeyes also has onion rings. Apparently. When I inquired about them I was told they didn’t have them. When I asked about the sign depicting the onion rings that was right next to the counterperson, I was told, “Oh, that’s just a sign.”

Ooookay.


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