Marni Greene on Red Lobster's Potato Chip Shrimp

Here's a guest blog on Red Lobster's new Cape Cod Kettle Chip Crusted Shrimp from occasional FFD contributor Marni Greene, take it away, Marni, and thank you!

On Monday, my boyfriend and I got into our normal conversation about where to go to dinner.

“Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t care.  Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t have a preference.”

“Just drive me someplace with food because I am hungry.”

And this is how we ended up at Red Lobster.

A month ago, I had told Glenn about the new shrimp crusted with Cape Cod kettle chips and decided to go with a dish that had them.  The important thing to remember about me is that I have bad luck with my food at restaurants.  This time it was my skewer of red shrimp with BBQ sauce came out with raw middles so those had to go back.  Thankfully, the rest of my meal came out cooked so I ate that while I waited for my replacement.

The kettle chip shrimp came out not greasy and crunchy.  I don’t know why but it surprised me how much they tasted like potato chips.  I really did not think that it would have that much of a distinctive taste of the actual kettle chips.  I would love to see these as a regular menu item.  The shrimp came with a green onion dip that would probably taste really good for dipping plain potato chips in.  I went back and forth using this dip and cocktail sauce with lemon in it and they tasted great with both flavors.  I would definitely get these again.

Red Lobster Potato Chip Shrimp

Currently at Red Lobster, they're celebrating Lobster & Shrimp Summerfest. One of the dishes featured in this extravaganza is the new Coastal Lobster and Shrimp including "tender shrimp crusted with Cape Cod kettle chips to add a little extra crunch."

Potato chips also star in the new Cape Cod Shrimp and Chips, and that last one comes with fries.

You should always get the fries anyway, but don't forget the Cheddar Bay Biscuits, the real reason to go to Red Lobster at any time. Special thanks to Marni for hipping me to these meals.

French Fry Diary 659: Cape Cod Waffle Cut Barbeque Ranch Potato Chips

When I first saw these at Rastelli's, I must admit I was pretty angry. The store had gone from a place I would go because they had Charles Chips to a place I likely wouldn't go otherwise. Oh, they still carry Charles, but only in the $14 tin cans.

I was vowing to never come back unless this changed when I saw the Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips in the Waffle Cut Barbeque Ranch variety. They were worth a try, even though of course there was no guarantee that Rastelli's would ever have them again.

I had tried the Sea Salt flavor a couple years ago and praised the dippability factor of these chips. They are still aces in that department, very thick and still better than Herr's Lattice Cut chips. The barbeque flavor is solid and smoky, so the chips are good whether you dip them or not.

French Fry Diary 586: Archer Farms Potato Chips

Just to be clear, Archer Farms is really neither a potato chip maker nor distributor as we usually think of them. Archer Farms is Target, and you'll only be able to get these chips at Target - it's their store brand. The last time I was in Target, looking for Kettle Brand Sweet & Salty chips, because the website said mistakenly they were there, I ended up walking out with these.

I was attracted to the lattice cut first and then had to double down when I saw they had Sweet & Spicy Barbecue flavor lattice cut. Sold. I've been waiting for Herr's or Cape Cod to do barbecue for a while, but it seems Target did it first. It just seems like a natural next step to me, but then I love the barbecue flavor and the lattice cut.

As excited as I was to try them, I mucked up opening the bag. I ended up just cutting it open with a scissors. Of course had I taken a moment, I would have figured out how to properly pull the tab on the front to open the ziplock reclosable bag. It's easy once you know about it, but if you don't examine the bag closely before attempting to open, well, they might as well have come from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

The potato chips are thick and twisty as a kettle chip should be, and that along with the lattice cut make them just perfect for dipping. The barbecue flavor has all the traditional ingredients but with a bit more kick than usual. The molasses in there gives it just a tinge of sweetness. I dig these a lot, thumbs up.

French Fry Diary 581: Lay's Kettle Cooked Lattice Cut Roasted Garlic & Sea Salt Flavored Potato Chips

Another entry in the longest potato chip name contest, this variety of Lay's caught my attention mostly because of the lattice cut. I've really dug the lattice cut chips from both Herr's and Cape Cod, so I figured I'd try these as well.

The lattice cut is similar to the other two types, although like most Lay's, not as thick, but still pretty good for dipping. When I first opened the bag, the heavy aroma of garlic hit me like a wall. These are very garlicky, definitely not a kissing snack.

I have to wonder what you would dip these chips into that would complement the garlic flavor. I'm not really a traditional dip guy so I asked friends and folks on Twitter. Suggestions included onion dip, marinara, and white bean hummus.

And you know what they always say about potato chips - you can't eat just one - the powerful garlic aroma will limit you with these. They're good, but be warned.

French Fry Diary 499: Cape Cod Waffle Cut

Looks like someone else is finally jumping on the bandwagon started by Herr's amazing Lattice Cut potato chips. I was delighted when I found these at Wegmans the other day. Here comes Cape Cod, a New England gourmet potato chip company, with their version - Waffle Cut potato chips.

They actually go Herr's at least one better. Not only are Cape Cod's chips kettle cooked, but they are also thicker, always a plus for dipping. They come in Sea Salt and Seasoned Pepper. Cape Cod Waffle Cut Potato Chips - if you can find them, these are probably the best dipping chips I've found.