French Fry Diary 472: Lay's Chicken & Waffles Potato Chips

I still haven't been able to find the Cheesy Garlic Bread Potato Chips. Oh well. Onward and upward. Unlike yesterday's Sriracha chips, the Chicken & Waffles flavored chips at least seem a little more appetizing.

While not something I have ever had, as a catastrophically picky eater, it is worth mentioning I haven't had them together, but I do like both chicken and waffles. And this wouldn't be the first time I've reviewed chicken flavored potato chips either.

Chicken and waffles is a regional and cultural phenomenon that comes in two varieties. The soul food type is fried chicken and waffles drowned in butter and syrup. The Pennsylvania Dutch prefer stewed chicken on a waffle with gravy poured over it. Looking the ingredients, I would say that Lay's chips have more soul. No real chicken though.

When I opened the bag a thick sweet aroma wafted over my nose... molasses? Maple syrup maybe? Color me intrigued. I do like how they smell. It's almost hypnotic, like Cinnabon. Like the Sriracha chips, these were the thin regular chips so typical of Lay's.

The taste. The taste is truly something unreal and unexpected on a potato chip. There is maple syrup, and butter, and waffles, and yes, even chicken. It's all there. Eating the chips I felt like Violet Beauregarde chewing her final piece of gum in the classic Willy Wonka movie. All those flavors are in there. Hopefully I won't be turning into a giant chicken with waffles…

These weren't bad at all, and I definitely ate more of these than I did of the Sriracha chips, but after a while the heavy sweetness got to me. If this flavor wins, it is definitely a once in a blue moon snack. Very heavy.

Now, as soon as I find the Cheesy Garlic Bread potato chips, I'll be back with a review. Until then, does anyone know where to find them in the South Jersey area?

French Fry Diary 449: Burger King Seasoned Sweet Potato Curly Fries

I know, insanity, but the very same day I blasted the customer service at a local Burger King, we decided on BK for dinner.

Upon arrival at my local Burger King, Marlton, not the infamous store #9865, my friend Jeff and I found ourselves in a non-moving line of one. The shift manager Tom was handling a very picky customer buying the last of the Cinnabon. The transaction was not the easiest, for either of them. But there was more to it than that.

Apparently we had just missed a verbally abusive exchange in the drive-thru. The customer came to straighten it out, and got in line behind the Cinnabon lady. Tom managed to handle the situation, not without drama, providing a bit of pre-dinner theater before my friend Jeff and I got to order.

We were there to try Burger King's new Seasoned Sweet Potato Curly Fries, and that we did. They were a bit thinner than most curly fries. I wasn't sure if it was because they had been overcooked or if it was something to do with them being made from sweet potatoes. They had lost a bit of their sweetness, and were not very good. I wouldn't get them again.

I also got the new Popcorn Chicken, and was similarly unimpressed. At least they still had the Coke Freestyle machine. I should have gotten a burger, or a chicken sandwich (which this store does have). I have to say, I was disappointed on almost all fronts on this trip, save the floorshow of course.

French Fry Diary 301: The Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza, Yes, Again

Three strikes and you're out is the baseball metaphor. This is my third trip to the Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza, a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike in North Jersey. It has a Roy Rogers, a Nathan's, an Arthur Treacher's, and a Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill, among other shops and food stops. The last one in that list has never been open when I've been there.

This trip I arrived just after nine PM on a busy Saturday night. Like last time, there were employees in there at Dick Clark's, but none would talk to me, let alone look at me. I think at this point, this must be some sort if scam, and the AB Grill is never open. It's a mirage obviously.

The Arthur Treacher's was open and doing a brisk business, but as noted on the last visit, I only could have gotten Nathan's fries there. Do I have to visit Ohio to get real Arthur Treacher's chips?

Oh well. Instead I got Roy Rogers fries, some milk and Cinnabon for the road, and made my way back home. Perhaps tonight I will dream of a day when the AB Grill will be open or I can get Arthur Treacher's chips at an Arthur Treacher's...

French Fry Diary 233: Philly Steak & Gyro Co.

This one is sort of a Somebody Else's Fries entry. The family was on the northeast extension, the Allentown Service Plaza, coming back from the Poconos. This isn't the greatest rest stop in the world, a food court surrounded by a handful of tiny counter restaurants. Among them were Roy Rogers, Cinnabon, Starbucks, Auntie Anne's, Basset's Original Turkey, Hershey's Ice Cream, Famous Famiglia Pizza, and the Philly Steak & Gyro Co.

The Philly Steak & Gyro Co. has over a dozen locations including this one, but surprisingly no website, so I can't give you one. Perhaps that's a good thing. Cheese fries were ordered and shared by The Bride and the mom-in-law. Just based on the amount of time they (and all the food for that matter) took to prepare, they should have been perfect. Such was not the case.

The cheese was very watery. I didn't try them, because they really didn't look so good. As you can see from the picture, they were regular cuts, deep-fried and dropped into a Styrofoam pool of that cheese water. They were hot, and had "genuine" cheese on them, but the mom-in-law said she didn't taste much cheese. I'm glad I had Roy Rogers myself. After seeing these, I think I'll stick to Roy's.

French Fry Diary 190: Roy Rogers on the NJ Turnpike: Breakfast

I was surprised on a recent visit to the Cherry Hill Roy Rogers, the one on the NJ Turnpike. I arrived at quarter after ten in the morning to find that they were still serving breakfast. I wanted lunch but had to settle for breakfast as I was hungry and didn't want to wait. Actually I didn't mind it being breakfast as there is also a Cinnabon there. Regretfully though, the Nathan's and the Carvel were both closed at that time of the morning.

The visit did give me a chance to sample the breakfast potatoes that Roy's serves, called 'Home Taters.' They are natural cut scalloped potatoes, deep-fried and packed into Roy's cool little fry-holding holsters. To say these were not satisfying is not just a reflection on the fact that I was expecting lunch and specifically fries.

These potatoes were dry and tasteless, and really not pleasant at all. They were soft, inside and out, in a bad way, and definitely a reason to avoid Roy Rogers for breakfast. Thank heaven for Cinnabon.

French Fry Diary 181: Molly Pitcher Plaza on the NJ Turnpike

On the way home from the Funplex in East Hanover NJ we had to stop to rest as it's a long drive, so we took a break at the Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza on the NJ Turnpike. It was named for the heroine of the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. Legend has it she fetched water for the American soldiers during that decisive battle in the American Revolution. For her trouble, she got a rest stop, but as you'll see, not just any rest stop.

We arrived just after midnight on a Saturday night, which is why it seemed strange half the place was closed up. I was especially crushed as three of the restaurants at the place were of considerable French fry interest. Nathan's and Roy Rogers have some of the best fast food fries around, and Arthur Treacher's used to as well, but I had not been to the latter since I began this blogging journey. There was also something extremely enticing called Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill.

Had they all been open, and our stomachs empty, I imagine I could have eaten lots of the favorite fried food, taken copious notes, and pulled at least three, maybe more, entries for the FFD out of this experience. As it turned out, we had Roy Rogers and Cinnabon. That's not a complaint, by the way. It was a good snack and a good break, but it could have been much better.

Mrs. Pitcher, we'll be back. Please be open!