French Fry Diary 709: Lay's Barbecue Potato Chips

This is regarding the newer and improved Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips, you know, the ones that are "bursting with more BBQ flavor." And I also have to say up front, in the spirit of full disclosure, that Lay's sent me a coupon in the mail to get these new chips for free.

In the past, I have always found Lay's chips to be too thin and a little bit greasy. Add to that, that I don't recall anything about their BBQ chips, especially when that's my fave chip flavor - that just doesn't bode well before I even open the package. Speaking of which, the only difference between these and the old ones I can see at first is the banner across the top of the bag saying it has more BBQ flavor.

Upon opening the bag there was a nice smokey aroma and the chips, while still thin, were heavily and evenly covered with the barbecue seasoning. The taste was heavy with tomato and molasses and a good afterburn kick. If they were thicker, they might be good for dipping in ice cream or a milkshake, something cold as a contrast, but alas they're too thin.

The new Lay's Barbecue Potato Chips aren't bad, and unlike the previous kind, quite memorable. I'd pick them up again.

French Fry Diary 568: Steak 38

My friend and GAR! Podcast partner Ray and I had been talking about going to Steak 38 for quite some time but somehow plans have never worked out. If you know Ray, you know why. His work and play schedule is a maze of madness that would make even minotaurs crumble from the pressure. Anyway, with a coupon that expired that night, Ray finally made time to go to Steak 38. Yeah, coupon. Priorities, baby.

The coupon was a godsend as Steak 38 is a classy restaurant, classy equaling expensive. Classy as in I might get The Look when I ask The Question. You know what The Question is, right? "Do you have French fries?" Well, they'd better, even though they're not on the online menu. After all, they are a steakhouse, classy or not.

I was worried when I realized I had to make reservations earlier in the day just to go to this place. Burger King it was not. Steak 38 is run by two life long friends who met while waiter-ing at Chubby's in Collingswood and whose fathers worked together at the legendary Latin Casino. These two know restaurants, and are very serious when it comes to Steak 38.

However, classy aside, it is near a reputed bad area. Once inside the restaurant however you would never know. Inside is very, very nice, and the service was professional and attentive. Like on the Disney Cruise, we had two people waiting on us, and serving our every need.

Our orders were brought to us on a cart. I got the chopped sirloin, which was huge and covered with onions. It was perfectly cooked. Perfect. It came with lightly frizzled onions, very tasty, and a twice-baked potato. They were both very good. I would have liked more frizzled onions and less of the sautéed kind, but still both were terrific.

No one blinked or flinched when I asked for French fries, test passed, no Look after The Question. The fries came as a side and were regular natural cuts. A little bigger than regular regular cuts, they were very good while hot, and still good while warm. All in all this was a great meal for potato products and side orders.

The crowning achievement for the meal was dessert, which Ray insisted on, and I'm glad he did. He ordered the Bananas Foster for two, which made it kinda seem like a date. And I think the folks at Steak 38 already assumed we were a couple. He ain't The Bride, but Ray's still a good date, heh. The cool part is that our waitress made the dessert at our table. Awesomeness. Food on fire is always a plus, and it was delicious.

All things considered, this was a pleasant dinner well worth the price. I would definitely come to Steak 38 again, highly recommended.

Free Tax Day Fries from Arby's

My friend Ray hipped me to this item from Deal News:

For the third straight year, the fast food chain is offering emotionally and financially taxed Americans a delicious freebie on Tax Day. Arby's is serving up patrons a choice of a free value-sized order of Curly Fries or a small order of Potato Cakes via this printable coupon. Not only is it a nice treat, it's also a great way to save some dough on lunch or dinner.

Happy Tax/Free Fries Day!

Random Tater Pic of the Day #45

A coupon for free fries at Steaks on South. No expiration date. I can't think of a better reason to go into the city than for free fries, can you?

Health Nazi Ruins Halloween

When I was a kid, Halloween was different. Sure there were one or two nuts out there who would spoil it for everyone with a pin or a razor blade, but let's face it, those psychos were few and far between, and our parents would check over our candy when we got home. You could even go and have your candy x-rayed if you were particularly paranoid.

A rule of thumb presided - unopened, sealed treats were fine. And money or the much-cherished McDonalds gift certificates were even better. Nobody could mess with them. And back in the day, a fifty cent McD piece of paper could get you an order of free fries!

Well, yesterday a dietician hopped on the Health Nazi bandwagon. Here's that person's letter:

No Halloween French Fries

As a registered dietitian, I was horrified to read a pediatrician's claim that 80 percent of children under 12 months old regularly eat French fries [Living, Oct. 27, "Doctors Detail How To Keep Kids Well"]. Whether this is accurate or not, proper nutrition for children is undoubtedly one of the most serious problems facing our nation.

Unfortunately, located directly below Churnin's article was Korky Vann's article "Here's The Ticket For Halloween." Vann informs parents of a special fast-food Halloween deal: a $1 coupon booklet that contains tickets for free orders of French fries and a soft drink.

Vann's suggestion to hand out these coupons on Halloween in order to save money is discouraging. Easy access to inexpensive, high-calorie foods is one of the major barriers in fighting the obesity epidemic. Why encourage readers to celebrate Halloween by endorsing an industry that has such a devastating impact on the health of our country?

Traditional "fun-sized" Halloween candies are much lower in calories than a serving of fries and soda. Please don't feed French fries to your neighbors' babies this Halloween. Here's a better way to save money: find out whether you qualify for federal food assistance programs at http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/.

Wow. I think I'd rather have a razor blade in a caramel apple. And I think this dietician is probably against Christmas, Valentines Day and peanut butter in schools too. Party pooper.

Crispy Potato Soft Taco?

Something special today, folks, a guest blog from friend and fellow writer Terry Willitts:

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This is the Crispy Potato Soft Taco from Taco Bell’s value menu. Take a moment, get past the initial reaction of “What?” and think about it. Read the description. Potato bites. Jalapeno ranch. Lettuce and cheese.

It’s a winning combination. The potato bites are seasoned just right, but the jalapeno ranch has an afterburn that will please anyone who likes the tangy side of life. They’re warm and soft with a crispy coating, and the mix with the ranch and the lettuce and cheese and the soft taco shell = win.

And you can’t beat that they’re cheap.

Even on a warm day, it’s a good snack or part of a meal. I went today, after a workout at the gym, and cashed in my coupon for a free limeade, and spent a couple bucks on this and a taco and had a nice light lunch! If they still have this in the cooler weather, it would be a great way to warm up on a cold day.

Also, the limeade? Very limey. The coupon is still available at the Taco Bell website – click here – you have to print it up (make sure you have Java on your computer) and use it soon. The one I printed had an expiration date of June 1st.

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The above appeared in slightly different form at Terry’s blog, make sure you check it out. Thanks, man!

Free Medium Fries

Have you tried the new Angus Third Pounder at McDonalds yet? If you haven’t and are so inclined, for the month of August, there are free fries in it for you. Click here for the printable coupon.

Free Slider!

To celebrate their 88th anniversary, White Castle is offering this coupon to print out for a free slider!

Only for a limited time, so get moving!

And don’t forget the fries!


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And Now a Message from the President... of KFC

Never Underestimate the Power of Free

Never underestimate the power of free, or perhaps that should read: Never underestimate the power of Oprah.

Yesterday's promotion by Oprah Winfrey and KFC hit a roadblock when the fast food franchise ran out of chicken. In some locations long lines, protests and near riots occurred. Details can be found here.

Now maybe we know why Oprah has never endorsed a fast food restaurant before...

Thanks Oprah!

Philanthropist and TV goddess Oprah Winfrey has given us all a gift recently. No, it’s not a brand new car under our studio seats, but free chicken.

From May 5th through May 19th (excluding Mother's Day, May 10th) Oprah is giving America two free pieces of KFC’s new Kentucky Grilled Chicken. The whole scoop is here. And get your coupon here, before midnight tonight.

And don’t forget those delicious KFC potato wedges as one (or both) of your sides. Mmmm... fries...



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