McDonald's Bacon Potato Pie

There's been a lot of talk recently about whether or not McDonald's really has a secret menu, officially or unofficially, but here's something that we can't get here in America, secret menu or not - the Bacon Potato Pie. Only available in Japan, this is bacon and mashed potatoes inside a deep fried baked pie covering. Not sure if that would be good or not, worth a trip to Japan? Maybe, maybe not... what do you folks think?

Potato Chip Soda??

Yes, it's true, Potato Chip-Flavored Soda, but only in Japan of course. And they're manufactured by the Namco, yeah, the videogame company. You can read all about it here.

Somehow I think the Cola-Flavored Potato Chips might be tastier than the Potato Chip-Flavored Soda…

French Fry Diary 673: Ichiban Buffet

Recently some old friends and The Bride and I got together at a new buffet where the old Old Country Buffet in Cherry Hill used to be - the Ichiban Buffet. In Japanese, 'ichiban' means 'number one' or 'first,' but I think in this case, I think they're just being hopeful, as this was less than satisfying.

I'm not a big fan of buffets to begin with. I dislike the idea of not knowing who has been touching my food, maybe multiple times, for who knows how long, perhaps getting it on their plate, then changing their mind and putting it back. It's just not sanitary, no matter how many employees and cooks are watching to make sure that kind of shenanigans doesn't happen.

This buffet was $16.00 per person, and they seemed to have a good variety, as well as (boo) Pepsi products. One big highlight was the 'donuts,' or more accurately the little chunks of fried and sugared dough, but I was disappointed at there being no soft ice cream, usually a buffet staple. I was a bit irritated by this seemingly professional place in all other effects having the ingredients of the trays written on signs below in Magic Marker. Tacky.

But of course, I wasn't there for the signage, or the donuts, or even the ice cream, I was there for, among other things, the French fries. They were only warm, probably baked frozen seasoned fries, seasoned to the point of being as dark golden brown as the sweet and sour chicken, whose sauce was great on the fries. The mashed potatoes only okay, and I didn't see any onion rings.

There was one puzzle I couldn't figure out. Why won't they trust us with knives? We can cut our own meat at the serving station, dish our own hard ice cream, but they won't trust us with knives at our seats unless we flag someone down and ask for one? Weird. I probably won't be coming back, the company was excellent though.

Are We Really Running Out of French Fries?

Yeah, I'm doing that thing, that panic thing that news services do to get folks' attention, you know, like when the local news does that "one of these soft drinks can kill you, details at eleven." Let me clarify, there have been potato shortages in some parts of the world recently, but no, we are in no way running out of French fries any time soon. Not happening.

In Japan in December there was some concern due to contract disputes in the shipping industry here in the United States, as the US is the world's leading supplier of potatoes. This caused Japanese McDonald's to temporarily remove Large and Medium size fries from their menus.

Venezuela is having similar problems, but they seem to be more internal than external. You can read about that here. And just so you think it's just McDonald's, KFC is also taking heat.

Bottom line, while some international markets are having trouble staying in French fries, and potato chip prices are going up, we have lots of potatoes here in the US, and should be fine. We are not running out of French fries.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #167

The infamous seafood flavors of Pringles potato crisps that were introduced briefly in Japan - Grilled Shrimp, Seaweed, and Soft-Shell Crab.

DragonBall Z Fries

My friend Ray hipped me to these - "DragonBall Z" French fries from Japan's Ministop.

The full story is here.

Mmmm... DragonBall Z fries...

A Very Scary Toy

This product is from Bandai, the folks that make the very cool Godzilla toys, and it comes from Japan. It's apparently a toy kitchen, with which to make inedible fast food, including French fries. It's called "Konapun."

Potato Suicide

French Fry Diary 107: Oh Yoko!

Being a catastrophically picky eater, I’m not one to stray from the standard American cuisine, but I like some Japanese cooking, especially when they do it on a grill. I was checking out Oh Yoko! for their grilling and also because of the cool name and then I saw what hooked me – they had fries!

Yoko Wasabi Fries – crispy seasoned potatoes with a Wasabi base sauce $7.95

I was sold and we were off. Oh Yoko! is a very nice place squeezed into the same shopping center as Andreotti’s and Big Cheez, and it’s a great little place. They need better signage so folks don’t miss out on what could be a great eating experience.

The atmosphere is terrific, and just as might be expected, the décor is a mix of traditional Oriental alternated with photos of the Beatles, John Lennon and Yoko Ono – what a clever theme. The music on the overhead speakers even reflects the Lennon concept. We had not even been served yet and I love this restaurant.

The waiter was extremely friendly and helpful, especially to this theoretical novice to Japanese food. He explained all the dishes, and that the sauces were all homemade, and when he saw me struggling with the chopsticks he even gave me a Fun Chop chopstick helper attachment to make it easier.

When the fries arrived I learned very quickly that wasabi is hot, very hot. I don’t know if I can describe how hot, but wow, and that’s a good wow. It burns at first taste but is very pleasant afterward. So good that I kept eating after the first burn – so let me clarify – it’s a good hot and a good burn. I was a wasabi virgin before today but The Bride assures me that this was sensational wasabi sauce.

The fries themselves are very thin potato sticks, quite similar to those at the Continental. They’re crispy, but not too crispy, just right. It was a large portion, with the wasabi hitting all of them, which was good. It was hard to find any fries that did not have sauce on them, good distribution. When I did find one or two without sauce, they were just as good.

For my actual meal, I had the yakitori chicken with teriyaki sauce, which was great, and dessert was vanilla ice cream with tempura fried banana... mmm... This was a terrific meal and experience. We will definitely be back, highly recommended, and not just for the fries.

Windows Whopper

To celebrate the release of Windows 7 in Japan, Microsoft and Burger King have gotten together for this scary publicity stunt that is sure to have the Health Nazis in an uproar - the seven layered Whopper.

Behold the majesty (or whatever) and don't forget to get fries with that.

Mmmm... fries...

Jagabee Commercial

Yes, it’s true. Fries in a can, from Japan. Beyond that, I have no idea what the commercial is about.

French Fries Vending Machine

Fresh and hot (well, at least I hope so) French fries from a vending machine!

I don’t know what they’re saying, but I bet it’s “Mmmm... fries...”

How to Peel Potatoes the Easy Way

Yeah, it's in Japanese, but it's also pretty self-explanatory. Just an easier way to get to making French fries, so get to it!