French Fry Diary 454: Fries Seasoning

I found these on Amazon, believe it or not. Gourmet Fries Seasoning from Chef's Fun Foods come in four varieties - Cheesy Cheddar, Garlic Parmesan, Salt & Garlic Pepper, and Flame Grilled BBQ. Or at least those are the flavors I got. There are also Wild Buffalo, Sour Cream & Onion, Salt & Vinegar, and Ketchup - all eight terrific flavoring to add to the favorite fried food.

I got mine about six months ago, have used them quite a bit, and these thirteen ounce jars are still not only mostly full, but also very fresh. All have no fat and no MSG, and contain at least five or less calories per serving. They do require frequent shaking though as the contents tend to clump.

The labels suggest their use for potatoes, veggies, burgers, chicken, or pasta, and urged the consumer to 'be creative!' And I have been creative. A sucker for BBQ, I put that one on almost everything, well, everything except pasta, and garlic bread for which the Garlic flavors are great. I have found the Cheddar particularly good on popcorn. And of course, they are all quite good on fries. Recommended.



And just in case you've ever wanted to make tornado fries at home, Chef's Fun Foods also sells all your supplies, except for the potatoes, for that too!

French Fry Diary 381: A Battered Tartan

I have been dying to come here to A Battered Tartan since I first heard about it. First, it's quite small, a quaint storefront off the beaten track on Mill Street which is right off Main Street in Moorestown. Four tables and a counter, thats it, but it was enough. Not what I expected at all, the British Chip Shop in Haddonfield, this is not, but it is authentic and heartfelt.

As we ordered the man behind the counter wrote our order down and brought out some fresh cut potatoes, drying them. This told me right there and then he knew what he was doing when it came to the favorite fried food. We watched as he made our order from scratch, battering the cod, wrapping the cheesesteak spring rolls, dropping the chips, etc., all in plain view. Oooh, the magic of cooked to order.

While we sat, The Bride and I perused the menu, so many options and possibilities for a next trip, and we knew there would be a next trip. I got an orange Irn Bru (very sweet) and The Bride got a Diet Coke despite the fair selection of UK soft drinks. There were also Flake bars and Mars bars on the counter as well.

The Bride's cod was very good, as was the tartar sauce, and the batter was perfect. The cheesesteak spring roll was even better. Great start. I love this place. There is some contention on their menu in that "we're British & we don't serve fries," I might argue that. While cooked exquisitely, these were natural cut fries. Very hot, very good, served on brown wax paper, and wonderful with the Heinz Gourmet Malt Vinegar on the counter - but let's be kind, these are chips in name and attitude only. And notably, these were not the regular cuts depicted on their website either.

So much to eat, we took some home, and were even told how to reheat it for later. An excellent and enjoyable experience and meal. Also very very reasonably priced. Highly recommended.

French Fry Diary 357: Gourmet Basics Smart Fries

I am always intrigued by potato snacks that try to be healthy. I've been seeing Smart Fries from Gourmet Basics on shelves for a while and I finally picked up a bag, the flavor I picked was 'classic sea salt.'

There are lots of healthy bonuses with these so-called Smart Fries. They are cholesterol free, sugar free and transfat free. The problem is they are also kinda flavor free as well. They claim they have potato in them but I didn't taste it, heck, I certainly didn't taste any salt either, sea or otherwise. It's not that they're tasteless, but they are very bland. Perhaps I should try some of the other kinds like honey BBQ or vinegar splash.

They are kinda a skinny round tube in the shape of shoestring French fries, and are good for dipping. They are air popped and very low in calories. Not my first pick, but a good healthy snack, thumbs up.

French Fry Diary 343: Burger.Org

For various reasons, four games in, and The Bride has yet to make it to a Philadelphia Wings home game. She also hasn't gotten to see our friends Judy and Marc who are also season ticket holders. Actually Judy is an old friend, went to high school with The Bride, and some college with me. Her husband Marc and I have become quick new friends. Although I think he was puzzled the first time he saw me taking photos of fries.

The Bride's first attend-able game was a day game so Judy and Marc planned a lunch get together beforehand. Knowing of my peculiar food fetish and catastrophic pickiness, they chose a burger place in Philly that also had, you guessed it, the favorite fried food. And that's how we got to Burger.Org.

Burger.Org has a healthy edge, serving all organic meats and offering a heavily vegan and gluten free menu. The meat had no artificial ingredients, antibiotics, or preservatives. 100% organic they claim, and that even includes stuff like the shakes and the fries. So basically everything you, ahem, I could possibly want, only healthier.

So what do you think I ordered? I got the burger, a Coke (yeah, I know, I was surprised too) and fries what else? The Bride was a bit disappointed that she couldn't get a cheeseburger, and we both were as they didn't offer shakes until summer. Notably the fries are considered Basary, which basically means meat. In other words, it's like the McDonald's beef tallow oil secret - fries cooked in the same oil as the meat.

I got the plain fries but they also had spicy, which I wish I'd gotten, and sweet potato. Marc got the sweet, and let me try one or two. Well, one, he didn't actually see me take the others. They were spiced with cinnamon, which was to die for. We have a new sweet potato fry champion.

The regular fries are fresh cut natural cuts and quite tasty but needed a little something something - a dipping sauce, some spices. And get them while they're hot, do much tastier hot, and excellent with malt vinegar.

The burger was awesome, one of the best I've had in a while. And the bun was homemade and terrific. The Bride enjoyed her sausages, and Judy and Marc enjoyed their wings. Really, there's not much that wasn't recommended, and the portions were huge. Cheese and shakes aside, this place rocked.

And the Wings? Yeah, they finally won. I guess The Bride is a good luck charm, and she'd better stop missing games...

French Fry Diary 334: Laurel Hill Barbeque Potato Chips

I was a bit bothered by the words on the bag the first time I tried Laurel Hill Barbeque Potato Chips. These kettle-cooked chips apparently have "40% reduced fat compared to regular potato chips." Really? Regular potato chips? Way to go, Health Nazis, insult the very snack you're trying to sell. They might as well say, "Potato chips suck, but hey, try ours."

Beyond that, these are all natural with no transfats, so that's something at least. The back of the bag further proclaims that they are also kosher, gluten-free, and that they have no artificial colors or flavors. Apparently, they are also "downright delicious."

Folks who frequent this French Fry Diary know that I love me some Whole Foods, and when I saw these at the check-out counter there, it was a no-brainer purchase. Now while they are a bag of chips, I don't know if they are 'all that.' They do have a bit of a zing, and an aftertaste. I'm not sure what does that. The ingredients list some intriguing items like apple cider vinegar and honey powder - but those should be good things.

These chips are okay for a change of pace, but I wouldn't want them every day. There are many other better types out there, but these are still worth a try. Who knows, you might love 'em.

French Fry Diary 329: Pop Chips

My first impression of Pop Chips is that they are crazy hard to open, without the use of a scissors, a blowtorch, or an AK-47. Wow, do you want us to have these things or not?

I have been hearing about Pop Chips for quite some time, from friends and family, from the Pop Chips Twitter, from strangers, and from ads. But it wasn't until recently that I actually saw them in a store. I snapped up a bag each of regular and barbeque.

Their big claim to fame is that they are not fried nor baked, but popped. Now I'm still not sure exactly what that means, I mean, potatoes don't exactly 'pop' like corn does - but I tried 'em anyway. My first impression is that they were like a natural version of Munchos. Yeah, that's it. If Munchos were natural potato chips instead of dehydrated potatoes. The difference would be that Munchos have that extra corn taste that Pop Chips don't have. The difference is more accurately the rice flour in the ingredients - which also adds a bit of a rice cake flavor to them, but it's all good.

The Bride was very happy with the calorie count, and also has become partial to the salt and vinegar flavor as well. They are all natural, with no preservatives, no artificial flavors or colors, no cholesterol, no transfats, no saturated fats, and gluten-free. The bags make a lot out of them being healthier. "Nothing fake or phony. No fake colors, no fake flavors, no fluorescent orange fingertips, no wiping your greasy chip hand on your jeans. No, really." And as you can see, they even have a sense of humor about it.

The barbeque flavor is what the folks at Pop Chips call "the tangiest barbeque taste this side of the Mason Dixon." This might not be true, but these are very good, and the brown sugar in the ingredients does give them a sweet kick.

Pop Chips are a great healthy snack, no scratch that, Pop Chips are a great snack. Recommended.

French Fry Diary 284: Dublin Square, Cherry Hill NJ

After my visit to Kelsey's Irish Pub in Maryland, I was wary of trying another so-called Irish Pub, but so many friends had hipped me to this new local place, and happily recommended them, I just had to try Dublin Square in Cherry Hill.

I stopped by alone in the late afternoon. The bar was full but the restaurant not so much. The waitress was very friendly, had quite a lot to tell me about the multitude of specials on deck. While she was wonderful and did a great job, I had to wonder if I would have gotten the same treatment if the restaurant had been packed.

On the table were Colman's Mustard, HP Sauce and Sarson's Malt Vinegar, all imported from England. So it seems like their heart is in the right place when it comes to authenticity. It was decorated in wood and green, and football (that's soccer to you and me) on the big screen TVs around the restaurant. And the Irish and/or seeming Irish music playing overhead was incessant.

The fries, I was told, were deep-fried and tossed in curry powder. Interesting. So I guess I should be expecting some heat. As I waited for them I looked at the specials listed at the table. I did notice that the fries are $4 in the afternoon but $3 at night. I wondered if there was a difference in portion size, or if I was a schmuck for going in the afternoon.

The fries arrived, and I could smell the heat even before I tasted them. They were natural cut steak fries, nothing special or even Irish about them at first glance. The curry powder was interesting but seemed to have more bark than bite, as they weren't necessarily all that hot. The fries themselves were only just warm - as in heat lamp warm, and in the middle of an empty afternoon, not a good sign.

These fries were really a bit of a disappointment. Well, at least they called them fries, steak cut fries, and not chips - that would just be an insult. Now I realize that I am a bit of a French fries nut, but if you are going to go to all the trouble to make an Irish pub franchise, why would you skimp on the fries? I mean, chips/fries are a primary Irish pub staple. Just my opinion.

French Fry Diary 240: Cool Dog Cafe's New Dipping Sauces

Just when you think a good thing can't get any better, it does. The folks at the Cool Dog Café in Cherry Hill are always thinking of ways to make their already great food and service better. If they're not making terrific weekly specials, they are making leaps and bounds with their fabulous fries.

Thus week, it's the latter, as they have added some spectacular dipping sauces for their "Belgian Frites." Here in the States, it's all about ketchup and maybe barbeque sauce for French fries. The British like their malt vinegar (which Cool Dog has on their tables, by the way), but in Europe, it's all about the dipping sauces, mostly of a mayo base, and about the varieties.

Now Cool Dog is trying to bring a little bit of that European magic to Cherry Hill. They've introduced four unique, homemade, mayo-based sauces: Dijon mayo, curry mayo, Mexi-ketchup and kaboom sauce. We got brave and ordered the curry mayo. This had an interesting taste that contrasted the fries and you can really feel the curry. The in-laws got the Dijon mayo, which was very mustardy, as it should be. While they were good, we decided we preferred ketchup and malt vinegar. Not a knock, just a preference.

After hearing from owner Ira what was in the other two sauces, I wish we had tried them. I did come back on another trip to try the kaboom sauce. Wow. Let's just say the kaboom sauce has a long fuse. At first taste, it's pretty good, an excellent dipping sauce. A few seconds go by and the sizzle starts - ka-boom. Oh yeah, that's some kind of special hot. Only for the brave who like that kind of stuff, it's good, but just too hot for me.

I'm still waiting for them to add the Jack Daniels glaze to the dipping sauces or other barbeque flavors - then I'm on board. In meantime these are still very good, get on over to the Cool Dog and try 'em out.

Alton Brown's Potato Chips

For today's Food Network Friday, the amazing Alton Brown, from "Good Eats," makes homemade potato chips.

French Fry Diary 228: Cool Dog Café

This place had been taunting me for weeks since their sign outside went up, long before the Cool Dog Cafe even opened up. It teased me with two words - "Belgian Frites." Oh yeah, so I had to get here sooner or later. It has since become one of my favorite local restaurants.

Their take home menu says that their Belgian Frites are "Simply the best fries you've ever had... crispy on the outside, moist & tender on the inside. You'll never return to France." On a later visit, one of the owners, so proud and passionate about his fries, told me that my fries actually started cooking the day before - a par-fry after cutting, soaking and drying, and then a shock-fry when ordered. Yeah, that's the way to do it.

I made it in to the Cool Dog Cafe for the first time a few days after they had opened. I got a hot dog, a nice extra long dog on a regular bun which came on a plate but my large order of Belgian Frites came in a big brown bag.... Hmmm... What's up with that? The large paper bag was full of fries, and this was indeed a large order. Hot and tasty, I found them to be natural cuts, and very very good. And just for the record, the dog was good too.

I could complain about the bag o' fries, as the grease slowly soaked through the bag, and they weren't especially Belgian nor frites. But I won't. While they might not be exactly what fry freaks like me think of when we think of Beligian frites - these are damned good fries.

Aside from the unorthodox way they were served these were essentially the same natural cuts that could be had at Pat's or Five Guys. They have a bit more crunch and there is much to be said about the portion size - they aren't Belgian frites, but really, who cares? These fries are contenders, and better (yeah, I said it) than either Pat's or Five Guys.

I was the only one there for lunch when I was there for the first time, with Sirius radio blasting as was the heat, and news and women's basketball were on the two big screen TVs. It did start to fill up as I was getting ready to go so that's good. I have been back, many times (I told you I liked this place), and now it is usually hopping.

Malt vinegar is on the table, along with ketchup and mustard, so their heart is in the right place when it comes to fries. And they also had Coca-Cola products, and free refills at the fountain, always a plus in my book. Also on the condiment bright side is the killer Jack Daniels glaze that is available for burgers or dogs, but is perfect for the fries as well. They also have the first sweet potato fries that this catastrophically picky eater has wanted to eat more than one of. In fact, I like them almost as much as the regular fries.

Check them out at their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter. Check for their specials. I recommend the sliders, the dogs, the toppings, and especially the fries. They are probably not what I would have expected when I first saw that "Belgian Frites" sign, but man, are they good - highly recommended.

French Fry Diary 150: The British Chip Shop, Haddonfield NJ

My mom-in-law hipped me to this place after an afternoon of shopping in Haddonfield with the girls. Haddonfield is a fairly upscale historical and pleasant town nearby that caters to walking traffic and a small town atmosphere. And the girls had lunch at what the mom-in-law called an authentic fish and chip shop.

My ears immediately perked up. A what where? I hit the interwebs and discovered that yes, it was true. The British Chip Shop had opened in July with an official grand opening on October 1st. Perusing the online menu .pdf, I found a place that resembled Cookes of Dublin, and it was right here in New Jersey.

Besides the obvious, fish and chips, they also had a variety of other distinctly Brit fare like bangers and mash, Welsh rarebit, tea sandwiches, fried Mars bars, scones, black pudding, beans on toast, curries and crumpets. Yes, all that, but disturbingly, no Coca-Cola. I guess they can be forgiven for that omission, as long as the chips are good. So we planned to return that evening for dinner.

The British Chip Shop is a beautiful place, very authentic and nicely decorated. There's rugby playing on the big screen TV, distinctly British pop music overhead, HP sauce and Sarson's malt vinegar on the tables and union jacks everywhere. I loved the pub atmosphere, and especially the "Mind the Gap" sign. We hadn't even ordered and I was psyched.

For an appetizer we got the homemade crisps (potato chips) with horse radish sauce. They were scalloped potatoes thickly sliced, but not too crispy and hot in a good way, and served in a small paper bag, traditional style. I loved these, but could have gone for a bit more crisp and seasoning. Could have been hotter, but they were still very tasty, and heads above anyone else out there making these babies. Almost as good as those at the Hot Potato Café, and that's a serious compliment.

Our other appetizer was the deep fried green beans, which like the crisps are not on the menu, so make sure you ask for these terrific treats. These non-potato fries were very tasty, more battered and fried than those at T.G.I. Friday's. Both appetizers are recommended, so make sure you get them.

The beverages were all Brit authentic. I got the Barritts Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer, the in-laws got a Scottish soda called Irn Bru, and The Bride, an Anglophile from way back, got something she's been itching for since her last trip overseas, Ribena. The Ginger Beer wasn't Coke, but it was quite good, sort of like ginger ale, but with an extra kick.

Finally the food came, and while it was a wait, no one minded as it was all cooked to order. I had gotten the chicken and chips. The chicken was quite good and very hot and crispy, and sort of reminded me of what I had at Monk's Café in the city. But now on to the main event, the favorite fried food…

The chips are the extra thick steak fry cuts that characterize real English chips, hot and soft in the center and crispy outside. They are almost perfect, and begging for vinegar like a good English chip should. These chips are really fabulous. When I am asked what the best fries I've had are, I usually answer unwaveringly Cookes of Dublin in Orlando - but The British Chip Shop right here in New Jersey gives them serious competition. I might be changing my ranking. These are damn good fries. I am impressed.

Also, much like Cookes of Dublin, they offer the deep-fried candy bar as a dessert. I was amazed I still had room after this wonderful filling meal, some of which I took home, but the four of us split a deep-fried Mars bar anyway. Yummm… it was luscious, heaven in a mouthful.

All told, this was a terrific meal experience at a very reasonable price. The British Chip Shop is highly recommended by French Fry Diary, and I can't wait to back again. Please check them out tomorrow for their official grand opening and ribbon cutting. This place rocks!

French Fry Diary 147: Herr's 1853 Kettle Chips

I was hipped to these by someone who knew I was a potato chip aficionado, but didn't try them right away. When I finally did, I was blown away, and now I can't find these great chips anywhere. Apparently they are 'limited edition.' If anyone sees Herr's 1853 Kettle Cooked Potato Chips anywhere in the South Jersey/Philadelphia are, please let me know.

I'm not usually big on kettle chips and quite honestly don't understand their recent wild popularity on the snack shelves. They are okay, but most of the time I find them too crispy and crunchy. I know, as if there could be such a thing. I just like the standard chips better.

The 1853 chips however changed my mind on that point. I loved these. They are not as crunchy as the standard kettle chips, and actually reminded me a bit of the old Wise regular chips, when they were good, back in the day. Right thickness and the right amount of salt. The bubbles rock, perfect for dipping.

The 1853 name and origin story on the back of the bag harken back to the supposed legend of the first potato chips in Saratoga Springs NY in 1853. When an annoying customer didn't like the cut of his French fried potatoes, Chef George Crum cut his thinnest ever for him - creating the first potato chips - much to that customer, and billions of future customers' delight. You can get the full story here.

Herr's is trying to recreate that experience, and in my opinion, has made a darn good chip. Other than Regular, they also come in the following great flavors: Buttermilk & Herb, Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar and Barbeque. Interesting flavors, the Barbeque has a mild smoky bite not found in Herr's standard bbq chips. Recommended, if you can find them!

French Fry Diary 109: Poll Results Spring 2010

The poll question of the moment on French Fry Diary for the last few months has been Best thing to put -on- fries, or dip fries -into-... Your answers are below:

Ketchup got 45% of the vote and cheese got 39%. These are the standards. Everybody likes ketchup (apparently, even though I don’t) and cheese fries are pretty darned popular. Next up is malt vinegar with 27% of the vote. These folks are either from the UK, have visited there or just stumbled upon this one. Similarly also from Europe, we get the mayo vote with 15%.

A notable 11% also like dipping their fries into their milkshakes just like I do. And we’ve talked about this before, I might be an oddball, but I’m not alone. One of my other favorites, barbeque sauce got a respectable 17%.

The pride of Canada, gravy, and disco chili fries each got 13%. Chocolate and maple syrup each pulled in 3%, while mustard, ew, got 11% of the vote. A recent favorite of mine, honey, which I’ve been putting on baked Nathan’s fries while they cook for an extra tasty sweet treat, got 7%.

Now ten percent of the vote went to ‘other.’ Now if you voted for ‘other,’ please do drop me a note and let me know what exactly you had in mind for your fries – I would love to know!

Guy Fieri’s Asian Street Fries

Guy Fieri is one of the more entertaining chefs/hosts on the Food Network. Recently on his "Guy’s Big Bite," on the episode titled "Flash in the Pan," he cooked up some of what he called Asian Street Fries.

For the video: http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/asian-street-fries/42558.html

For the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/asian-street-fries-recipe/index.html

Pickled French Fries

Executive Chef Don Santos has a very cool blog, called "A Half Cup of Life, A Teaspoon of Insanity," that has the catchphrase "Don't make what people want - Make people want what you make." That's a rockin' attitude for a chef in my opinion.

Make sure you check out his blog, but especially his recipe for Pickled French Fries, found here. A combination of interesting tactics - malt vinegar, duck fat, cranberry ketchup - all working together for a fine final product. Mmmm... fries...


.