French Fry Diary 743: Wendy's Breakfast

Recently before getting on a plane to back to New Jersey (North Jersey, and those who know know that it matters) for a wedding, The Bride and I had some time, and the hungries for breakfast.  I carted our bags to the gate while The Bride searched for breakfast.  I was quite surprised when she joined me a bit later with a Wendy's bag. 

Honestly I was unaware that Wendy's did breakfast, but after a moment's thought, yeah, of course they did.  It had just never occurred to me to actually go there for breakfast.  And here at the busy Orlando International Airport, I suppose they must do a brisk breakfast business.  Notably breakfast is not listed on many of their websites.  They need to get the word out.

The Bride got an Artisan Egg Sandwich sans egg, essentially a grilled cheese with bacon, which she thought was just okay.  For me she got a biscuit, also just okay, nowhere near Bojangles or even KFC in quality.  The Bride also got breakfast potatoes, which were at the bottom of the bag.  I was both happy and wary. 

I was happy because, duh, I love the favorite fried food, and wary because many fast food breakfast potatoes are notoriously terrible, as is the case at Burger King, Chick-fil-A, and Roy Rogers.  I opened the bag and was pleasantly surprised.

At first glance, Wendy's Seasoned Homestyle Potatoes look similar to Roy's Home Taters.  Flat potato wedges, sometimes halved, and covered with a seasoned light batter, these were so much better that Roy's bland fare.  These were quite tasty and I wanted more when these were finished.  Definitely a thumbs up.  I'm going to have try more Wendy's Breakfast based on this experience. 

Random Tater Pics of the Day #203 and 204

These Somebody Else's Fries again come from my big sister Bobbie on a recent trip to the Hard Rock Café in Orlando, Florida. This first pic is from The Kitchen, a restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel. From Bobbie, "The Kitchen's fries were shoestring, very crunchy and didn't need any salt at all, very good."

This second pic is from the Hard Rock Café proper. Bobbie said they "were regular fries, crispy on the outside, with a great seasoning. They were the best!"

Random Tater Pic of the Day #170

This lovely plate of fish and chips comes from the Three Broomsticks in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Orlando, courtesy of FFD friend and contributor Sarah Hawkins-Miduski. You can read the full blog entry here.

French Fry Diary 528: Steak 'n Shake

I was more than curious about Steak 'n Shake. Over the years, I had gotten a few recommendations to try them. And when I asked you folks where I should try in the Orlando area, even more recs flooded in, twenty total. So many recommendations, but all of a certain type - you have to go, you have to try these fries, they will be great to write about. Eerily no one said they were good. No one until someone The Bride was doing charity work with on the day of our adventure, who said they were good. That's one out of twenty. Hmmm…

As we planned our vacation, and set our schedule, it was getting harder and harder to get to S'nS before we went to Port Canaveral, we might have to postpone that FFD road trip in definitely. The Bride however noticed that not only was there a Steak 'n Shake near our hotel, but they were open 24/7, maybe we could do it after all. So we snuck out in the middle of the night for a late night snack. Yep, an adventure.

I was very surprised that this was a sit down place, although they also have take out. What I expected was more in line with a Sonic Drive-In type place, but got something quite different. I was reminded of Johnny Rockets in atmosphere, very bright, but without the singing and dancing. We were greeted as we entered and had to wait to be seated - like I said, not what I expected at all. The clientele at two in the morning was a young, happy, and lively late night crowd.

I came for the fries, but they also had new seasoned fries - Parmesan cheese 'n herbs, salt 'n vinegar, and sea salt 'n cracked pepper. Yeah, S'nS is really enamored of the apostrophe and letter N thing. We went purist and just got the fries, and onion rings. As we had just had Hamburger Mary's just a few hours before, we decided on trying one of the famous steakburgers 'next time.' On the table was Steak 'n Shake's Fry 'n Steakburger Seasoning, a mixture of salt, onion, garlic, paprika, and sugar. A good peppery paprika kick when we put then on the fries.

The fries were smaller shoestrings, not quite matchstick fries, and a little overdone, so maybe a bit too crunchy. They were still pretty good. And they were even better with the above-mentioned seasoning. They were a bit addictive after that. I just wish they weren't overcooked. And the seasoning was so good we bought some to go home. Can't wait to try it at home, and not just on fries. I think it could really jazz up chicken.

When we had discussed S'nS earlier with friend Terry at Hamburger Mary's, he expressed a preference toward steak fries and their thicker cousins, which I tend to agree with. He wasn't fond of S'nS, they just weren't 'his thing.' However, I think if these fries were cooked better they could be pretty good too, thick or not. I would like to give them a second chance.

The onion rings were okay deep fried beer batter ones, that The Bride liked, but I wasn't thrilled by. To wash it all down she got a Salted Caramel Pretzel shake and I got a chocolate one. The shakes were awwwesome. They alone would worth the trip back down to Florida. Steak 'n Shake was not what I expected at all, but it was a pleasant surprise. I'd come back. Thank you all, for the unique recommendations.

French Fry Diary 527: Hamburger Mary's

When I first asked for recommendations for the Orlando area regarding this year's vacation, I got several for a place called Hamburger Mary's. I went to the website, and from all indications, it seemed to be a drag/cabaret/karaoke theme franchise restaurant/bar, almost as if the Dumpsta Players opened a place to eat. We made long term plans to go, and asked several folks to join us, however, the best laid plans of mice and fry lovers being what they are, most people had to drop out. Alas, we were competing with Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

So The Bride and I, after braving what is known as the I-4 parking lot, met up with Florida friend Terry, who has accompanied a few FFD road trips and even written an entry or two. Hamburger Mary's is in a mini-South Street-like section of Orlando trying to make a comeback called Church Street Station. The Bride and I were stunned at the low price of parking, but that others apologized for it being high because of a nearby event. Wow, I would trade Philly parking rates in a second for Orlando.

The first thing that struck me about Hamburger Mary's was how empty and quiet it was. For what sounded like such a partying kind of place was sooo not hopping for a Friday night. I was disappointed. And we were seated right in front of the stage. This could have been so much more. At least we had good company and conversation.

As an appetizer we got the infamous Mary's TA-TAs, and we got 'em loaded. These are assumedly store bought tater tots with real chunks of bacon and cheddar cheese. They could have been deep fried, but they weren't greasy, and really had the texture and taste of baked, very soft and tender, with chewy melty cheese. These were a real treat. And can you see the hidden Mickey?

I got my usual weapon of choice, a plain burger with fries; Terry got the wasabi burger, which he said he liked; and The Bride got a taco salad that she similarly enjoyed. My burger was great, a big chargrilled half-pounder on an equally big soft sesame seed bun (hard to find these days). It was near perfect, I loved it.

The French fries were regular cuts, battered and crispy on the outside, and deep fried. The taste and texture (though not the shape) kinda reminded me of Ore-Ida Crispers. They were okay, but not great. Although they did get better as time went by. You know that thing where dinner is over but you're still absentmindedly munching? Yeah, they're great for that.

I suspect this place is more about atmosphere than food, sadly we didn't really have much atmosphere. If we ever return, we will make sure to come on a night when something is going on other than just the food. I wanted more Dumpstas and less restaurant, I guess.

The best part of the meal came with the check, and that in itself was a promise of a better time next time when we do come during an event. The check came in a red studded high heel, which was totally awesome. Much like a bad movie with a great ending, the heel made the meal. Good time hanging out with The Bride and Terry.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #103

This one comes from my friend Terry. These are Chili Cheese Tots from Frank & Stein's Eatery & Pub in Orlando, Florida.

French Fry Diary 490: The Chips of West Virginia

Usually it's my friend Marni who finds the odd and out of the way potato chips for me to write about on this blog. This time, she put her boyfriend/partner/common law husband, Bob, to work for me. He was hiking in West Virginia and picked up two different bags of WV-based barbecue flavored potato chips. Surprisingly both of these regional brands I had tried before, but not these flavors.

First up were the Smokehouse BBQ potato chips from Miss Vickie's. Believe it or not, I had encountered this brand before, pretty far from West Virginia at the Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney, Orlando FL. Granted, it was a different kind of barbecue potato chip at the time, but still.

The Smokehouse chips are kettle cooked and claim to be all natural. They have the weird funky shapes that mark kettle cooking yet are quite small. While built for dipping, they might indeed be too small to do so.

And although the smokey flavor is hyped on the back of the bag, the sweetness of the seasoning is overpoweringly delightful from the brown sugar and molasses in the ingredients. These chips rock, I liked them quite a lot.

Next up were the barbeque potato chips from WV's Mister Bee. A bag of the sour cream & onion were included in the Anchor O'Reilly's Food Finds bag o' rare chips that The Bride got me for Christmas. They were not my cup of tea. I hope these might be more to my liking...

But alas, that hope would be for naught. These chips, just like the other Mister Bee's, are overseasoned and grainy, and the barbeque flavor is unpleasant and overpowering. I coukd only eat a couple of them. They had so much seasoning, at least a handful of the dusting was at the bottom of the bag. These did not make me happy.

Happily I don't think they cost Bob much, or at I hope they didn't. Either way, thanks, Marni and Bob!

Florida Fries?

Awesome French Fry sculpture at the University of Florida

The Bride and I are in the midst of planning a vacation for this coming September. We'll be taking a week-long cruise on the majestic Disney Fantasy, bookended on each end by a few days in the Orlando Florida area.

I'm counting on my Florida homies now. Terry, Gail, even the French Fry Fairy - I'm looking at you folks, and anyone else who has a suggestion - where are the good (or bad) fries in that area of the Sunshine State?

We will probably be hitting Raglan Road and Hamburger Mary's, but where else should we be going for fries? Please let me know!

Random Tater Pic of the Day #58

Even in Hogwarts they love their fish and chips. Image courtesy of OrlandoInformer.com on FourSquare.

French Fry Diary 278: Whispering Canyon Café, Lunch 2011

The Bride and I had had a wonderful breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café just a few hours before, but we previously had lunch reservations with Dom and Cindy and the kids for lunch, so here we were, back again. We were even joined by The Bride's second cousin who lives in the Orlando area.

I love this place, and not just for the bottomless milkshakes. It's interactive with the waitstaff and there's always a show of some kind, watch out though, you may be part of it. Ask for ketchup, ask for straws, and you'll see that's just the tip of the interactive iceberg here at the Café.

For the most part however it was a quiet lunch this day, as in not much interaction with the staff, but we all had a nice chat getting to know each other better. A rather tense moment was had for all in the dining room when news of an earthquake in Washington DC hit. You might remember as this happened in August, and the quake was felt as far north as New York. We had to call home to make sure everything was all right in New Jersey, all was okay though. It was a scary moment however, almost like 9/11, as everyone in the dining room was silent and on their cellphone, either calling loved ones or checking the news.

For lunch I got the Angus Chuck bacon cheeseburger sans bacon and cheese (I still had the bad taste of the bacon cheeseburger from Captain Cook's on my mind), fries of course, and the wonderful all-you-care-to-enjoy milkshakes (I had two). The burger was very good, and the fries were the Disney standard, natural cuts, good when hot.

It was a rather somber meal because of the earthquake, but good times just the same with friends and family.

French Fry Diary 202: Devil's Alley Bar and Grill

The Devil Burger and fries. This has been a whispered legend to me from friends and emails since I started doing French Fry Diary. A burger topped with onion rings and French fries, ooooh. The Bride had been here before, and like I said, I had several recommendations as well - so I couldn't not come here.

The Devil Burger is a, according to their menu, half-pound sirloin burger topped with onion rings and fries, served with a side of cheese sauce. Halloween-ish imagery aside, this is still a monster of a burger. A burger, onion rings and fries together? Yeah, baby, does it get better than this?

Devil's Alley itself has a nice eclectic atmosphere, open to the street, and cozy. However if you're looking for it on Chestnut Street and haven't been there before, you might miss it due to lack of signage. Once you're there however, you'll never forget it.

When served, the Devil's Burger is an interesting construct, and presentation. The natural cut fries were inserted into the just average beer batter onion rings and held in place by toothpicks, and placed on top of the burger. More fries and rings were also stacked on top as well. It was bit hard to eat the burger until all the fried toppings were removed.

Additionally I got a side order of fries that were a bit overdone, but the ones on top of the delicious burger were just right. It seemed that the toothpick-held batch of deep-fried goodness was deep-fried all at once, similar to the Potato Onion Web we got at CityWalk's Rising Star in Orlando. Mmmm... now that was good.

The cheese sauce was thick and flavorful. The Bride and the mom-in-law both thought it reminded them of the old Horn & Hardart macaroni and cheese. The waitress never got back to us on what was really in it when we asked. The food was good, not as good as the whispered legend of the Devil Burger, but we'll definitely go back.

French Fry Diary 174: Johnny Rivers' Grill & Market, Orlando International Airport

Southwest Airlines always has their gates off the beaten track no matter what airport you go to. If you arrive at any airport, be assured that Southwest will be the furthest point from where you are. In an airport like Orlando, one so big that they need a train to get you to your baggage, Southwest is pretty far from any of the malls or food courts. What is close to Southwest's gates is a place called Johnny Rivers' Grill & Market.

This is a tiny little oasis squeezed between two gates with an unimaginably tiny seating area and an even tinier 'market' where you can order and purchase stuff like sodas, candy and peach barbeque sauce. It does smell really good, specializing in Cajun fare, with delightful pictures rather than a menu. Here I was, with lots of time on my hands, and a taunting picture of golden brown steak fries overhead. So I ordered fries and a Dr. Pepper (which was odd, isn't Florida the land of Mr. Pibb?).

Ten minutes later I got a very generous portion of shoestring French fries. They were very hot as they were made to order, and they were sprinkled heavily with salt and cracked black pepper that gave them quite a kick. Not bad for an airport snack, and I would have been more than satisfied had it not been for that teasing pic of golden brown thick steak fries on the menu.

This place really has no web presence. I did find numerous bad reviews of the food at this particular location. The chef Johnny Rivers (not the Memphis Secret Agent Man from the Poor Side of Town, it should be noted) is apparently also responsible for the menus at such myriad restaurants as Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze, the Hawaiian Tropic Grill and Prime Minister Steakhouse. I guess he didn't spend much time at the airport.

French Fry Diary 170: Beach Blanket Buffet, Disney Wonder

Much like Topsiders on the Disney Magic, Beach Blanket Buffet, on the Disney Wonder, is a buffet style cafeteria up on one of the top decks, specializing in breakfast but also dinners on occasion. Throughout a cruise trip, Topsiders would feature various styles of potato, and BBB is much the same.

Upon boarding the ship, while waiting for our luggage to arrive we hit the Buffet and I found the afternoon treat of roasted red potatoes. Not hot, but still rather tasty, especially for the road weary traveler who had just found out there was no Whataburger between Orlando and Port Canaveral. Us poor fry guys gotta take what we can get.

The red bliss roasted potatoes would turn up at breakfast at the Beach Blanket Buffet for at least two more days, but as with all my other Disney Cruise experiences, as the trip goes on, the breakfast potatoes take a nasty turn the longer you're aboard. The last two days we were 'treated' to disgusting processed squares of sad hash browns. Rarely hot, and never tasting of anything more than the grease they were cooked in, they are just not good. Think Chick-fil-A hash browns only bigger and squarer. Ick.

French Fry Diary 161: The ABC Commissary

The ABC Commissary can be found at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It is sort of like a lunchroom, or more accurately a commissary. Yeah, the name is kinda on the nose. One of the first times I visited Disney I got sick here so it's not one of my favorite places, but it was convenient and the folks in my party were hungry, so there we were.

The French fries were the typical natural cuts with heat lamp flair found in the parks, so nothing special, but not bad either. We got to watch clips from ABC programs on overhead screens, some interesting interaction between characters of some of their new shows, but they weren't that new as "Lost" was included.

I got an ice cold Coke that was absolute heaven in the ninety degree tropical Florida October weather. I love Disney but I like the weather in New Jersey much better.

French Fry Diary 120: National Onion Rings Day

Today, June 22nd, is National Onion Rings Day.

Yeah, I know this is French Fry Diary, but onion rings run a close second to fries when it comes to most loved side dishes, and the rings get more popular every day. Now they will never surpass the favorite fried food, but they are still a favorite.

Some of the best onion rings in my opinion can be found in some odd places. Cheeburger Cheeburger has excellent rings, so does Sonic and Red Robin Burger. The Bloomin' Onion at Outback is amazing and the Potato Onion Web at Orlando's Rising Star has to be seen to be believed. Props also go to Arby's onion peels, Alexia's frozen rings and especially to Bahama Breeze's coconut breaded onion rings. And of course, once you learn the secret to making them at home, nothing beats that.

So what are your favorite onion rings?

French Fry Diary 72: Sneaky Airport Fries

A postscript to my recent trip on the Disney Cruise, I came across these ‘fries’ at the Orlando airport waiting for the flight home. I saw The Bride approaching with this cup adorned with fries and got excited and hungry.

But no, base treachery, as Mighty Thor might say, these weren’t fries but pretzel nuggets. What a cruel trick!

French Fry Diary 34: Cookes of Dublin

One question I have been asked time and time again since I started this blog is “What are the best / your favorite French fries?” This is the entry that answers that question – at least so far.

Cooke’s of Dublin at Walt Disney World, or to be more precise, it’s that Disney West Side / Disney Marketplace / Downtown Disney / Pleasure Island (or what’s left of it) multi-mega-plex shopping center. This is the fast food side of the Irish Pub operation called Raglan Road.

You can get fish and chips, chicken skewers and chips, or a ‘lurry-load of chips.’ A truckload I suppose, but I always thought trucks over there were called lorries rather than lurries. It should be noted that the Irish-accented staff had no idea either. Oh those Irish, they can’t even speak the Queen’s English. ;-)

The chips, as fries are called on the emerald isle, were long and thick, without skins, sometimes surprisingly long. They were also cooked to order, no waiting under heat lamps, fresh from the fryer. While they were deep-fried, the chips have a very cool (and I don’t mean temperature) baked French fry texture, not greasy at all. On the inside they have a wonderful baked potato taste, obviously brought on by the thickness of these chips. They were sooo good, we made two trips to Cookes on this visit.

There is also a lot to be said for the authentic Irish atmosphere. The music, the accents, the food and everything else combine to make you forget you’re in the middle of the Disney sphere of influence. Even the condiments add to the atmosphere as vinegar is provided for the chip traditionalists.

Other bonuses include ‘doh-bars’ for dessert... the insidious deep-fried candy bars we in the north have heard so much about. I like my danger foods but even I didn’t dare this one. Maybe next time. And of course, being in the south, you get to sample Mr. Pibbs instead of Dr. Pepper. Viva la difference.

And there you have it, the best French fries in the world (so far, and I’m still searching) are the distinctly Irish chips from Cookes of Dublin. Give ‘em a try when you visit Orlando, Florida or Disney World.

*reviewed from my 2005 trip to Walt Disney World.

French Fry Diary 09: The Potato Onion Web

On a recent trip to Orlando Florida I discovered a place called CityWalk’s Rising Star. It’s karaoke with a twist – you do it on stage with a live band and back-up singers. Terrific fun.

Now what’s that got to do with the favorite fried food I hear you ask, well, I’ll tell you. Rising Star has the usual variety of bar foods available to guests while they watch or wait their turn, and on that menu is a magical item called “The Potato Onion Web.” It’s described simply as beer-battered potato and onion, but it’s all that and more.

Served in a basket, it appears to be nothing but golden brown hot fried lumps but is really a mix of battered and deep-fried chunks of crunchy, but soft in the middle, potatoes stuck together with frizzled onions. It’s a cholesterol nightmare and a heart-attack-waiting-to-happen but it’s oh-so-delicious.

If you get down to Orlando, definitely check this out. Oh, and the show is good too.


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French Fry Diary 08: Aboard the Disney Wonder

Cruises are notorious for the never-ending parade of food on board ship. The Disney Cruise Line is no different. What is different on board their two ships, the Magic and the Wonder, is the quality of the food. Personally I’ve only cruised on two other lines, the Disney Cruise proving to be vastly superior in comparison.

I’ve traveled on the Magic my first two times and the Wonder my second, including this most current trip. The ships are virtually identical with one major difference – the dress-up restaurant on the Magic is Lumiere’s and Triton’s on the Wonder. But both ships have variations on the favorite fried food.

Starting with the morning, the breakfast potatoes at Beach Blanket Buffet up on Deck 9 came in a few different varieties. There were hash browns of the flat tater tot style, closer to store brand than McDonalds, but nowhere near as greasy and just as tasty. Also available were potato wedges, baked and seasoned, and soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The final type were stir-fried scalloped potatoes – my personal breakfast fave on the cruise (potato-wise at least) – made from reds and cooked perfectly in that nebulous area between crisp and baked potato goodness.

In the fries category, natural cut shoestrings came as a side with most offerings at Pluto’s Doghouse. For free fast food sides, not bad, hot and tasty, and they certainly compliment the giant hot dogs they have. My only complaint would be that the last thing I want on an open deck in the Caribbean is hot food. Still good fries though.

The prize find of the trip however, as far as the favorite fried food goes, would be at Triton’s. The French fries available at lunch seatings (and dinner if you ask nicely) are very close to the best fries on Earth (those found at Cooke’s of Dublin in Orlando, FL). Obviously fried then baked, these fries are thick cut, three-quarter inch by three-quarter inch and perfectly delicious. The only problem would be the sparse amount one gets, but as with most things Disney, you only need but ask and you shall receive. Just ask for more.


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