French Fry Diary 699: Ruffles All Dressed

All Dressed? Seriously, what flavor is this? It appears at first glance to be barbecue, but that couldn't be because I doubt that BBQ Ruffles even exist. I've never seen them, they're a myth.

According to the hype on the package, All Dressed is the #1 flavor in Canada. Honestly when it comes to potato products, I thought that would be poutine, but apparently it's All Dressed. It's been described as vaguely like German potato salad or ketchup, vinegar, and BBQ all mixed together. Hmmm... I don't know... Listed in the ingredients is a mystery substance called 'All Dressed Seasoning,' surely the FDA has some rule about this kind of stuff.

I have to say, when I opened the bag, the aroma wasn't pleasant. They looked just Ruffles in shape at least, but it was the flavor I was hesitant about. I tasted the vinegar right away and a bit of smokiness, and something else I couldn't quite identify. They weren't bad but they weren't barbecue either.

And I still don't know what All Dressed means...

French Fry Diary 697: Eatrageous Sweet & Smokey BBQ

I had written about these before when I tried the Sea Salt variety of Eatrageous. I had suspected a little flavor might make them better, and with this bag of Sweet & Smokey BBQ I find that I was right.

My first impressions of this 'modern' chip remain dead on, and the BBQ flavor is just enough and just as advertised - sweet and smokey. A little flavor is all they needed. They still have that smooth almost shellac surface, and very crunchy. I do still wish they were bigger for optimal dipping, but I could just go buy some Bugles for that.

French Fry Diary 664: Ore-Ida Bold & Crispy BBQ Oven Chips

Folks who are regular readers of FFD know that I'm a barbeque guy, both the grilling and the flavoring. If I find a new potato chip and BBQ is available I will always lean toward that flavor, so when I heard that Ore-Ida's new Bold & Crispy line had a BBQ French fry, I was all in.

When you open the bag there is a wonderful aroma, almost that of good barbeque potato chips. The 'fries' are rather thin for this type of disc-shaped fry, rippled like Ruffles, and heavily seasoned to a bright orange. They were not yet even cooked and I had very high hopes for these 'chips.'

Okay, first things first, the directions are more like suggestions. About half of what I got were cooked perfectly, and the rest were black burnt. So keep an eye on the oven while cooking and use your best guess. The burnt chips were inedible but the others were very good, like a very thick potato chip with a soft hot inside. There's a bit of heat, but it's good heat, and hot enough to have a beverage handy.

I liked these Oven Chips quite a bit, so far the best of the Bold & Crispy bunch, highly recommended.

French Fry Diary 659: Cape Cod Waffle Cut Barbeque Ranch Potato Chips

When I first saw these at Rastelli's, I must admit I was pretty angry. The store had gone from a place I would go because they had Charles Chips to a place I likely wouldn't go otherwise. Oh, they still carry Charles, but only in the $14 tin cans.

I was vowing to never come back unless this changed when I saw the Cape Cod Kettle Cooked Potato Chips in the Waffle Cut Barbeque Ranch variety. They were worth a try, even though of course there was no guarantee that Rastelli's would ever have them again.

I had tried the Sea Salt flavor a couple years ago and praised the dippability factor of these chips. They are still aces in that department, very thick and still better than Herr's Lattice Cut chips. The barbeque flavor is solid and smoky, so the chips are good whether you dip them or not.

French Fry Diary 610: Peddler's Pantry Potato Chips

I was surprised to see these new Peddler's Pantry Potato Chips at my local Wawa, but also equally surprised to find they were locally produced by Wawa itself. I had no idea, no wonder I couldn't find a website on the interwebs.

All four varieties claim to be extra crunchy and kettle cooked. The flavors of these ninety-nine cent (Facebook gave that price, mine were thirty cents more each) two-ounce snack bags are Original with Sea Salt, Hickory Smoked Barbecue, the more exotic Smoke Dried Chipotle, and the intriguingly named Asian Fusion. At least half of them are sort of out of the box. I got one of each.

Now I love Wawa, but my expectations were low. Most store brands just don't hold up and usually quite inferior, but once again Wawa surprises. These chips are extra thick, with a substantial crunch, and the kettle cook twists and bubbling make them excellent for dipping. And the originals are the first chip in quite some time that claimed to have sea salt, but actually tasted like it.

The Hickory Smoked Barbecue are more smokey than sweet and have a bit of a burn to them, nowhere near the burn on the Smoke Dried Chipotle. These two were not favorites. The mystery flavor, Asian Fusion, doesn't really list anything more exotic than garlic, onion, and citrus. It's the garlic that jumps out and these are more or less garlic BBQ chips.

Of these four new artisan potato chips flavors from Wawa, I have to say the Sea Salt Originals are the best, and the ones I'll get again. Any way you slice it, these were a pleasant surprise.

French Fry Diary 594: Zapp's Cheddar & Smoked Bacon Potato Chips

Friend and frequent FFD contributor Marni found these limited edition potato chips for me. I've reviewed Zapp's before and have usually liked their stuff. This time we have, in the tradition of potato chips with long names, Zapp's New Orleans Kettle Style Cheddar & Smoked Bacon Flavored Potato Chips. And as if that's not enough, they're also Limited Edition and Made with Real Cheese.

Not as thick or twisty as some kettle chips, at least these bacon chips have a bacon taste rather than just a smoky taste. Unlike the Kettle Brand Maple Bacon chips I reviewed recently, they are not left tasting just like barbecue chips. There is a slight cheddar aftertaste. It appears that bacon is one flavor that is sometimes difficult to capture in a potato chip.

These are not quite what I expected, or what they were advertised as, but still pretty good. Thanks, Marni!

French Fry Diary 591: Bacon Crisps at the British Chip Shop

The Bride and I recently dined at the British Chip Shop, and it was great. We love the British Chip Shop, hell, I love the British Chip Shop. I got my usual, the chicken and chips, accompanied by RC Cola, and it was fabulous. But we got an appetizer that was, at best, confusing.

The first time we visited the British Chip Shop, some four years back, we got these awesome homemade crisps (potato chips for us Yanks) as an appetizer and loved them. When I saw Bacon Crisps on the menu under Pub Snacks, I figured that might be them and ordered.

Described as "Smoky bacon flavoured potato chips served with Sarson's malt vinegar aioli," no matter how you sliced it, it sounded good. I was expecting those homemade chips however, and what I got was… well, no misdirection here, I got what I ordered. It was my misunderstanding that fueled any frustration. I got a small bowl of potato chips, with a serving ramekin of aioli. The chips were warm and wonderfully bacon flavored as promised. They were delicious.

I do wonder however if the BCS might someday bring back those homemade crisps? They were awesome. The bacon crisps were good, but not as good as the homemade ones.

French Fry Diary 578: Landscape of Flavors, Lunch

Breakfast at Landscape of Flavors may have been a disaster, but lunch was another story altogether. While waiting for our bags and bus, etc., I had time to kill in the common areas of the Art of Animation resort, including Landscape of Flavors, and at lunch, well, one gets hungry.

I got a really good pulled pork sandwich, which I enjoyed, and I'm not a fan. The sandwich came with these fabulous homemade potato chips. Some were seasoned lightly with a smokey barbecue, and they were excellent both hot and later when cold. Great crunch and thickness.

These chips win the resort, for me at least. I would come back for these in a second. Thumbs up.

The Fat Tomato Grill

Today's "Somebody Else's Fries" comes from my big sister Bobbie. This past week she and her husband Bruce visited the Fat Tomato Grill in Berlin NJ. Here were her thoughts:

Everything is made to order. The shoestring natural cut fries were crisp, hot and they had a smoky flavor that reminded us of the potato chips we had as kids. (Wise). The fries come tossed with balsamic vinegar but I ordered them dry. They were perfect. 

The burger was also very good. The restaurant is located on a strip mall but you would never know that from the cozy welcoming interior. Looking forward to a second trip.

I guess I'll have to give this place a try.

French Fry Diary 549: Tayto Smoky Bacon Crisps

Here's one that comes not from my usual exotic chip getting source, Marni, but from her significant other, Bob. Tayto is a snack company from across the Atlantic Ocean in Northern Ireland, specifically a castle in the Ulster countryside. Check out their website, they have dozens of intriguing flavors.

The flavor I have today is Smoky Bacon. The smoky aroma jumped out as I opened the bag. The flavor of the crisps (their word for chips) was interesting. It made me immediately wonder if Irish bacon was different from American bacon.

The bacon flavor is very strong and overpowering, not that that is a bad thing. It makes you savor the flavor of each crisp, and makes you eat them slower, so as to enjoy them. These are a treasure. I would love to try some of Tayto's other varieties now. Thanks, Bob!

Random Tater Pic of the Day #118

One of Ruffles' new advertising campaign, this one for Ultimate Sweet & Smokin' BBQ Ruffles. Awesome.

French Fry Diary 494: Starbucks Potato Chips

When I first started writing this blog there were certain things I expected, and certain things I did not expect. One such thing I would never expect is to be reviewing potato chips from Starbucks. A coffee chain making potato chips? Sounds absurd, doesn't it? But it's true.

Folks who regularly read this blog know I'm not a coffee drinker, yet I do visit Starbucks quite often. It's a writer's conceit. Starbucks is the stereotypical place where writers write, where they meet, and, for some, where they go to be seen writing. Yeah, we writers are a sick breed.

Anyway, when I saw these new potato chips at the Starbucks where I attend a weekly writers group, I couldn't help but pick up a bag - especially when I saw they were my favorite chip flavor. Barbecue, specifically Smoky Sweet Barbecue, in a kettle variety.

Here's the thing though. Starbucks doesn't seem to want to acknowledge, at least online, that they would ever do such a thing as make or sell potato chips. There's no record of them online, or at least on their website. A lot of other folks, who are not Starbucks, are talking about and taking pictures of them however. Apparently the branding was/is known as Darling Spuds in the UK, and they come in quite a few varieties. However that name is nowhere to be found on my bag.

When I opened the bag, they had a good aroma. Unlike a lot of kettle chips I have tried recently, these chips were pretty big, and twisted well for dipping. The touch of sweet compliments the heavier smoky barbecue seasoning. Not bad. Starbucks should confess, they're nothing to be ashamed of.

French Fry Diary 480: Zapp's Voodoo Chips

Former oil man Ron Zappe started his potato chip company in the 1980s when his old business was going bad. Headquartered in Louisiana, Zapp's specializes in local flavor style chips like Spicy Creole Crawtator, Cajun Dill Gator-tator, and of course, the dreaded Voodoo chips.

I had tried the regular Zapp's New Orleans Kettle Style potato chips before, but had wanted to try the Voodoo chips at some point. I guess my hunger was answered, twice. The bag o' rare chips had a bag, and my friend Marni also snagged one for me. Double the supply, these better be good.

The black bag, decorated with multi-pinned voodoo dolls, didn't help. When I opened the bag, the aroma was not good. The taste however was not bad, and definitely had a kick. Seeing how the chips had a definitely seasoned color, and almost barbecue potato chip look, I took a peek at the ingredients.

Other than the usual potato chip stuff in potato chips, there was a little bit of paprika, onion, garlic, and smoke among others. Basically these are glorified BBQ chips, not that there's anything wrong with that, 'cause these aren't bad. Their kettle cooking make for an excellent crunch and dipping shape.

Zapp's Voodoo chips are quite good. I'm glad I have double the chips. Thanks to The Bride, and to Marni!

French Fry Diary 444: Martin's Bar-B-Q Waffle Potato Chips

I picked these up at the Sheetz we visited the other day. I had never seen this brand before, and I'm a sucker for barbecue potato chips so I tried Martin's Bar-B-Q Waffle Potato Chips.

Martin's is actually fairly local to where we were out in the wilds of Pennsylvania. It's a small family business that's been making snacks, mostly chips, since the 1940s.

The chips themselves have smaller ridges than most chips of this type. They have a pleasant sweet and smoky flavor, with just the right amount of burn.

These were very good chips. I wish we had gotten more than just one small bag.

French Fry Diary 390: Herr's 1853 Barbecue Potato Chips

I told you all about the mystery box. Well, this is what I got inside. All Natural 1853 Kettle Cooked Barbecue Potato Chips. Also on the bag it says "sliced extra thick" and "sweet and smoky." All true.

Now I can't find these in any store, or on the Herr's website for that matter, so this is a real treat. Thank you, Herr's. Now of course, I have a lifetime supply. I talked about these 1853 babies, and briefly the barbecue type, when they first came out two years ago but here's a more proper review of that flavor.

These are chips with a proper thickness and a kettle cooked crunch that's not too much, it's just right. The seasoning is also just right, and has a smoky flavor that Herr's other barbecue styles don't. Their thickness and the curvy shapes and bubbles made by the kettle cooking make them terrific for dipping. Bonus - no transfats, no cholesterol, low sodium.

I really like these, and their regular variety as well. However I wonder if I've got the last bags of these. They have a November 2012 expiration date. The clock is ticking. Thank you again, Herr's.

French Fry Diary 385: Ruffles Ultimate Sweet & Smokin' BBQ

I love Ruffles, they make a great dipping chip. But then I saw this. Ruffles. Ultimate. Really? When I first saw those words on the shelf at my local Wawa, I was entranced. I had to know what Ruffles Ultimate was. And even better - Ruffles Ultimate with sweet and smokin' barbecue flavor, what a bonus.

So of course I snagged a bag. The packaging held some clue. Apparently Ultimate Ruffles are all about 'hardcore flavors' to crush a 'hardcore hunger.' Apparently the Ultimate style chips come in the regular Original and there's also a Kickin' Jalapeño Ranch flavor. I don't think I'll be trying those. These, however, promised on the bag that my hunger was about to get blown up by a spicy, sweet and smoky taste bomb. Boom. Well, then.

I have to say, once opening the bag and trying them, these are indeed no ordinary potato chips. Heck, these are no ordinary Ruffles. The ridges are huge, bigger than any I've seen on any other ridged potato chip. They are more like Herr's pink foil Ripples but much bigger, and cut much differently than regular Ruffles. These chips would be and are amazing as dipping chips, especially with my favorite, ice cream as the cold contrasts with the heat of the chip.

Yes, be warned, these are very hot chips. No playing around here, these are hot, but it's a good heat. Have something cold and refreshing nearby to wash these babies down with. The seasoning is very heavy, almost making the chips a bright solid orange, and they are indeed both sweet and smoky.

These Ruffles are very close to ultimate. Bravo. Much like Herr's with their Lattice Cut Potato Chips, Ruffles has found a way to make a better dipping chip. Thumbs up.