Happy National Fast Food Day

Today is National Fast Food Day, have a good one, and don't forget the fries!

Random Tater Pic of the Day #284

A shelf in a store in the path of Hurricane Harvey. What does this really say about how people feel about Chicken & Waffles Potato Chips?

Image sent from reader, but originally from Tyme Powell on Twitter.

MoonDog Grill for Breakfast

Here's the new Breakfast Sandwich from site favorite, the MoonDog Grill, two eggs, cheese, and bacon - on sliced potatoes.  Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

French Fry Diary 713: The Sunroom at Borgata

Usually when going to the Borgata in Atlantic City, it's mandatory to visit Fatburger in The Cafeteria (now the vastly inferior by all indications Marketplace Eatery, but since the Borgata has seen fit to remove Fatburger, there might not be any reason to visit any more. There is still the Sunroom however, the last restaurant standing when it comes to good fries at the Borgata.

The Bride and I have visited the Sunroom three times in the past and have always enjoyed ourselves. This restaurant, whose menu was designed by Food Network favorite Geoffrey Zakarian, is unique in the hotel casino, a oasis mirage in a desert of glitzy decadence. There is a giant water wall, trees with lights, skylights, and the constant sound of running water (though not enough to make one have to use the restroom). If you look up, it's like you're in a jungle, A+ for atmosphere, though it can be a bit dark, but apparently all the good restaurants are.

Looking at the menu, the truffled fries with Parmesan were $10 and the classic fries were only $8. Wow, these better be good fries. There were also tiny little ketchup bottles, as if regular sized ketchup bottles had a baby, and the Coke was served in small aluminum bottles for $4 each, the aluminum supposedly keeping the cold in. The Bride got the Water Club Sirloin Burger, which she liked, and I got the dry aged steak skewers with tamarind, which were awesome - but you're here for the fries, the main event.

The Bride got the classic while I went for the truffle fries. They came in a brown paper cone, very elegant display. These fries were fresh cut regular cuts and were not really greasy, but soggy and limp. I think they might have been much better with one more shock fry as they needed a serious crisp to them. There was a heavy but even dusting with large granules of Parmesan, not too much but a lot, giving a good cheesy taste. Each fry was dusted, even as I dug deeper into the cone. There might also be a bit too much truffle oil - it has be used sparingly.

These fries would be amazing and close to perfect if I took them home and reheated them in an oven for three to five minutes - just enough to crisp them. And despite the positive reaction I got from many folks after I Tweeted a then-live image of these fries as we were dining at the Sunroom, these were far from perfect. Yeah, they look good, but they need a little work.

They were very good while hot, even if over-cheesed and over-truffled, and the portion-size was huge. I would definitely get them again, and definitely come back to the Sunroom, especially now that Fatburger is gone. Damn you, Borgata.

French Fry Diary 710: National French Fries Day Aftermath

This past Wednesday was National French Fries Day, and as you might expect it was a pretty big day around here. Such a big day, it took a few days to recover, lol. There were a few things I wanted to talk about though that I missed in the last blog entry.

The big news, if you don't already know, is that I was featured in USA Today in a article by Larry Bleiberg about, you guessed it, French fries. You can read "10 Must-Try French Fries Across the USA" right here. Special thanks to Larry, for putting up with my fry obsession in emails and phone conversations putting this together, it was awesome fun!

In Canada McDonald's celebrated National French Fries Day in a special way with #FryLove. There was a Twitter campaign and even t-shirts that are now sadly sold out. I'm sorry I wasn't hip to it before it happened.

And finally, to celebrate the day, The Bride and I had some fries at b. good, and they were fantastic. I hope your fries were just as good. Happy belated National French Fries Day!

National French Fries Day 2016

So how are you celebrating National French Fries Day today?

Besides just eating some fries, or even better, making your own fries (here's one cool way) and eating them, there are a number of ways you could celebrate today.

If you go to Chickie's & Pete's today, their amazing Crabfries are only one dollar, what a bargain! Also if you enter the Crabfries Eating Contest at their South Philly location, you can not only help out a great charity, but you could also win Crabfries for life!

If you are headed to the Collingswood location of The Pop Shop, kids eat free (one free kid entree with one paid adult entree) and grownups get a dollar off any full order of their fabulous Pop Fries. 

As I mentioned last week, members of Fry Society get free fries at New York Fries. However you celebrate, enjoy.

And don't forget to share your fries with your friends. That's the best way to celebrate. If you want to post pics to social media about your fries and your fry adventures today, please do, and use the hashtags #NationalFrenchFryDay and #FrenchFryDiary. Mmmm… fries…

French Fry Diary 686: Burger King Fiery Chicken Fries

Now I've reviewed Burger King's Chicken Fries before here, but now they've come out with Fiery Chicken Fries, a spicy hot variety.

These have been accompanied by a huge marketing push about how hot they are. From the clever as where the fries melt ice cream cones when set down next to them to the incessant Tweeting with #FieryChickenFries suggesting that you "Tweet the heat," they are everywhere.

I finally got to Burger King the other day and got my order of Fiery Chicken Fries. They came in the standard CF box, squared but fit-able into a cup holder, with the clever sauce holder in the lid, but decorated like a chicken luchador. The sides featured the words - "Tweet the Heat," "Stupid Spicy," and "Warning: Hot Chicks Inside."

According to the BK website, the Fiery Chicken Fries are "hotter than ever coated in a blend of spicy cayenne pepper, black pepper and savory spices blended into a crispy breading and cooked to perfection." Hmmm... right. They also come with a variety of dipping sauces, including BBQ, Ranch, Honey Mustard, Zesty, Buffalo, Sweet & Sour, and a mystery sauce made just for BK's Chicken Fries.

When I opened my henhouse box of Fiery Chicken Fries, the first thing I noticed is that they were cold, not hot. Not a good start. In the five-minute drive from Burger King to my home, they'd cooled considerably, and I'm being nice. So I tried them cold, and then I tried to resuscitate them in two separate ways, oven reheating and microwave.

No matter how I tried them, I had the same conclusion. They have more breading than white meat chicken, are horribly dry, and have just a bit of heat in the aftertaste. The marketing is much much better than the product itself. Not recommended.

As I mentioned on the French Fry Diary Facebook Group (and if you're not part of it already, why aren't you?) this is the kind of snack you give to someone you don't like.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #210

Pizza Fries from the @FoodPorn Twitter…

French Fry Diary 675: Mission Statement

Every once in a while we should all take a moment to establish and remind ourselves what we are actually doing. I started this blog, French Fry Diary, found here and here, because of the premise of 'write what you know.' I know French fries, and I love French fries, so I write about French fries.

French Fry Diary is one man's journey into everything you wanted to know about French fries, and more - potato chips, recipes, onion rings, fast food, and good food - all aspects of the potato and fried food, and especially where the two meet. Whether it's a French fry restaurant review to pictures of fries from around the net, to odd facts to fries in pop culture, I try to feature it here.

French Fry Diary can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and fries are frequently a topic on my podcasts - The GAR! Podcast and The Make Mine Magic Podcast. Here's hoping you'll join me on my journey. Mmmm… fries…

Random Tater Pic of the Day #193

Even the Black Canary dips her French fries in her milkshake.

For more French fry/milkshake dipping, click here, for my review of the "Arrow" episode this image is from, click here, and for all of my reviews of the "Arrow" TV series, click here.

Don't forget, French Fry Diary is also on Pinterest, Facebook, and I also frequently post French fry-related content on my own Twitter as well. See you on the interwebs.

Featured Blogger at PhillyGrub

Many of you already know, but I'd thought I'd give a shout out here, after all, I'm not shy. I was recently the Featured Blogger at Philly Grub. You can read the interview here.

This was a real honor and aw shucks moment, and thank Marilyn a lot for the exposure, and please everyone check out her Philly Grub blog and Twitter. Philly Grub rocks.

And while I'm in promotion mode, you all do know that French Fry Diary is also on Pinterest, and has its own Facebook group, right? Also occasionally I'll be talking French fries on my two podcasts - The GAR! Podcast and The Make Mine Magic Podcast - check them out.

Midge Ure's Breakfast in America

Friend and French Fry Diary contributor Robin Renee brought this one to my attention.

Midge Ure, formerly lead singer of new wave eighties band Ultravox (among others) posted this pic to his Twitter, saying, "Breakfast in America. Serious health kick when I get home....!"

Thanks, Robin!

And just because, here's "Sister and Brother" by Midge Ure, featuring the amazing Kate Bush. Enjoy.

Joanne's Bacon Hash Browns

A week or two ago I featured a recipe for Bacon Hash Browns, which actually proved very popular on Pinterest. It also inspired friend and fellow South Jersey Writers' Group member Joanne Costantino to actually attempt the recipe.

Not only was it a hit with her family, she saved a few for me and brought them to the next SJWG function. They were indeed delicious. Thank you, Joanne!

You can check out Joanne's blog here and Follow her on Twitter here.

Also please Follow French Fry Diary on Pinterest here and check out our discussion group on Facebook here.

French Fry Diary 638: Kettle Brand Oven Fries

Kettle Brand makes some incredible potato chips. Among my favorites are the Sweet & Salty, the Maple Bacon, and especially their wonderful baked Real Sliced Potatoes variety. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found out they were going into the French fries business.

Kettle Brand has entered the market, just the Whole Foods Market, in my area at least, with frozen potato wedges called oven fries. What's curious is I can't seem to find any info on them on their website. I know they are also available in Roasted Garlic, Salt + Fresh Ground Pepper, Sea Salt, and Rosemary + Garlic, but I couldn't find them any trace of them online. I even asked their usually very helpful Twitter account to no avail.

I tried the Sea Salt variety. As with most Kettle Brand products, these frozen natural cut potato wedges are gluten free, all natural, no preservatives, no transfats, no GMO, no nothing but potatoes, and some other stuff, but nothing that sounds harmful. Unlike most potato wedges however, they seem to be unbattered, we'll see how that works out.

Out of the oven they were not quite what I expected. Soft and hot, but only but a little bit crispy. I guess I could have cooked them a bit longer but that wasn't the real problem. These wedges were pretty much flavorless and needed seasoning bad. Once I gave them a bit of a kick with some Mrs. Dash, and dipped them in barbeque sauce they were much better.

French Fry Diary 606: Farewell to Little Shanty

There's nothing more heartbreaking for a foodie like me than when a favorite restaurant closes. It's even worse when it's someplace that you can't get to on a regular basis to support them if they're not doing well, because hell, you would be in there every day if you could. Such is the case with Little Shanty in Warren NJ.

I love this place. I've only been there three times, and I love this place. You want the best onion rings and some awesome fries? Here they are. Great burgers, shakes, desserts, and terrific service? It's all here. And sadly they will be closing this weekend.

We played hide and seek missing each other the first two times I had been to Little Shanty, but the third time was a charm and I finally met the owner, Jonathan Lidz. He's a great friendly guy, full of enthusiasm and has his heart in the right place - and knows his fries (a big plus as far as this blog is concerned), but he just couldn't make it work at that location. Jonathan has hopes to re-open at a new location. Let's hope it's closer than an hour and a half away.

If you want to stop by in the next few days and experience great food and service, please do while you can. Little Shanty cannot be beat. Please check out the website, the Facebook page, and the Twitter for re-opening news, and look back on my reviews of Little Shanty here, here and here. Thank you, Jonathan, and hoping for the best for you.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #153

Certain restaurant Twitter accounts are getting very very good at what's become known as 'food porn.' Burger King has been a fierce competitor, as has Red Lobster.  Here's one from the Outback.

And remember, you can follow my French Fry Diary posts as well as a whole lot of other stuff at my Twitter here.

French Fry Diary 588: Kettle Brand Real Sliced Potatoes

Last time I reviewed a Kettle Brand product (the Sweet & Salty Potato Chips which absolutely rocked) I got into trouble on the Twitter with someone arguing the actual healthiness of the potato chips and/or the oil they were cooked in.

Let me be clear. This is a foodie blog about French fries, potato chips, onion rings, and junk or fast food. We're having fun and not being all that serious. It's not rocket science. If a potato chip has no transfats, no preservatives, no GMO, is gluten free, and made from natural ingredients - that's about as healthy as potato chips get. To be healthier, you would need to NOT eat the chip. Got it? A health food blog this is not, and if you're looking for nutritional advice here, you have much bigger problems.

That said, I was excited by a new Kettle Brand chip I saw at Whole Foods called Real Sliced Potatoes so I decided to try them. For the record, they are gluten free and all that stuff I said above. Add to that low sodium and no cholesterol. And they are not all that new. These are Kettle Brand's baked chips with a cool new rebranding. It does however beg the question of if these are real, are the others fake sliced potatoes, but we'll just let that slide. The rebranding worked, and caught my attention.

Real Sliced Potatoes come in different flavors like Sea Salt, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Hickory Honey Barbeque, the intriguing Cheddar & Roasted Tomato, and the new Olive Oil. Guess which one I tried? If you know me at all you know it was the BBQ flavor.

These chips are awesome, crispy, sweet and spicy, and have a good thickness, great for dipping. They are very similar to Trader Joe's Baked Hickory Barbeque Potato Chips, which I also love, but these are better, sweeter, just awesome - I think I've found a new favorite potato chip. Recommended.

French Fry Diary 581: Lay's Kettle Cooked Lattice Cut Roasted Garlic & Sea Salt Flavored Potato Chips

Another entry in the longest potato chip name contest, this variety of Lay's caught my attention mostly because of the lattice cut. I've really dug the lattice cut chips from both Herr's and Cape Cod, so I figured I'd try these as well.

The lattice cut is similar to the other two types, although like most Lay's, not as thick, but still pretty good for dipping. When I first opened the bag, the heavy aroma of garlic hit me like a wall. These are very garlicky, definitely not a kissing snack.

I have to wonder what you would dip these chips into that would complement the garlic flavor. I'm not really a traditional dip guy so I asked friends and folks on Twitter. Suggestions included onion dip, marinara, and white bean hummus.

And you know what they always say about potato chips - you can't eat just one - the powerful garlic aroma will limit you with these. They're good, but be warned.

Random Tater Pic of the Day #134

An eternal question from the increasingly fry-centric and entertaining Burger King Twitter: Fries First or After?

Random Tater Pic of the Day #132

Pulled this one from the Burger King Twitter, awesome pun.