I recently talked about
afterparties over at
Biff Bam Pop!, ones that go horribly horribly wrong. This entry here is about one much less sinister, or depending on your health outlook, maybe just as bad. We are talking about French fries, after all.
The
South Jersey Writers' Group has their official meeting once a month and afterward some of the members get together for an afterparty of sorts at a nearby bar or restaurant, more for pleasure than business, just to talk shop casually, or not. It's just fun, and we also wanted to celebrate a little, friend and
Biff Bam Pop! colleague
Marie Gilbert had just released her book,
Roof Oasis. We had exhausted our welcome and our tolerance of the nearby Applebee's, and Rexy's Bar stopped serving food after a certain time, so we had been looking for somewhere new, and someone suggested the
Phily Diner.
The Phily Diner is a cross between a loud sports bar and a typical
Jersey diner, and no matter where you look, it's as if neon exploded in
there. Sports bar and neon aside, there are still a few of those creepy
life-size chef statues around the place to prove it's still a tacky
Jersey diner. And remember those fresh off the mimeograph papers we had
waaay back in grade school? We even had a couple menus like that.
The place was surprisingly crowded and loud for a Thursday night. But that being said, we had also retreated from Applebee's because it too was too noisy. One can only surmise that Thursday is party night in Bellmawr and Runnemede. Perhaps because of the crowd and the noise, the service was painfully slow. And when I say slow, I mean
sloooooow.
Everyone wanted to help me write the review so potato products were gotten by almost all.
Amy Holiday wanted to compare the Phily's Chesapeake fries to the Pop Shop's Louisiana fries. I didn't think there'd be any comparison, as the
Pop Shop is
the best. They were heavily seasoned waffle fries with white cheddar cheese on the side. A little greasy but very good hot and Amy said they were better with the cheese.
Janice Wilson got the potato skins, very tasty looking half-potatoes well cooked with generous bacon and orange cheddar cheese. They looked really good, but how could they not be, because bacon.
Mieke Zamora-Mackay got the chip burger, a burger with, you got it, potato chips on it. She liked it, and it had some chili, sour cream, green onions, and of course potato chips on it. Authors
Jennifer M. Eaton,
Krista Magrowski, and
Jim Knipp might have also gotten potato-ey goodness too, but they were down the other end of the table.
I just got the fries, and as everyone else's food arrived I began to see that everything was waffle fries. I was kinda disappointed as I was looking forward to the steak fries I had seen on the website, but was resigned to the cross-cross potato variety. Imagine my surprise when a plate full of regular cuts arrived in front of me. These were deep fried frozen fries with a wonderful crisp skin and hot soft inside. The chocolate shake I also got was thick and good.
While the food was very good, and the company was excellent, the customer service was not, and the wait was horrendous. It might be better at a different time, but for now, not a good time and we probably won't be returning. Don't forget to pick up Marie's book
Roof Oasis and the new SJWG anthology
Reading Glasses.
Sponsored by Sir Kensington's, makers of cool spiced ketchups, the company put together this awesome pop-up attraction called "Fries of New York: An Uncommon Exhibit" at 168 Bowery in New York City. Eighty different French fries from various New York restaurants participated and no left hungry as cocoa and chili-dusted waffle fries were served. Man, I wish I could've been there.
We were put in a large party room with a pool table and an oldies band outside blasting throughout the night. We had a table that was never wiped or cleaned the whole night despite a water pitcher condensating (or just plain leaking?) constantly. There was only one possibly inattentive, possibly frazzled waitress to handle well over twenty of us. We saw her occasionally throughout the night. And it also took quite some time to get utensils. This night did not represent the pinnacle of customer service. Of course this might have been because we were at a second not full table, and we were late, but still.
Ott's also has sweet potato fries that come with honey for dipping (excellent choice), and onion rings that looked good at a distance, but I couldn't tell if they were breadcrumbed, Pankoed, or beer battered. They were thick, but as I said, they were across the room and I didn't order them so I can't really say. There are also Bay fries, crinkle cuts tossed in Old Bay, and Ott's claim to fame from recommendations - the Beef Fries, waffle fries smothered in homemade shredded roast beef, brown gravy and mozzarella cheese. I ordered none of these however. Nobody, not even me, can try that many different kinds of fries all at once.
Unfortunately, Champps Americana was not accommodating. When it came time to order, the waiter had bad news. They were out of waffle fries. What? Are you kidding? I was a little bit ticked, especially when I was giving them a second chance. I certainly wasn't going to order their inadequate steak fries. Although here's a pic of them on my nephew's plate. 
I did order their Kobe Beef Sliders and split them with The Bride's brother. The menu described them with cheese and toppings on the side, and miraculously that's how they came. They were quite good too. 
The favorites with 39 votes are Steak Fries, followed by the 27 vote tie of Shoestrings and Waffle Fries. 
