French Fry Diary 745: Mix and Match

At the recent journey to Whataburger, it was brought up in conversation that sometimes folks, in areas where fast food restaurants are prevalent, folks will mix and match foods from different places to create sort-of-patchwork meals by hitting multiple drive-thrus. 

Now back when we were dating, The Bride and I would sometimes mix Burger King and Taco Bell, mostly because at the time I liked Burger King and didn't like Taco Bell.  We'd go through the Burger King drive-thru for my meal then we'd eat it at the Taco Bell where she got hers.  That's not what we're talking about though, that's just two different meals at one place. 

I'm talking about when you want a Whopper but don't want BK's crappy new fries, so you go to McDonald's for their perfect golden fries.  Then you like to dip them in a Frosty, something you can't do any longer with Wendy's crappy new fries.  One meal, created from three drive-thru stops. 

I'm sure there are many other combinations.  Like for instance, wouldn't Chick-fil-A's waffle fries be awesome sandwiched in a burger?  Or does a Frosty have better dippibilty for burgers than Burger King shakes?  And does the fact Roy Rogers BBQ sauce would go well with anything count? 

What are your favorite mixes and matches?  Let us know! 

French Fry Diary 739: Whataburger

After over a decade of French Fry Diary, and literally over a hundred requests and recommendations for Whataburger, certainly the chain is on my French Fry bucket list. So when we made the move from New Jersey to Florida, and Jacksonville was on our route, we definitely had to stop at the Whataburger there and try it out.

Whataburger was started in 1950 by entrepreneur Harmon Dobson, whose idea "to serve a burger so big that it took two hands to hold, and so good that after a single bite customers couldn't help but exclaim, "What a burger!"" Starting in Corpus Christi, TX, the chain expanded to nearly 800 restaurants across the country, mostly in the south, but pretty much except for the northeast where I formerly resided.

The GPS was a bit wonky finding Jacksonville's Whataburger, but eventually our caravan found it. Besides The Bride and myself, we also had along friends David and Johnny, who were helping us drive our cars to our new home in Florida. Snowy the cat sat in his box in the car while we had burgers and fries, but don't worry, the windows were inched open, and I brought him some burger afterward to munch on. Snowy is a tough bruiser of a cat, and well loved and cared for - if he ate fries, I would have gotten him those too.

We ordered - burgers, fries, and onion rings - and got a number for the table just like Chick-fil-A also does these days. We got our sodas (Coca-Cola products) and they brought our food to us. I got a plain burger as I usually do, and was impressed that there were code words - 'plain and dry' - for the special order. Places where there are such names (like off the grill for Krystal, natural for Red Robin, or plain jane at the old Burger Chef, etc.) have lesser chance of screwing it up, which I like. The burger was also quite big, and very good. I was impressed.

The fries were shoestrings similar to McDonald's with a good crisp to them. They came in standard paper sleeves, and if you 'Whatasized' your meal, you got a box similar to a popcorn box full of fries. The onion rings looked beer battered, but they probably weren't - sweet but a little greasy, but not as greasy as they looked. I wanted to try the root beer milkshake they were advertising, but I was too full.

I suppose we could go back, but Jacksonville is far enough away at this point to warrant an airplane flight so maybe not. At least I got there once, but if it was closer, I'd definitely go more often. And I get to cross Whataburger off my bucket list now.

French Fry Diary 221: Elevation Burger, Moorestown Mall NJ

As I've mentioned before, I get a lot of recommendations for French fries to review. Some, like Whataburger and In-N-Out Burger, are just too far away for me to get to. Some, I have just been waiting for them to open a restaurant nearby - such is the case with Elevation Burger at the Moorestown Mall. I was so excited when I saw they were coming, I even made a blog entry of just the 'coming soon' sign.

Finally, finally after many delays, Elevation Burger finally opened just before Groundhog's Day this year. I was there the day after that. They were a bit slow, and there were more folks behind the counter than in the seating area, but that was just fine. I've been there several times since and things have definitely picked up.

The first excursion I got my regular - plain burger, fries and a soda. The soda selection, fountain style, also offered Mr. Pibbs Xtra and Wild Bill's Root Beer, besides the regular run of Coca-Cola products. Always nice to have new stuff to try, so I tried the root beer and then went back to my normal Coke selection. I'm a catastrophically picky eater, remember?

The ordering is similar to the new Gino's and the meal is brought to your table. It came on a unique metal tray, with the burger in a paper sleeve and a sizable serving of fries, all steaming hot. The fries were fresh cut natural cut shoestrings that didn't seem quite done and needed seasoning. The burger was delicious, also needing a bit of seasoning so I put some fries on it and it rocked.

The customer service at Elevation Burger this first trip and all following trips was top notch. The first time, five different employees asked how my meal was as I ate, and they seemed genuinely concerned. It's the little things that count, ya know?

The fries are supposed to have been cooked in olive oil, and while I don't doubt that, they didn't have the usual taste other Spanish fries I've tried have had. The Elevation fries had a cleaner, less greasy (if at all) taste. Still they needed an extra kick.

Now these weren't great fries, but the burger was fantastic so I had to go back. Addict that I am, I also got fries too - because not-so-good fries are better than no fries at all. Now here's the problem, and the reason this review has taken so long to be posted - I have been conflicted. The fries on trip two were amazing. Further visits proved only one thing, Elevation Burger's fries are at best inconsistent. Sometimes they are meh, and sometimes they are terrific. This much is sure, the longer they cook, the better they are. So a blurry decision from me on the fries but a definite thumbs up on the burgers.

All things considered, the burgers, the fries, the absolutely incredible shakes, and the customer service - I really really like Elevation Burger. Highly recommended when the fries are done right.

French Fry Diary 200: Smashburger

Colorado-based Smashburger opened in 2007, not just French fries but also deep-fried green chilis, pickles, sweet potato fries, banana peppers and fried onions all frizzled up. That last one called haystack onions. They also have veggie frites – flash fried carrots, green beans, asparagus, with sea salt and black pepper. This is also probably why, along with Elevation Burger, and too far out of state contenders Whataburger and In-N-Out Burger, Smashburger is one of the places I get the most recommendations for. Several dozen folks have told me I have to check out the fries at Smashburger, so it's a serious contender.

So we were in the wilds of North Jersey (yeah, "Jersey Shore" land) for a New Year's Eve party, and knowing we were also in the land of Smashburger - I called to see if they were open, so we set out to the Riverside Square Mall for a New Year's Day lunch.

Once we were there (the GPS and the street signs had some real difficulty in determining where this mall actually was), the place reminded me a bit of Cheeburger Cheeburger in design, and similar to Gino's in ordering. You order at the counter, take a number with you and they bring the food to you.

As expected, catastrophically picky eater I am, I got a plain hamburger, and The Bride got something more normal, for sides we got the Smashfries and Haystack Onions to share. The burger was a bit greasy, but very flavorful, and very filling. All things considered, it was the best part of the meal. Notably, the burger was even better with the Smashfries or the Haystack Onions sandwiched under the roll.

Now on to the main event, the favorite fried food at Smashburger - the Smashfries. At first sight, the fries themselves were nothing spectacular, just standard shoestrings deep-fried, as they would have been at any diner or pizza joint. Then the magic happens. They are tossed in olive oil, rosemary and garlic to give them that extra special kick. This is a great trick to trump up the taste of not so great fries and the flavor combination can't be beat. The problem is of course, the fries, tossed in oil after cooking, tend to be a bit greasy.

The Haystack Onions are thin sliced onion rings and onion straws that are positively addictive, much better than the fries, and definitely recommended. I am reminded a bit of the Onion Strings at Famous Dave's. Again, the problem is that they are also a bit greasy. Both these and the Smashfries come in ersatz baskets, and in good portions.

As mentioned above, the grease is the problem. The burger is a little greasy, the onions are a little greasy, and the fries are a lot greasy. Separately it might be forgivable, except maybe for the fries, but together it literally leaves a bad taste in your mouth and stomach.

I would definitely come back however. I would get the burger alone, and maybe the onions, and maybe the flash-fried veggies as well, and definitely one of those tasty looking shakes - but probably not the fries. The large variety of options here at Smashburger was why it was originally planned as a group French Fry Diary field trip. With three or four friends along, we could order and try all the different things on the menu. Not this time, but maybe next time.

French Fry Diary 183: Elevation Burger Is Coming

I was hanging out with my father-in-law yesterday and we decided to see a movie, Unstoppable with Denzel Washington. The only place it was playing was at the mall, so we headed to the Moorestown Mall. Now I don't go to the mall often, after all, it's not the eighties any more, ya know, and the last time I was at this mall was probably last Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw when I entered the food court - a sign indicating Elevation Burger was coming soon to that location!

Now, I've never been to Elevation Burger, but you need to know, I get recommendations all the time for where to go for the best fries and what places to review. There are four places that rank very high up in the category of recommendations, among them - In-N-Out Burger, Whataburger, Smashburger ... and Elevation Burger. The first two are far far from my happy home unfortunately, but the latter have locations just upstate. I was tentatively planning a roadtrip sooner or later for Smashburger and Elevation Burger. How nice of Elevation Burger to come to me!

So now I'm looking forward to 'Fall 2010' (hurry up, not much time left) so I can try their organic burgers, their milkshakes and especially their fresh fries cooked in 100% olive oil. Mmmm... fries...

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 139: Wendy's

With all the hubbub of Wendy's changing their French fries due to low standings in the Zagat survey, I figured I had better review the old ones before they replace them with natural cuts.

Wendy's French fries (for now) are regular cuts, a little more golden brown in appearance than may be desirable - while some of them may look burnt - they're not. They are best when hot, but as with most fast food places - that's the luck of the draw. In fact, they get cold rather quickly and do not reheat well.

These fries are excellent for putting on your burger. Being a purist, I prefer a plain burger to get the full effect and taste of the fries. But the best way to enjoy Wendy's fries is in your Frosty. I've talked about this before here. Others do this too, so I'm not the only weird one here.

Frostys have just the right thickness (so do the shakes at Sonic) and consistency for this. If you really want to live dangerously, dip the fry-covered burger in your Frosty. Kids, don't try this at home, and everyone else, do so at your own risk.

Wendy's also has some pretty cool alternate dipping possibilities in the sauces for their boneless wings. These include the honey bbq, sweet and spicy Asian and spicy chipotle. I've also talked about this before, at the risk of repeating myself. My vote goes to the honey bbq.

As far as the fries go, there's nothing wrong with these fries really, and unless the new natural cuts are really really good, I think this will be a step down. Don't do it, and if you do, be careful. Hopefully we'll still have the old fries in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area for a while.

Orange Night Out

From the folks at Whataburger:

"11/10/09 - Orange Night Out

It never ceases to amaze us how many dedicated fans there are of Whataburger. Well, here's a great chance for you to prove yourself as part of that crowd. On Tuesday, November 10th from 5-8 pm, we invite you to get decked out in orange from head to toe for an Orange Night Out. So dress up, dine in, show us how much orange spirit you have and get a Free Whataburger."

And don’t forget to get some fries to go with that free burger. Mmmm... fries...

French Fry Diary 33: The Winner

The very clear winner of our “What Are Your Favorite Fast Food French Fries?” poll is McDonalds. Twenty-nine out of ninety-three votes went to Mickey D’s golden fries. Granted they are very consistent, very tasty and very very famous, as well as convenient (where isn’t there a McDonalds nearby?)

I’d really like to hear from the folks who voted for McD in this poll. Let me know why you voted the way you did. Contact me here. Remember, curiosity killed the cat, not the French fry fan. That was cholesterol ;-) but we’ll let the Health Nazis take care of that diatribe.

Second place with eight votes belongs to Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and most deservedly should. Their fresh and hot natural regular cuts are always terrific. Check out my review of their fries here.

Also with eight votes is the ‘someplace else’ category. Obviously I couldn’t list every fast food place in the country so I just went with a handful. Eight folks chose ‘none of the above,’ and just like above here in this article, I’d like y’all to please contact me and let me know who does actually have the best fast food French fries. You’ve got me curious, let me know! ☺

Now on the other end of the spectrum, it should be noted that Sonic (whose fries are not the best), White Castle, Jack in the Box, Nathan’s and Stewart’s received zero votes. I’d love to know why on that point as well. Are those fries really that terrible? I would take serious issue with Nathan’s unique thick crinkle cuts getting no votes as I think those are pretty special. Not the best, mind you, but up there pretty high.

In-N-Out Burger, which I’ve never had, and those spicy long fries at Checkers and Rallys both got seven votes each for third place. Bringing up a tie for fourth place were Burger King, Wendy’s and those tasty waffle fries from Chick-fil-A. Fifth place with four votes belongs to Popeyes which leads me to believe that a lot more folks like those long and spicy battered fries than I thought. Me, I can only have them once in a while. Too much aftertaste.

Sixth place, Fatburger, was what I personally voted for. Whether you get the Skinny Fries or the Fat Fries, I think they are the best of the fast food fries, followed by probably by Nathan’s, Five Guys, Chick-fil-A and maybe Roy Rogers. But what do I know… about French fries?

Whataburger took two votes for the distant seventh place, and Arby’s, KFC, Carl’s Jr., Hardees, Roy Rogers, Dairy Queen and Long John Silver all received one vote each. We’ll do this again at some point and see how folks’ minds may change (or not). Please feel free to comment below, or contact me directly. Until then, mmmm... fries...

French Fry Diary 25: Milkshakes and Fries

My friends know this about me and most of them are used to it, but some are still a little grossed out, but for at least a couple decades before the idea of French Fry Diary ever popped into my head – I have been dipping French fries in milkshakes.

It began at McDonald’s where both the fries and the shakes are remarkable. But I suppose it goes back before that to dipping Oreos or chocolate chip cookies in milk, or dipping potato chips or pretzels into ice cream. It’s just a natural progression. The best combination would be the old Burger King fries with the BK black and white shake, but alas, the new BK fries just aren’t the same. Black and white shakes work best in my opinion, then chocolate, vanilla not so much, and strawberry not at all.

Speaking of the BK black and white shake, one of my favorite things, and folks will find this disgusting, is to dip my burger in the shake and eat it bite by bite, dip by dip. And yes, it’s a plain burger so there’s no debris. Yep, I know, disgusting, but I love it. I also like putting fries on the burger itself, and on that I know I’m not alone. And I bet there are folks out there with worse combinations. After all somebody is eating those poutine fries, right?

After surfing the web recently I found that I’m not alone, at least with fries. Extreme John says in his review of Whataburger:

“French Fries are one of my all time favorite foods, I have a deep deep love for crispy French fries. Whenever I go to Wendy’s or any place that has a chocolate shakes or a Frosty type of thing I will always dip my fries in it.”

See? I’m not crazy. Well, with the fries in the shake at least… And yes, Wendy’s fries dipped in a Frosty is epic win as well.

In a more recent blog entry, John even gives direction on how the Wendy’s operation is done:

“How to dip Wendy’s Fries into a Wendy’s Frosty

“Yes, folks, it as simple as it sounds, you head to your local Wendy’s and order whatever your Wendy’s favorite might be, you can even get a salad if you want to. However if you do get a salad today will be a naughty salad day for you, you will also need to order Wendy’s French Fries and at the very least a small Wendy’s Frosty.

“As you sit back and finish up your salad, hamburger or baked potato make sure you save room for the tasty treat your about to deliver to your deserving tongue. Grab a bunch of French fries and keep them close together, use the French fries the same way you would use a spoon and scoop up some of your Chocolate or Vanilla Frosty, deliver to mouth and repeat. I tried this little combination with the new Wendy’s Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty just the other day, that wasn’t working as well as the traditional chocolate Frosty for this purpose.”

While I don’t agree with the method (single fries work just as well), he’s got it dead on about the flavor – the chocolate Frosty is best for fries.

Extreme John continues from his Whataburger review, “I also love “Disco Fries” or “Jersey Fries,” which are French fries with American cheese on them, add side of brown gravy and you have “Disco Fries” or “Jersey Fries”. The fries at Whataburger were fresh, not coated in grease and perfectly crunchy, dipped into the chocolate shake I ordered they were perfect.”

Now while as a native New Jerseyan, and a French fry fanatic, I had never before heard the term “Jersey Fries” (might be a north Jersey/south Jersey thing), I trust and respect Extreme John’s opinions. So much so, that until I get a chance to visit the southern-based chain Whataburger, enjoy Extreme John’s review here.



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