French Fry Diary 694: White Castle Frozen Fries

The day before I found these, I had been watching an episode of Jon Hein's "Fast Food Mania" talking about Valentine's Day at White Castle, and lamenting that there was no longer any White Castles nearby any more. Toms River is quite the road trip for a sudden slider craving. Now these frozen fries, along with the grocery freezer version of the brilliantly microwave-steamed sliders, might just be able to approximate the White Castle experience at home.

I had thought in my passing acquaintance with White Castle fries that they were simply standard frozen crinkle cut fries, but examination of the contents of the bag made it clear these crinkle cuts are smaller. Not quite pixie crinkles, but larger than shoestrings, and

just as long. I'm not sure I remember the real thing being like this, but I'll pay more attention next time.

They came from the oven quite tasty. Crisp and hot and tasty, yes, but not all that much like real White Castle fries. Not that they couldn't be, of course. Follow the cooking directions, but keep a sharp eye on them while in the oven. You can have these just like in the restaurant, or however you like them. These are good fries, well worth it.

French Fry Diary 600: Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen is one of the few big chains I haven't yet reviewed here at French Fry Diary, mainly because they have been so hard to find. The just ice cream versions of Dairy Queen are everywhere, but it's been darn hard to find one that serves hot food, a Brazier. There are a couple down in the southern South Jersey area, but you have to navigate the traffic hell that is Route 42 and the Black Horse Pike to get there, not an easy task.

Decades ago, when I was just a wee one, back in the late 1960s, early 1970s, there was a Dairy Queen walking distance from where I live now in Cherry Hill. There's a strip mall there now. At that Dairy Queen I remember, a picky eater even then, raising a fuss because I didn't want those things on my hamburger bun. After trying them however, and until even today, I like sesame seed buns better than regular seedless buns. Oddly, they don't seem to have sesame seeds on most of their burgers at Dairy Queen now.

After braving the traffic hell one day and actually finding the Dairy Queen, I got down to the business of reviewing them. The burger was good, and nothing beats real ice cream as a dessert compared to other fast food places that have dessert as an afterthought. Dairy Queen does ice cream, and it shows. Best fast food dessert, hands down and thumbs up. Sundaes are awesome, as are the shakes, and if your taste turns toward smoothies, DQ also owns Orange Julius and you can get that here as well.

Now on to the main event, I got two small orders of French fries and onion rings each, and they came in small cardboard boxes reminiscent of White Castle containers. The French fries were thick shoestrings with a slight batter covering for extra crisp, soft and very hot inside, a little greasy but not enough to be worrisome. These fries are substantial, excellent for shake dipping. These fries are good, but wow, they pale in comparison to the onion rings.

Dairy Queen onion rings are heavenly, medium sized slices of onion, with bread crumb batter just enough to make them crispy. With a hot succulent delicious whole onion inside, they have a lightly baked quality, and that's even though I know they're deep-fried. They don't taste deep-fried. Seriously, these are superior onion rings, too good for a fast food chain. Highly recommended.

White Castle Thanksgiving?

Catching up here, I haven't said anything so far about White Castle's fairly new Sweet Potato Waffle Fries. Here's a pic, and I'll have a review up as soon as I try them.

Speaking of White Castle, I have to pick your brains out there. Does anyone have the recipe for White Castle cheeseburger stuffing? I have heard rumors there are also WC fries in there as well. Anyone got it?

French Fry Diary 351: In-N-Out Burger

One of the places I get the most recommendations to do reviews of their fries for here at French Fry Diary is In-N-Out Burger. The problem is that while In-N-Out is a strictly west coast place, I am strictly an east coast guy. Sigh.

There is good news however. On The Bride's recent west coast excursion she had the chance to visit an actual In-N-Out Burger, and she got all sorts of stuff for me (no food, just giveaway items), and kinda reviewed them by proxy. Isn't she just a sweetheart?

The Bride was hungry and stopped in on her way to Los Angeles from Anaheim after midnight. She was surprised to find them both open and very busy. Almost sounds like White Castle a little.

Not knowing about In-N-Out's secret menu, The Bride just got the standard burger, fries and a drink. She saw others getting melted cheese and other stuff on their fries but didn't see it on the regular menu. She knows why now. Among the fries available from the secret menu include several variations of soft to crispy to extra crispy (almost like meat - light, light well, well, extra well), cheese fries, and the notorious animal fries.

In-N-Out Burger peels (sometimes) and fresh cuts their fries from Kennebec potatoes in house for hot and tasty regular cut French fries. The Bride said her fries were a bit underdone, so I wonder if maybe she said the word 'light' at some point while ordering.

Either way they looked good, and the burger tasted good. Hunger appeased after midnight by the west coast's famous In-N-Out Burger. Maybe I'll get there in person one day.

The French Fry Fairy's I Love Potatoes Contest

Kindred spirit the French Fry Fairy is having a terrific contest this February, check it out above. More details are available here, and don't forget to follow the French Fry Fairy on Facebook and Twitter!

French Fry Diary 188: Roy Rogers

To quote Tommy Kiefer and Cinderella, the local glam metal band of that sadly lost era, "you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone," and that's kinda how I feel about Roy Rogers restaurants and their fries.

They used to be everywhere, and I enjoyed them a lot, but then a few decades back, they all disappeared, except for on the turnpikes and on the way to Baltimore and Washington DC. Founded by the singing cowboy actor of the same name, Roy Rogers used to be the number three fast food place behind McDonalds and Burger King, a slot now held by the fry-switching folks at Wendy's.

I have fond memories of Roy Rogers, believe it or not. I played Dungeons & Dragons there. I read my comics there after picking them up on payday. I took dates there, yeah, I know, I was a cheap bastard. It was where I went with friends after the funeral of another dear friend. And the local Berlin Roy Rogers was once a Gino's where I got one of my first jobs. Roy's was a mainstay of my youth.

Roy's also has a special place in my heart if for only one non-favorite fried food reason - they serve their hamburgers plain. Being a catastrophically picky eater I like my burgers plain, 'regular grill' as some fast food places call it, just the burger and the bun as I have to stress whenever I go through a drive-thru or even go inside. As anyone who has asked for a special order at a fast food place will tell you - I might as well be robbing them at gunpoint, they don't want to hear it.

McDonalds is a major offender for getting orders wrong, White Castle is almost impossible, and despite what their ads say about 'having it your way,' Burger King has a shoddy record as well. And Checkers, just don't even bother, it ain't happening. Roy Rogers is the plain hamburger godsend in an apparently incompetent world.

Roy Rogers Restaurants have some of my favorite fast food French fries. They are golden brown regular cuts, crispy on the outside, and soft and hot on the inside. They're good for sandwiching, dipping and especially for running through a drive-thru for a quickie snack. Don't forget to get some of the bbq sauce from Roy's Fixin's Bar for dipping, some of the best.

These fries reheat well at home either in the microwave or the conventional oven, same for the burgers, I might add. They're terrific sandwiched in your burger and Roy Rogers bbq sauce is the best for dipping. And best of all, in true western tradition, the fries come in a holster. Now really, how cool is that?

In recent years, Roy Rogers has also gotten into the curly fry business with standard natural cut curly fries covered with that also standard spicy orange seasoning. Nothing special here, but I don't care as long I can still get their regular fries.

Come back to South Jersey, Roy Rogers, and I don't mean to the turnpike, back to somewhere we can actually get to when we want to, and with a drive-thru too. We miss you, come back!

French Fry Diary 113: White Castle, Toms River NJ

Reputedly the first fast food hamburger chain, White Castle has been around for almost ninety years. They’re open 24 hours a day, so that means French fries any time of the day or night – how can there be a downside to this? For just a buck or so you get a cool little box of deep-fried crinkle cuts, perfect for car-munching.

They do get cold real quick however, and do not nuke well. Do not put them in the microwave unless you want sucky fries – soggy or rock hard, depending on how long you set the timer for. It’s just not a good idea. On the upside, they are great for three AM cravings.

Mad dashes in the middle of the night are really what White Castle is all about though. The food is good, but it’s not about the food, it’s about the experience. Like a few weeks ago, friends and I were discussing this French Fry Diary thing, and as always happens when you talk about food – you get hungry. Problem was, it was late, where can you get fries this time of night? That’s right, White Castle.

After locating the semi-closest restaurant, an hour away in Toms River, we were off. The Bride, the Dark Crystal, Jeff and myself drove all the way up to Toms River and met Ray and his bride CL at the 24/7 White Castle there – all this at about two in the morning. A flash of spontaneity, and boom – a middle of the night French Fry Diary roadtrip.

Again, as I said, the fries are standard crinkle cuts that come in those tiny cardboard boxes that everything at White Castle comes in. Good and hot, but it’s the camaraderie that makes White Castle what it is. The 24’7 is most important, and like the movie Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, it’s the journey that counts.

The onion rings are standard diced onion type of onion rings you might find in the grocers freezer, but again, it’s the journey, and the boxes, and the company, and the middle of the night (or anytime). And the onion rings are better than Burger King’s and that’s saying something.

Other goodies that were had on this trip were the chicken rings, and of course those wonderful Sliders, best little hamburger you can get in the middle of the night and eat half a dozen. And don’t forget to read the fun facts on the bottom of the boxes.

The only complaint I might have is related to the perils of being open 24/7 – and that would be the smelly homeless man that was sitting behind us. We didn’t think he was dead but he might have been. That’s okay, he didn’t smell all that much.

All in all, White Castle is recommended, for a variety of reasons, and not all of them food-related. Great experience not matter how you cut it.

Free Slider!

To celebrate their 88th anniversary, White Castle is offering this coupon to print out for a free slider!

Only for a limited time, so get moving!

And don’t forget the fries!


.