French Fry Diary 27: Starburst Café, King of Prussia Plaza

I should have taken pictures. Not only are there no graphics or photos on the net of this place, based on the service I suspect it may be gone by the time I post this review. Regardless, to the left is a photo of one of the food courts in the gigantic King of Prussia shopping megacomplex near Philadelphia. The Starburst Café is that speck of blue neon mid-center left in the accompanying photo.

Though upscale mall in design and architecture, it was basically just like any of the sandwich shops or delis we have over in South Jersey. But there were problems. And I’m not just talking about the fact that the gigantic pictures over the mounted menu looked nothing like what any of us received as our meals.

The lady at the counter and the cook both spoke broken English. This is neither unique nor a bad thing, but when I am asked if I want onions on my cheesesteak and I say no – when I pick it up I shouldn’t get dirty looks from both of them when I mention it has onions on it. It was one of those times when I knew, I just knew, if I didn’t say to forget about it – the second cheesesteak would have a little something extra in it for me if you know what I mean. I just don’t think there was much communication going on between employees or with customers.

The cheesesteak was terrible by the way. The onions were cold, as were the two slices of slimy whitish-yellow cheese. Maybe I’ve been spoiled living so close to Philly but I was expecting Cheez Whiz or some similar substance, not the plastic slabs I got. I ate around the cheese and onions. Just that morning The Bride had admonished me, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” so when she asked how my meal was I told her the roll was really good and the Orange Crush was ice cold.

As for the favorite fried food, they were natural regular cuts, obviously frozen, then deep-fried, maybe more than once and then had been sitting without benefit of a heat lamp for some time. Not good, not good at all. My advice – unless you’re thirsty and can’t find anywhere close that has Orange Crush – avoid the Starburst Café like the Black Plague.


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New for Dippin’

In case you haven’t heard, Wendy’s has new Boneless Wings, obviously trying to keep up with KFC and their boneless wings, and why not? It’s a great idea, and imitation is best form of flattery.

The ones from Wendy’s are especially tasty, all white meat, with sauces coming in three flavors: Bold Buffalo with aged cayenne, Honey BBQ with real amber honey, and Sweet & Spicy Asian Chicken with Asian chilies, pepper flakes and garlic. Yum.

Yeah, that’s all fine and good, and sounds delicious, but what does this have to do with the favorite fried food? Dipping, baby, dipping! All three of these sauces are especially tasty when you dip your fries into them.

Try it, you’ll love it!


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Steam n’ Mash

First the commercial from last year, and then the official testing and review from Foodnetworkaddict.com





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Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter...

Get your mind out of the gutter, if you can.

My friend Dom hipped me to this new ad running in Singapore by Burger King for their new “BK Super Seven Incher.”

I’m not saying a word.

Except make sure you get some fries with that, um, mouthful.

Mmm... fries...

French Fry Diary 26: The Deli, Harrahs, Atlantic City

The Bride is addicted to slot machines. No biggie, I’m addicted to French fries. We love each other and accept our respective flaws, quirks and pleasures. The point is I get to experience all manner of non-gambling experiences in Atlantic City while she’s gambling – and occasionally they involve French fries. For instance when we go to Harrahs, while she’s popping money into the machines, sometimes I go to The Deli.

The Deli is right next to the gambling floor, at the center of the entertainment at Harrahs. Restaurants above and nearby, the theatre behind, and a bar with a stage right next door, it’s convenient no matter what you’re there for. Its specialty is, duh, deli fare, but they do also have the favorite fried food.

They serve quickly deep fried steak fries, probably store bought and frozen, but no matter, not only are they always hot and tasty – the servings are enormous. They will fill, and I mean fill a twelve-inch plate and then pile them on. And yeah, that’s for even a side dish. These guys don’t play around. And it’s not just that the serving size is huge, they are also very filling. When I can’t eat any more fries, you know that’s a lot.

There is also something to be said about consistency. A lot of the times I review fries there is the proviso that it varies on the day and who’s actually doing the cooking. Not so at The Deli, no matter when or who is involved, no matter how many times I’ve gotten them – Deli fries are always terrific. And the selection of Hank’s Root Beer, Philadelphia’s own, only makes the experience that much better. Recommended.

Spam Fries

Yet another entry from This Is Why You’re Fat, ”where dreams become heart attacks...”

I love the site, just for its funky food combinations and its theoretical nose-thumbing at the Health Nazis. The problem is that there are probably as many fans of TIWYF for the wrong reasons as there are for fun reasons. It also kinda bugs me that all it takes to move a healthy dish into the unhealthy realm is the addition of bacon or cheese or especially French fries. I’m still a fan though.

Now, Spam fries. These are strips of Spam run through a French fry press as regular cuts and then deep-fried. They certainly look tasty (or is that nasty?) ... if you like Spam, that is.

I think all things considered, I’d rather have fries made from potatoes...


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Lego Fries

This photo was taken at the LEGO Store at the King of Prussia Plaza today.

Yep, that's right, those are French fries, made of Legos. They even have Lego ketchup on them!

Mmmm... fries...

Grilled Bacon Potatoes

For Father's Day, a recipe that can be done on the grill, Dad's favorite cooking tool...

Grilled Bacon Potatoes

3 large red potatoes, not peeled, sliced thin
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
3 slices bacon
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons paprika
salt, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
pepper, to taste

Fire up the grill!

Place the three slices of bacon side by side in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil.

Layer your potatoes and onions on top of the bacon

Add your paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic to the top of the potatoes and onions.

Cut your butter into pads and place across the top of the potatoes.

Wrap potatoes up tightly in the foil; double wrap for extra support.

Let potatoes cook on grill, not over direct heat, for at least an hour.

Makes 2 servings


Originally from Potato-Recipe and The Happy Cooker, thanks to Marla in Las Vegas.


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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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Obama at Five Guys

Apparently the President is a Five Guys fan too…



To quote his associate, “Fries, yes, sir, thank you for caring.”


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