Virtua Fries

Recently, my brother-in-law (big sister Bobbie's husband) had a brief encounter with the Emergency Room at the new Virtua Hospital in Voorhees. He's all good now, but he spent a few days relaxing in a hospital room that, let's be honest, kinda shamed some of the rooms I've stayed in at Harrah's. It was niiice.

While he was there, Bobbie had a chance to eat at the Café there, so today's Somebody Else's Fries are hers. This is a pic of her lunch one day during hubby's stay. Bobbie said, "…the fries were natural cut, crisp, hot and made to order. And only cost $1.99! Everything in the cafeteria is fresh, made to order and delicious, who knew? Who knew that hospital food would taste so good?" Her words, not mine.

French Fry Diary 347: The Waterfront Buffet, Harrah's, Atlantic City

Because of The Bride's understated gambling addiction, we come to Harrah's in Atlantic City a lot. If you're a regular reader of French Fry Diary, you know that one of my biggest complaints about the casinos is their weirdness about the hours their restaurants are open. Some are pretty easy, like the late lamented Deli, almost always open - and others, like The Waterfront Buffet, never seem to be open.

I've been to this Buffet twice, twice in the literal years we've been coming to Harrah's while the Buffet been in business. It seems like they are never open when we're here, and if they are, they're open for like two hours at six in the morning, and then blocked off for three days. It's maddening. It's not like I really want to go to a buffet, it's just that as human beings, we always want what we can not have.

On our latest trip to Harrah's, Columbus Day weekend, surprisingly, we found The Waterfront Buffet open for breakfast. First things first, the place is huge, and the offerings to eat are many and varied. If you wanted, it could take some time to try everything available - longer than the place is ever open if I may be allowed one last jab about their hours.

The breakfast potatoes were of the cubes variety, fried and left under a heat lamp. They were lacking salt and pepper and any other spices. I could add the first two myself of course. The bacon was good, as was the other breakfasty items. I guess in my obsession I was expecting more potato products, but no go. They did have corned beef hash, which does have some potato in it, but I am suspect of it already as it actually has no corn in it.

When it came to seconds, which I thought I should have because of the price, but they were out of potatoes. Horrors. But then again we did arrive just as breakfast was ending. Maybe we can make an appointment for the next time they're open...

French Fry Diary 293: Bill's Bar & Burger, Harrah's, Atlantic City

I was intrigued when I heard that this place, Bill's Bar & Burger, was coming to Harrah's in Atlantic City. BB&B actually has a pretty interesting reputation up in New York, and I was looking forward to trying out their burgers, and especially their fries. Until, of course, I found out that that it would be replacing The Deli.

The Deli was a place I could almost twenty-four hours a day while The Bride was playing the slots. I could go, and get some lunch (or whatever meal), hang out, and write. If I got fries, it would come in an over-generous portion of terrific hot steak fries, less if I got a hot dog with it, even though I'd be charged the same price. It was a good deal, and a good place - and good fries. The Deli will be missed. But I'm open-minded, I'll give Bill a shot.

I hate to say it, but at first glance, I was unimpressed. Indicative of a restaurant in a casino, it looks nice but the food is not so hot, and crazy expensive - more expensive than The Deli. For example, the six-dollar milkshake came in a cup slightly bigger than a McDonald's small soft drink. And the sodas (notably all Pepsi products, rather than Coca-Cola) in the same size cup cost four dollars.

I ordered a burger (come on, guys, what else would I order?), and it was very good, very juicy on a soft sesame seed bun. All burgers come cooked medium, but you can get them done more if you desire. I'm not a big fan of rare, but it does kinda bug me when it's not an option. I understand not wanting to make anyone sick, but to me that sorta reflects a distrust of the cook by management, don't you think? Anyway, the burger was pricey, but definitely worth that price, and worth coming back for, I thought.

The fries however, were another story, and it should be noted that they came separate from the burger, not with it, an unusual practice. They were undercooked natural cut spicy potato wedges, some of them thinner than usual, but unusually not crispy. They were good, soft and hot on the inside, but without the crispy crunch most potato wedges have. They also came with cheddar whiz cheese, or as disco fries, but I didn't try them.

They weren't horrible, I ate them and enjoyed them, but didn't finish them. They were however disappointing, especially when compared to the gigantic portion size The Deli would have provided, and I would have eaten all of those delicious steak fries. Bill's also has beer battered onion rings, which were typical of beer battered - greasy. Sweet potato fries were also available as well, maybe next time, when I get another burger.

French Fry Diary 232: Foodies, Parx Casino

At most casinos they don't want you to eat, much less know what time it is. Their concern is getting you to gamble, nothing else. That's the reason for the quirky restaurant hours in these 24/7 casinos. They don't want you there eating, just shoveling your money into their pockets. Heck, I have spent huge chunks of my life at Harrahs in Atlantic City and still haven't been to every food place there.

Parx, the newly revamped version in Bucks County has a few places to eat, including one of my faves, Chickie's & Pete's, but since I was bored with nothing else to do (longtime readers know I don't gamble), I wanted to amuse myself by writing a FFD review - so I chose the intriguingly named Foodies. Sadly, the name was the only thing intriguing about this wannabe cafeteria.

Simply midnight snack fare was on my mind - a hot dog, small fries and, as preferred Coke was unavailable, a Pepsi. The all beef hot dog was pretty good, but then again I have been spoiled for hot dogs since the Cool Dog Café opened. The Pepsi was, well, Pepsi. And the fries were... well, let's just say it's a good thing they give you Utz potato chips with every sandwich - so I had some potato with my meal.

These grocery frozen shoestrings are freezer burned and deep-fried, perhaps too much. Most are too crunchy to eat and many are stuck together. There's too much salt and what at first I thought was pepper, on closer inspection, really put me off of these things. I don't think its black pepper - I think it's debris from the deep fryer. Thank heaven for the factory sealed snack bag of Utz.

Next time, I'm going to Chickie's & Pete's. Promise.

French Fry Diary 229: Return to the Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza

So here I am, on Memorial Day weekend, back at the Molly Pitcher rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike. The last time I was here, neither Arthur Treacher's nor Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill nor even Nathan's were open.

Surprisingly, tonight, Sunday of one of the busiest traffic weekends of the year at 10:45 PM - they were in the process of closing again. So it was Roy Rogers by default again. No complaints there, I love Roy Rogers, but I did want to try the others.

It should be noted that the real Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill is in Banson, Missouri, and that I could find no record of this one on the internet. Also, this Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips is one of those affiliated with Nathan's, and not one of the 'real' ones from Ohio that has the 'real' Arthur Treacher's chips. All I would have gotten here is Nathan's fries anyway. Again, no complaints, but I want the real chips, you know?

Now I have to figure out if these closings are something deliberate against me or do these restaurants have weirder hours than those at Harrahs. You know, the casino, another place that is open twenty-four hours a day. I just find it funny. I mean, do 7-Eleven or 24/7 convenience stores close up parts of their store at inopportune times?

French Fry Diary 210: Taste of the Shore, Harrahs, Atlantic City

Double jeopardy here, folks, it's two, two, two reviews in one. The 'new' Harrahs has a low rent food court called Taste of the Shore, trying to replicate the old time Atlantic City Boardwalk snack fare, and features a Ben & Jerry's, Pretzel Factory, Sack O' Subs and Walt's Original Primo Pizza. The slogan - "Endless flavors. One place."

Being a food court, however small, it gave members of my party a chance to pick and choose from the four different places. That way, I was also able to sample the favorite fried food from both Sack O' Subs and Walt's Original Primo Pizza.

Sack O' Subs delivered batter fried regular cuts sprinkled with salt and pepper. These actually had a Tasti-Fries vibe, those vertically striped defunct unique fries from Birdseye, in that they had a soft hot mashed potato-like interior. But unfortunately the outsides were that usual crusty Invisicoat. These weren't terrific, but they were way better than the other offering.

From Walt's Original Primo Pizza, we got their 'Spicy Curly Fries.' These were Invisicoated natural cut curly fries, golden brown with salt and pepper, and wholly disappointing. While we were sure we saw them take them from the deep fryer, these were overcooked, warm and seemed like they'd been under a heat lamp for a while. Fail.

French Fry Diary 209: Reflections, Harrah's, Atlantic City

I had been here before, more times than I want to admit actually, but when I came to Reflections the last time it was for breakfast, and at that time had seen a sign for bottomless fries and vowed to return. It took a long time to come back, but then again, those of you who know how I feel about casinos, you know that's a good thing. Sadly, the menu has changed since then.

On the good side, our waiter, Joseph, was extremely helpful, courteous, friendly and knowledgeable. He knew his stuff and got our orders quickly and accurately, always a plus and high marks as far as I'm concerned. He even taught us about the cooking term "Pittsburgh well" which means well done inside and blackened outside as well for beef. Good to know for future use.

Unfortunately, while my burger was near perfect, the fries were much less so. These regular cuts were deep-fried, battered Invisicoated crunchies. Hot and very crispy on the outside and what potato was left inside was soft and hot as well. I ate less than a third of the generous portion on my plate. Not good fries in my opinion. If you need fries at Harrahs in Atlantic City, and can't leave the casino, go to The Deli.

French Fry Diary 97: Reflections for Breakfast, Harrahs, Atlantic City

Reflections is one of the main casual restaurants at Harrah's in Atlantic City. Again, as with any trip to the casinos, there is the problem of when any given restaurant is actually open. The hours are so sparse and confusing that each restaurant has a sign in front of it with its hours for that particular day. I kid you not, it’s that bad. I have an image in my head of a monkey with a hat full of numbers and that’s how the opening and closing times are chosen.

I’m beginning to think that there is really only one dining and kitchen staff here at Harrah's because when I called the concierge to find out what was open for breakfast – Reflections was our only choice. And when confronted lightheartedly with my monkey analogy, the man at the end of the phone became Queen Victoria with a "We are not amused" attitude. Gotta love Harrah's.

Breakfast, I ordered pretty much my regular, including home-fried potatoes and bacon. These breakfast potatoes were diced potatoes, well cooked and not greasy, and soft and tasty. Actually very good breakfast potatoes for this type. There were mystery strands of grass throughout them though that I could not identify. Harmless but unidentifiable.

The bacon however was mostly inedible, crispier than kettle cooked potato chips. That’s the petrified bacon to the right of the potatoes there in the pic. After mentioning it to the waiter, these charcoal crisps were replaced by slightly less crunchy bacon. Sigh. This must be how the chef cooks bacon I suppose. If I come back for breakfast, maybe I’ll just ask for my bacon raw and see what I get.

Speaking of coming back, I probably should, though for dinner or lunch next time. The menu mentioned something that made me perk up immediately – 'endless fries.' Next time, friends, next time.

French Fry Diary 73: McCormick & Schmick’s, Atlantic City

McCormick & Schmick’s is a relatively upscale seafood restaurant that has popped up in my area in the last decade or so. There’s even one in Cherry Hill now, but this review is of the one in Harrahs in Atlantic City.

We visited the casino the night before Christmas Eve when the hours most of the restaurants were open severely limited our choice as to where to eat. It’s not just the holidays, most of the AC casinos have screwed up hours. I have personally never found anything open when I needed it. I just think this is odd for a city and a business that supposedly runs 24/7. I guess it just includes everything but food.

Anyway we ended up at McCormick & Schmick’s, not a great place for this catastrophically picky eater as the only seafood I like are fried scallops. I have to admit this really wasn’t a problem as I’ve found over the years that seafood restaurants frequently have the best steak and chicken – and such was the case here as well. A delicious filet mignon was served up to perfection. And with it, I got, you guessed it, French fries.

These natural cut, slightly-larger-than-regular cuts came Belgian style in a paper cone, and were very hot. Like there had to be cooling time very hot. The outsides are extra crispy as if they were shock-fried twice rather than just once and inside they are delicious soft and hot. Definitely A plus on these fries. If I had to have a complaint about McCormick & Schmick’s fries, it would be how long we waited for them in a barely busy restaurant – nearly forty-five minutes! Did they go to Idaho for them?

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.

French Fry Diary 06: The Steakhouse, Harrah's Atlantic City

For my birthday this year, the Bride used up her comps at Harrah's Atlantic City and took me to The Steakhouse there, a place I had always wanted to go. Well, that’s not exactly true. I like steakhouses, so going to any steakhouse is someplace I always want to go, but perhaps not that one in particular, but still.

The Steakhouse, as it is simply called, is a well-to-do place, one that if it were not in the middle of a casino would definitely have a dress code. On our visit we saw evening wear and jean shorts and sandals. The steaks were to die for, so juicy and tender, a knife was hardly needed to cut it. There was also a interesting variety of breads available before the main course.

And now we get to the, pardon the pun, meat of the meal – the fries. I was a bit tempted by the onion rings, having seen them brought out to another customer. They were thick, crunchy and served vertically on a stick a la Red Robin, but our waiter, when asked what he preferred, suggested the fries. "When else will you have a chance to have real Belgian fries?" True, true, and so I was sold.

I cannot deny that I was impressed by the presentation. The fries came in a wax paper cone, just like Belgian fries are supposed to, and this deep cone came in a specially made metal container. The cone was stuffed with natural cut fries, not exactly Belgian fries, but close. The problem was that the ones on top, the ones I could see at first that were bursting from the cone, were barely warm and kinda crunchy. And not good crunchy, mind you, crunchy as in rock hard and unbreakable by fork or teeth.

The good news was that the fries underneath, kept from the air by the 'bad ones,' were quite tasty and everything promised. And the cone and metal container were deep enough that there were quite a few of these. I then did what I should have done at first, just dumped the whole cone onto a plate and ate from there. I’ll know for next time.

So, Harrah's Steakhouse fries – A+ for presentation, B for taste and D for continuity. Worth a try. But I’m still getting the onion rings next time too.


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