French Fry Diary 681: Funyuns Steakhouse Onion

I love the Bloomin' Onion from the Outback. I love the wannabe versions at other chains. So when I saw this new Funyuns flavor on the shelf at Wawa, I had to try them.

There's a big picture of the Bloomin' Onion on the bag, and while they can't actually call it that, you know that's what it is. The back of the package promises the zesty flavor of a steakhouse onion blossom and dip. Hmmm… dip? I'm not crazy about the dip. Maybe this was a mistake. Oh well, I guess there's only one way to find out...

Opening the bag, they kind of smell like the dip, but the immediate taste is definitely Funyon, with maybe a little bit of a smokey spicier kick, nice. The dip - a sour cream vibe, verified by the ingredients list - does come in as a cumulative aftertaste though, but not enough to discount these babies. I like them.

I would probably prefer the regular Funyuns over these, and definitely would rather have have a real Bloomin' Onion, but these Funyuns Steakhouse Onion Flavored Rings were really good.

French Fry Diary 686: Burger King Fiery Chicken Fries

Now I've reviewed Burger King's Chicken Fries before here, but now they've come out with Fiery Chicken Fries, a spicy hot variety.

These have been accompanied by a huge marketing push about how hot they are. From the clever as where the fries melt ice cream cones when set down next to them to the incessant Tweeting with #FieryChickenFries suggesting that you "Tweet the heat," they are everywhere.

I finally got to Burger King the other day and got my order of Fiery Chicken Fries. They came in the standard CF box, squared but fit-able into a cup holder, with the clever sauce holder in the lid, but decorated like a chicken luchador. The sides featured the words - "Tweet the Heat," "Stupid Spicy," and "Warning: Hot Chicks Inside."

According to the BK website, the Fiery Chicken Fries are "hotter than ever coated in a blend of spicy cayenne pepper, black pepper and savory spices blended into a crispy breading and cooked to perfection." Hmmm... right. They also come with a variety of dipping sauces, including BBQ, Ranch, Honey Mustard, Zesty, Buffalo, Sweet & Sour, and a mystery sauce made just for BK's Chicken Fries.

When I opened my henhouse box of Fiery Chicken Fries, the first thing I noticed is that they were cold, not hot. Not a good start. In the five-minute drive from Burger King to my home, they'd cooled considerably, and I'm being nice. So I tried them cold, and then I tried to resuscitate them in two separate ways, oven reheating and microwave.

No matter how I tried them, I had the same conclusion. They have more breading than white meat chicken, are horribly dry, and have just a bit of heat in the aftertaste. The marketing is much much better than the product itself. Not recommended.

As I mentioned on the French Fry Diary Facebook Group (and if you're not part of it already, why aren't you?) this is the kind of snack you give to someone you don't like.

French Fry Diary 609: McDonald's Shakin' Flavor Fries

I finally got a chance to go over to the local McDonald's and try their new Shakin' Flavor Fries. The first thing I noticed was that there was no difference in price for a regular size fries and a regular size Shakin' Flavor version. That's a definite plus.

Shaker fries are a big deal in Asia and the South Pacific, usually with exotic flavors like seaweed. The flavors available at American McDonald's are Garlic Parmesan, Zesty Ranch and Spicy Buffalo. Guess which one I chose? I went with the buffalo as it was the closest to barbecue. I wish they had just a regular barbecue, or a cheddar like Burger King had when they did their Shake 'Em Up Fries.

The special shaking bag comes with directions that are fairly simple, and trust me, when you've done it once, you won't need to consult the directions again. It's easy. Put some fries in the bag, put some seasoning in, close the bag, shake it up, baby, and you're done, easy-peasy.

The shaking process gives the fries a pretty thorough coating. The Spicy Buffalo has a solid bite to it. I wasn't expecting that kind of heat based on how pedestrian Mickey D's nugget dipping sauces are, for instance. There's more burn to this than actual buffalo flavor. The fries of course are just as good as always.

As I mentioned above I wish there were more than just the three flavor seasonings available, but let's see if they last first. The trend these days with fast food is to only offer the good stuff on a temporary basis.

French Fry Diary 595: V Cut Spicy Barbecue Potato Chips

These V Cut Spicy Barbecue Flavor Potato Chips from Jack 'n Jill are another of the chips from the wonderful Christmas package I got from friends Dom and Cindy.

I was a little afraid of these chips because while they're from Jack 'n Jill, they're manufactured in the Philippines, and I had a couple friends from there warn me off of the V Cuts. And then there was also the peel off ingredients sticker, and it's not the first time it's happened. I know it's most likely because of a misprint or typo, but still it makes me think maybe they forgot something or are trying to hide something.

The chips themselves aren't that bad, but then again they aren't that good either. They gave very tight ripples like Ruffles but are on a thin chip. They also have the same grainy taste as other Jack 'n Jill chips. The barbecue flavoring is most definitely spicy, and there's a burning aftertaste for a while, and not in a good way.

I appreciate the gift, and usually I love barbecue potato chips, but I wouldn't try these again.

French Fry Diary 546: Red Robin Seasoned Steak Fries

I have a soft spot in my heart for Red Robin. It is, after all, the home of the Bottomless Steak Fries. So when I saw that they had frozen fries available to make at home, I quickly snagged a bag of these frozen fries. The bad news, of course, is that they are not bottomless.

With Arby's, Checkers, and Burger King all competing in the frozen fry game, why not Red Robin? They do make good fries. Their natural cut seasoned steak fries are awesome, and in the restaurant, always good for at least one refill, if not two. The package itself promises Red Robin's signature blend of seasoning salt, as well as quickie recipes for two different dipping sauces.

They are only directions for baking, so that's how I did them. I have to admit being a bit surprised at the high temp (425 degrees) and longer than usual time (30 minutes), but I always gotta follow the instructions for a first time cooking. And I also had a little concern over the amount of seasoning on the fries, it seemed like a lot. As they cooked, the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma.

To be sure, next time I will make adjustments to the time and temp. There were more than a few crispy critters, still edible, and mostly small pieces, but still more crispy than I like - and I like crispy. They were overcooked, but steak fries being thick and 'meaty,' it's hard to ruin them that way.

All that said, these were pretty good steak fries, but very spicy, spicier than I remember them being at the Red Robin restaurant. I would definitely get these again, adjust the directions, have a cold refreshing drink nearby, and enjoy... until I hit bottom, of course.

French Fry Diary 531: Cabanas, Breakfast, Disney Fantasy

I talked about this free form buffet before when I encountered it on board the Disney Dream. This morning we went there for breakfast before seeing an early morning showing of Planes in the Buena Vista Theatre. After an unlucky couple of days food-wise and no luck find breakfast potatoes other than those awful greasy hash brown slabs, I finally hit the jackpot.

Not only did Cabanas have grilled ham in pieces bigger than a half-dollar, but they had the most succulent and delicious breakfast potatoes I have every had. Big chunks of spiced potato, about half the size of a wedge, mixed in with peppers and onions. I had two servings of these awesome potatoes. Sooo good.

I guess that's a lock then, we'll be, or I'll be having breakfast at Cabanas for the rest of the trip. Those roasted breakfast potatoes are the best.

French Fry Diary 366: Ruffles Smokehouse Style BBQ

Just a few days after I was lamenting the fact that no one local carries BBQ flavored Ruffles, I find these, almost a substitute, Ruffles Smokehouse Style BBQ Flavored Potato Chips. Wow, how's that for a mouthful. Why do chip products always have such long names?

Anyway, I couldn't wait to get this bag home and try them. Just look at those juicy dry rubbed ribs on the bag... mmmm... Once open the aroma matches the picture. The chips, standard Ruffles, but darkened by spices, are almost brown. If anything they are too spicy. A glance at the ingredients reveals the usual suspects, plus MSG. Not good.

A handful of these are good and hot, with, as I said, perhaps too much seasoning. Any more than that however is like kissing a smoker, or licking an ashtray. Thumbs down on these, but still looking for Ruffles BBQ...

French Fry Diary 362: Checkers Rally's Famous Fries

I was surprised and delighted to find these in my grocer's freezer section as I like Checkers quite a bit, and with Checkers Rally's Famous Fries, now I can have them in my own home without the run through the drive-thru. Props to the Checkers folks.

Now the directions offer the option to either bake or deep fry these spicy batter coated babies, but let me tell you - don't deep-fry them. Just chalk that one up to I did it so you won't have to. These are not good deep-fried.

Now baked is a whole other thing. Not only is there less grease than deep frying (or even from the restaurant if I'm being honest), but these large shoestrings are near perfect from the oven. You can regulate the crispness, and they are always soft and hot in the inside. The seasoning on the outside make any additional seasoning pointless. These are just great baked.

If you're making dinner, these pair well with a burger, and the fries are skinny enough to stack on the sandwich, and also add that great seasoning flavor to it as well. Thumbs up for Checkers Rally's Famous Fries.

French Fry Diary 361: Checkers

Checkers and Rally's are the same place, and essentially the same food, but here in the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, we only have Checkers.

Checkers is predominantly a drive-thru and/or walk-up restaurant, even though there are a few tables outside, I don't think they get much use - its not Sonic. The lunchtime I visited the place was dead, no drive-thru traffic even - which is a shame because the food is pretty good. And notably, the customer service is also very quick, and usually pretty accurate too.

The burgers are big and tasty, although this time it did take some effort to get a plain burger. Speaking of Sonic, I think the shakes at Checkers are thicker and better, and excellent for fry-dipping. They also have the usual fare of chicken, fish, and hot dogs as well, but it's the favorite fried food we're here to talk about.

The French fries at Checkers are long (sometimes very long) regular natural cuts with a thick crispy batter coating, salted and black peppered. This orange colored spicy skin gives them an extra zing and crunch that contrasts the soft hot potatoey insides. These are darn good fries, but make sure you have a beverage handy to balance the heat. It's a good heat though. They're also great for sandwiching and, as I said, shake dipping, which will also cool some of that spicy fire.

The Checkers fries also nuke well in microwave once you get home, at least twice, sometimes three times, making them an excellent drive-thru fry that can be had later. Recommended.

French Fry Diary 324: 25 Burgers

Like Smashburger, 25 Burgers is mostly a North Jersey phenomenon, but with one location in my area, in Woodbury. The claim to fame of 25 Burgers is that you have at least twenty-five choices, including angus beef burgers, chicken breast burgers, and other specialty burgers. They've been around since 2009, and have expanded their franchise since.

The day after New Year's Day was a day off for most folks, so The Bride and her folks decided we'd make a road trip to 25 Burgers, as I had wanted to for some time. Over the last couple years I have gotten several recommendations for their fries, so I was looking forward to it.

25 Burgers, other than Boardwalk Fries, also offers cheese fries, chili cheese fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings, and potato pancakes as sides as well. For this trip, I ordered the rather inexpensive Boardwalk Fries, along with my usual plain burger. Notably, this is a Pepsi place, no Coca-Cola products, but they did have Orange Crush on tap. Bonus points.

The restaurant itself reminded me of Five Guys in color scheme, very red and white and checkered. The overhead music was oldies and the walls were covered with pics of Marilyn, Sinatra, Elvis, and other icons of the 1950s and 60s. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

The burgers can be huge, depending on what you order. Mine was small, others were big, and all were (no choice) well done. And like Tony Luke says, it's all about the roll - and the rolls are fabulous. The burger, other than being a bit more than well done, was fairly good. The Bride got the Maui Burger, which she liked, but found unwieldy to eat. It might be better without the roll, and with a knife and fork.

The fries, very golden brown, were regular natural cuts, and very spicy. I found them similar to the fries at Checker's, spicy with the crunchy coating. The difference though is the size, these are shorter than Checker's fries, which are pretty long. That said, we might have just gotten to the end of a batch. Quite addictive, but have a drink close by as they have time delay heat. The mother-in-law liked them a lot.

All around, it was a good lunch with the family. I don't know if we'll be rushing back any time soon, but it was pretty good.

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 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 102: Bahama Breeze

We went to Bahama Breeze at the Cherry Hill Mall on a family excursion so it was a big party. I had never been there but some of the family had before, and had liked it enough to come back and to recommend it.

The first thing that caught my eye on the menu was the coconut-breaded Onion Rings, that surprisingly is not on any menu on their website. If it’s only available at the Cherry Hill location, it’s a serious loss to everyone else.

Our waitress Melissa seemed to have a problem with our end of the long table. She was almost determined not to move when taking our orders and we had to shout down to her. We also had to collect menus and dispense drinks for her. At first it was funny, as the meal continued it became very annoying.

The onion rings were huge rings, sweet and spicy, constructed into a lopsided but solid tower of rings (unlike the straight ones on a stick at Red Robin). The coconut added an extra zing to these crispy wonders with lots of onion. I loved these, and they would definitely be a reason to come back.

I got my usual burger, due to my catastrophic pickiness, and fries came with it. The burger was unseasoned and quite bland, and I didn’t finish it. The fries weren’t much better either. They were spicy natural cuts with black pepper. These had an odd spiciness compared to the delightful zing of the rings.

As the meal went on, the waitress never came down to our end of the table, except at the end where she finally cleared our plates. Bahama Breeze is not recommended, except for those onion rings.

French Fry Diary 80: Burger King at Home 2

Welcome back to my reviews of ConAgra’s new Burger King fries for your home microwave. Last time I made the King Wedgez and today I’m going to give one of the other varieties a shot.

I tried the King Krinkz, the seasoned crinkle cut French fries. I did the same process as last time – Shake, Vent, Zap, Tap and Rip. This time however, while the box was in the microwave it smelled like they were burning. I was worried for a bit but let the three minute cook time run its course. I was hoping for another handy packaging miracle after I got them out, but unfortunately the Frypod fell apart when I ripped. Notably, just like the King Wedgez, this 'frypod' would have been half-empty anyway. There’s not many fries in these things.

The fries themselves were just standard frozen crinkle cuts that could have been purchased for much less at any grocery store, and they also had a weird orange tinge, an unhealthy too-much-time-in-the-tanning-booth orange. At first I wasn’t sure if they were seasoned or just burnt.

The seasoning has a hot spicy bite and a not-so-great aftertaste. The fries aren’t so good and have the taste and texture of bad microwave fries. Eat them quick (if you dare) because the longer they sit, the harder they get. Again, Ore-Ida microwaves are much much better. These are bad fries.

French Fry Diary 79: Burger King at Home 1

As mentioned here at French Fry Diary, Burger King is invading your grocer’s freezer. In fact, they are there now.

The good news is that instead of the crappy fries you can get at any Burger King, these are different. They come in three varieties: King Krinkz – seasoned crinkle cuts, King Kolassalz – bigger crinkle cuts, and King Wedgez – seasoned potato wedges. Thankfully none of the regular ones, but the package itself, in which the fries cook in your microwave, becomes an ersatz Frypod – an "Eazy Tranport Frypod." I gotta give them props for packaging at least.

I tried the King Wedgez first. The directions were oversimplified, with instructions like Shake, Vent, Zap, Cool, Tap, Rip, and of course, Eat. The end result, if you tear it right, does look like the type of package fries used to come in a few years back, but ironically, not really much like what we know as a Frypod.

There weren’t all that many fries inside either, granted they were big, but still maybe only about ten to a dozen total. The King Wedgez were seasoned potato wedges, similar to those at KFC, but with vertical medium ripples. The ripples were not as small as those at Famous Dave’s, but not as big as those on wavy potato chips. The fries were not really very tasty either – a little soggy and not very crisp (or even "Krispy!" as the package itself promises), but with a good pepper aroma that emanates from the microwave while they’re cooking.

All in all, the experience was fun – the packaging, the adventure of making them, etc., but the fries not so much. Ore-Ida microwave fries are better, but not as much fun. Next time we’ll try the King Krinkz and King Kolassalz and see how they are.

French Fry Diary 63: Nodding Head

I had the chance recently to go to the Nodding Head on Sansom Street in Philadelphia when celebrating a friend’s birthday. This brewery/bar/restaurant has quite a reputation and I’ve wanted to go for a while. The birthday gave me a chance to finally try their famous Spanish fries.

For the uninitiated, Spanish fries are fries that are specifically deep-fried using olive oil, always an interesting touch. Those at the Nodding Head were very good. Hot crispy versions of Five Guys fries, they were natural regular cuts tossed with parsley and served with a honey mustard dipping sauce. These were crispy good with soft hot potato-ey goodness inside and a spicy kick outside. It was a big helping and hard to finish, and this is a good thing.

The Bride ordered a steak salad, basically a salad with hot peppercorn steak strips over top – and a side of fries. That’s right, a salad that came with fries. Does it get much better than that? Thumbs up for Nodding Head, and Happy Birthday, Andrea!

French Fry Diary 57: Poore Brothers Desert Mesquite Bar-B-Que

My wife picked these up at Walgreens for me thinking I might like them. Like it says on the bag, these kettle-cooked potato chips are "intensely different." Honestly I’m not sure just how different they are, but they sure are tasty.

Poore Brothers Desert Mesquite Bar-B-Que chips boast 0 trans fats and 0 cholesterol, so that ought to make the Health Nazis happy, for a moment at least, before suggesting that carrot sticks would be better. Then again, can you kettle-cook carrot sticks and brush them with BBQ flavor? Nope, just ain’t the same.

The flavor is just hot enough to stay with you but not too hot so that you’ll still be drinking water an hour later – just the right amount of spice. Like most kettle chips I especially love the crunched up shapes of these chips. They make for unique dippers in whatever you might want to dip them in. Me, I like ice cream, your mileage may vary. Either way, recommended.