French Fry Diary 509: Best Daym Takeout

Daymon Patterson, better known as Daym Drops, whose amazing 'soopa oh-ficial' restaurant reviews done from his car have made him a YouTube superstar, idol to millions, and a personal culinary hero of mine, has a new TV show on The Travel Channel. It's called "Best Daym Takeout" and the first two episodes debuted this past Wednesday.

First, I gotta say I love this guy. He wouldn't have to do much to impress me. He could've just broadcast his old YouTube reviews and I would have been glued to the TV, but he jumped in and gave us something new. The concept has him visited different cities and restaurants, followed by his trademark car seat review, all punctuated with his unique banter.

In the Chicago episode, he checks out Pequod's Pizza, Mr. Beef, and the Superdawg Drive-In. On that last one, he shows us how they make their fresh cut crinkle cut fries. He even gets to taste some raw potato. Just for the record, they know how to make fries at Superdawg, and they get Daym's approval as well.

The second episode explores New Orleans with the same charismatic manic intensity and enjoyment. I love it! I will be tuned in every Wednesday night for the next new "Best Daym Takeout." And Daym, my brother from another mother, more fries please!

French Fry Diary 137: Bar Food Paradise

Usually when I talk about a cable channel here at French Fry Diary, it's the Food Network or even the new Cooking Channel. Not today, today we're looking at a program on the Travel Channel. It's called "Bar Food Paradise" and they highlighted two places of great interest to enthusiasts of the favorite fried food.

I'll let the folks at the Travel Channel take it from here:

"In 1979, nachos underwent an Irish rebirth. At J. Gilligan's Bar and Grill in Arlington, Texas, Irish potatoes, cheese, peppers, onions and jalapeños are combined in a skillet to create an unlikely bar food favorite. The dish caught on instantly, and now J. Gilligan's goes through 3,600 potatoes and 80 pounds of cheddar a week. Whether it's your game-time snack, your dinner or a late-night indulgence, the Irish nachos never fail to satisfy.



"Sunny Santa Monica, California may seem a bizarre setting for an Irish pub, but Finn McCool's is the genuine article. Owner Geraldine Gilliland painstakingly brought every piece of the famous bar over from Ireland, including the timber for the bar, the artifacts on the walls, and the lads and lasses slinging pints behind the bar. It's not just the Irish cheer and the Guinness that bring people to Finn's -- it's their potato skins. The secret ingredient that makes these skins so good is lean Irish bacon. Topped with freshly grated horseradish in sour cream, they simply can't be beat."