Random Tater Pic of the Day #220

Even Siri likes French fries... and she likes them with class...

French Fry Diary 500: Zinburger

Zinburger at the old racetrack in Cherry Hill has been open for a while now, after seeing them set it up for several months. There was a lot of anticipation here, hearing about how good the food and service was even before they opened. And then there was the odd combination of a gourmet burger place with a wine bar. I couldn't wait to try it, and try it I did, four times before writing this review.

Every time I've been it's been busy, but the wait is always short, or else you are seated right away. The one time we did wait, they took a cell number and texted us when the table was ready. Nice use of cutting edge technology, well, cutting edge for a shopping center restaurant. In the times I have visited Zinburger, the crowd has ranged from dates and families to noisy teenagers and hipsters from the city, all depending on what time you go, sometimes it's loud, but always worth it.

The booths are very big, obviously built with larger folks in mind unlike the torture racks, ahem, I mean seats at Bobby's Burger Palace, also in Cherry Hill.

Our waiter the first visit, Marcus, and all waitstaff on later visits, were very very attentive. I was impressed with the customer service. They gave descriptive explanations of the dishes, and offered many off-menu choices, just like in 'real' restaurants. Marcus was particularly proud of the food (as well he should be) but he referred to it as 'product.' That kinda bugged me.

The prod-, I mean food, came very quickly, fries first. It should be noted that we were given a choice to have the fries come with our meal, or when they were ready. Duh, of course we wanted them when they were ready and hot - and did so on every visit. On the first visit, the fries were hand cut natural cut shoestrings, not hot, but just fairly warm. On visits that followed, they were hotter and better. As a matter of fact, everything about Zinburger got better with each visit. It's almost as if practice made perfect.

These fries were a good mix of crispy and hot, and not too greasy. The portion size would've been terrific had the menu not said it was enough for two. It really wasn't. And sadly they got cold rather quickly. And the colder they got, the less appetizing. They were like Elevation Burger fries on a bad day. But that was just the first time.

The second time we got the double truffle fries, with truffle aioli and truffle oil. They got just the right amount of truffle oil, which can be disastrous when there's too much, but buried the fries in Parmesan cheese. They were a bit soggier than before but stayed hotter longer. Notably, the last two times I went to Zinburger, the fries were perfect.

Speaking of perfect, the burgers, every time, were awesome. The entrees came very quickly after the fries. Great care was taken in asking how we wanted them cooked, and explanations were given for each choice. I can't say enough about the service or the staff, top notch. They even have a burger than caters to my catastrophically picky appetite, the Plain & Simple Burger. I got it Angus but they also have Kobe available. Next time. The burgers were very juicy and enjoyable, awesome.

On the second trip to Zinburger, and every one after that, we also got the onion rings. They were a little bit different each time, sometimes bite-sized, sometimes big, sometimes skinny, but always very crunchy, and always with barbeque sauce. Yeah, that's right, Zinburger knows that onion rings are awesome dipped in barbeque sauce - extra points for that. The sauce was hot but subtle, I even put some on my burger.

The restaurant's main thrust is that it is of course also a wine bar, and the wine has its own menu, and the regular menu indicates which wine would be best with what foods. There are soft drinks for the non-drinkers, as well as some absolutely awesome shakes, malts, and floats.

I love this place, and can't wait to go back. Bring your appetite, and your wallet - while it's not super-expensive, it's also not McDonald's either. Thumbs up for Zinburger.

French Fry Diary 259: The Capital Grille, Cherry Hill NJ

My good friend Ken came up from Kentucky to spend some time with us here in the wretched state of his birth, New Jersey. My job, while he's here, is to ruin his diet. Also, because he'll let me. The problem sometimes with doing French Fry Diary is that many of my friends and family are on diets, and they won't/can't come out to play with me when it comes to reviewing fries. So, sometimes, I save the big ones for when Ken visits. Such was the case with the Capital Grille at the Cherry Hill Mall. We decided to go there for a late winter lunch and see what we could see.

The Capital Grille is a very ritzy place, various ceramic animal heads and a few birds of prey around a classic wood decor and an onsite wine reserve and butcher shop. Regarding that last bit, our server Christopher, who was very friendly and informative, says TCG specializes in dried aged beef. And extra points for Christopher - he didn't discriminate against us in t-shirts and jeans as opposed to everyone else there in office suit attire. We felt very out of place, but he made us feel at home.

I ordered, go ahead and guess what I ordered, folks, yes, a burger. Even in a classy restaurant, this catastrophically picky eater and fast food junkie still goes for the burger. This was a wonderfully rich chopped sirloin burger, but still a burger. Bread came and included a crispy flatbread that tasted a bit sweet. The burger was superb (dried aged beef, remember?), one of the best burgers I've had in a while, but that's not what you're here for, you want to hear about the favorite fried food, right?

The French fries were regular cut natural cuts called Parmesan Truffle Fries. Now truffle is one of the Holy Grail ingredients when it comes to fries, both truffle oil and truffle salt. The third in the triumvirate is of course duck fat. These fries were cooked in a garlic truffle oil with Parmesan and shaved parsley. They were very crispy, possibly deep-fried - very very good, but underneath it all they weren't that special. On the other hand, Ken said they were best fries he'd ever had, and that the spices made them. I thought they were great but if anything the truffle oil might have overpowered them a bit.

So despite the difference of opinion on the fries, my trip to the Capital Grille, and my first encounter with truffle oil, was a terrific lunch with a great friend. Good food, good conversation, good times.

French Fry Diary 78: Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine Bar

After more than a few recommendations of the fries at Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine Bar, I decided to give it a shot. Although, I went just for the fries. As many good reviews of the fries I had gotten, all the reviews of the other food, the wine and the prices were not so complimentary. So planning a quick bite The Bride and I only intended to grab a stool at the bar and just get snacks – but surprisingly there was no wait for a regular table, so we were seated quite quickly.

The Rosemary bread we started with was quite interesting. Hot tasty bread with some intriguing spreads was good but left an uninteresting aftertaste in your mouth. It’s a good thing our waiter Adam was very good with refilling our waters and soft drinks. Fleming’s is a wine bar and it should be noted that the menu is mostly wine, and comes with another wine list as well. Adam wasn’t bothered however when we said we wouldn’t be having wine.

I ordered the seven and a half dollar Double-Cut Shoestring Potatoes, and The Bride got the nine-dollar French onion soup. When he asked if that was as our entrees, Adam seemed genuinely panicked at our yes. He was nothing but nice and courteous however, and was left a healthy tip he definitely deserved – even though we refrained from ordering steaks and wines in the couple hundred-dollar range.

The fries arrived in a wax paper cone and wire frame holder in the Belgian style. Inside however, were not Belgian fries. These were extra-thin (thus the 'double-cut') natural cut shoestrings and in a huge portion – the cone was filled completely. They were a beautiful golden brown, but nowhere near as crispy as they looked. Had they been that crispy, they would have been perfect. A bit greasier than I would have liked, but had they been crispier, I wouldn’t have minded that. All in all very good, but not great.