Farmer Brown in San Francisco, CA

This review is for the sweet potato fries at Farmer Brown. I have nothing to compare these to, since I normally eat up the regular-potato type of fry and when I do order sweet potato fries they are usually cut thin like a regular shoestring fry. BUT. These are a french fry REVELATION. The sweet potato fries are cut quite thick and thus, you would expect them to be undercooked and pasty inside. In fact they are not, and the waiter denied that they were baked first, and then fried--he stated that they are simply dropped in the deep fryer, and that's the end of the story.

Oh, really? How then, are these thick-as-marshmallows sweet potato fries so perfectly cooked and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside, with just a very slight crisp on the outside? They come piping hot, garnished with salt, parsley, and a sprinkling of cayenne and a side of lemon aioli (I thought it was garlic aioli, but the website says it was lemon. Then again, I wasn't really paying attention, since they are perfect alone, and don't really need the aioli at all to be quite honest.)

My only criticism of these fries is that I wish the outside was a bit crispier. That would have definitely sealed the deal. But for now, they are an almost-perfect 9.

+++

Price: $8.00 (pricey, but so hearty that this side could literally be a meal in itself)

Portion Size: Medium (but again, very hearty)

Texture: Very subtle crisp on outside, soft and perfectly cooked on the inside

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (a bit greasy)

Seasoning: Well seasoned with salt, parsley, and cayenne

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: Lemon aioli (although they don't really need them)

Overall Quality of French Fries: 9 out of 10

B Restaurant in Oakland, CA

* NOTE: This place has sadly closed!
 

Holy cow, folks. I wasn't sure it could ever happen again, but I now present to you another 10 (Note: photo below does not do these fries justice!).

The Truffle Fries at B Restaurant are to die for. They are cooked with parsley, and are served with sides of both ketchup and garlic aioli (I kept insisting it was Ranch Dressing, but apparently I can't tell the difference between the two), which is nice if you want to mix it up a bit, but honestly, these tasty potatoes are pretty darn perfect on their own. The truffle oil is not overwhelming, and the taste of the fries have just a hint of earthiness to them. They are well seasoned, and it has been rumored that these are at the buffet table in heaven. The folks upstairs approve!!! Amen.

Price: $6.00

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Crispy on outside, soft on the inside

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (a bit greasy)

Seasoning: Well seasoned with salt and parsley

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: ketchup and garlic aioli (which this here Blogger kept insisting was Ranch Dressing)

Overall Quality of French Fries: 10 out of 10

I Promise!

Dear Readers,

I am not ignoring your french fry recommendations! But every week I just seem to "find" myself at a new place that happens to serve fries, and I really should not be eating these fried goodies more than once a week (ideally, only once a month).

Amba and Flora are both on my to-do list, and by to-do I mean, "before the year ends." And I will not lie: I have had fries from 3 different places in San Francisco that I simply never had time to review, so I'll have to go back with a camera and properly report back. Additionally, I tasted fries at a restaurant recently during a happy hour when I was very distracted while making conversation, and that place too needs to be revisited (um, I cereally think they might be worthy of another TEN!).

With full belly,

The French Fry Lady

Adamson's French Dip Sandwich and Wood Fired Oven in Sunnyvale, CA

First of all, this place has a crazy-*ss name: Adamson's French Dip Sandwich and Wood Fired Oven. Second of all, one would probably go here mainly for the French Dip Sandwiches, but I tried the fries anyway.

The price is right! A buck-ninety-five for a medium size serving. And the first bite was scrumptious. The fries are almost orange in color and I don't know why (should I be concerned?). They certainly have a very prominent "lardy" taste, as if they have been cooked with some sort of meat. You might think: Perhaps the oil they're cooked in is the same oil used to cook the various meats served? But that can't be, since according to their web site, "the meat is roasted in a real wood-fired oven." Or perhaps it was just the flavor of the oil itself; sometimes even vegetable oil can make fries taste as if they've been fried in lardy animal product.

While seasoned well with salt, after the first 5 or so fries, the lard flavor started to annoy me. Now, that doesn't mean I didn't finish the fries, but I can't say I would take a trip out of my way to revisit. (Apparently the meat sandwiches are pretty darn good, although I cannot personally vouch for this claim.)

Price:$1.95

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Crispy on outside,

soft on the inside

Bonus Surprise: Almost orange in color

Greasiness Level: 5 out of 5 (pretty darn greasy)

Seasoning: Pretty well seasoned with salt

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: Choose your own: ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, pepper, salt

Overall Quality of French Fries: 6 out of 10

Delfina Restaurant in San Francisco, CA Redux

Perfect fries by candlelight.

Some of you may remember my first post about Delfina Restaurant. Well, the rumors are all still true. The fries are still outstanding. I did want to share that on this second visit to experience the fine fried carbohydrates, the waiter revealed that the fries are "fried twice." Aha, so that's the secret! The original scores still stand, posted below for your convenience.

Price: $4.00

Portion Size: Extra Large (a steal!!!!)

Texture: Crispy outside with tender soft potato inside

Greasiness Level: 1 out of 5 (meaning not greasy at all; very little oil left behind on fingers)

Seasoning: Salt, sage, rosemary

Fried in: Rice Oil

Bonus: Fried sage and rosemary

Accompanied by Condiments: No

Overall Quality of French Fries: 10 out of 10

(It will be difficult to not give every fry I eat a 10. I promise to be as discerning as possible.)

Wurstkuche in Los Angeles, CA

A quick detour to LA to taste the fries at Wurstkuche. I tried to look up the meaning of Wurstkuche but I can't find it, although their motto is "Purveyor of Exotic Grilled Sausages." However, some have been known to come here for the fries alone.

The menu states that the fries are "Double dipped," which I interpret to mean they are fried twice. You can order 2 different sizes: Klein (small, with one dipping sauce) or Groot (large, with two dipping sauces). I opted for the Klein.

There are many dipping sauces to choose from:

Sweet and Sassy BBQ, Buttermilk Ranch, Thai Peanut, Tzatzkiki (greek yogurt sauce), Chipotle Ketchup, Curry Ketchup, Bleu Cheese Walnut and Bacon, Sundried Tomato Mayo, Chipotle Aioli, Pesto Mayo.

You can also order White Truffle Oil Glaze on top for an extra $1.50

I ordered my Klein with the Pesto Mayo and kept life simple.

The portion size was just right, and the fries were beautiful to look at and arrived piping hot. I must say that these fries are cut quite thickly, so there is a lot more potato inside as opposed to the types of fries I am used to--equal parts fried-outside to soft-potato-inside. These are hearty fries and I am definitely more of the shoestring type, so please keep this in mind when reading my ratings below. (I am also waffling on the final rating, because they were obviously high quality fries, but personally, wide fries are just not my favorite.) I did enjoy them, ate every last one, and if I was in the hood I would probably not be averse to coming back to try them again.

Price:$3.50

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Crispy on outside, soft--and a lot of potato--on the inside

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (slightly greasy)

Seasoning: Just a tad bit underseasoned, but I suppose that's what the dipping sauce is for

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: So many to choose from (see review above)

Also, a few types of different mustards on the table, salt, pepper

Overall Quality of French Fries: 7.25 out of 10

Blake's on Telegraph in Berkeley, CA Part 2

This is Part 2 of the Blakes on Telegraph Fry Review. This is for the Spicy Fries, which, by the way, I ordered with an absolutely delicious spicy black bean burger.

Back to the fries: They were very crispy on the outside, and unfortunately, since they were sliced so darn thin, very crispy on the inside as well. I was very quick to note the lack of texture difference between the outside and the inside of the fry, and was not amused. However, a good bar snack with a drink, and I felt they were well salted.

Price:$2.60

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Really crispy and crunchy on outside,

really crispy and crunchy on the inside!

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (slightly greasy)

Seasoning: Pretty well seasoned with salt

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: (not sure if these too come with a side of Ranch Dressing if ordered alone (see previous post) Choose your own: ketchup, mustard, pepper, salt

Overall Quality of French Fries: 6 out of 10

Blake's on Telegraph in Berkeley, CA Part 1

I made a very unexpected fry stop with friends last Friday, and Blakes on Telegraph was the stop (sadly, their logo reminds me of the Eva Joia Club from the 80s).

Fries of the Sweet Potato variety were the first to be investigated (these were stolen off of various friends' plates). They were pretty good for bar grub, but very underseasoned, and the innards were a bit mushier than I prefer. When ordered alone, they come with ranch dressing. The ranch dressing is nothing to write home about, but it's a nice added touch. The Sweet Potato Fries from Blakes get an okay grade from me!

Price:$2.60

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Crispy on outside, maybe a wee tad too mushy, but overall,

cooked well

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (slightly greasy)

Seasoning: Very underseasoned

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: When ordered alone, comes with a side of (possibly store-bought) quite bland ranch dressing; you can also...

Choose your own condiments, ketchup, mustard, pepper, salt

Overall Quality of French Fries: 7 out of 10

Trueburger in Oakland, CA

For all the hype about their hamburgers, the same cannot be said for Trueburger's 'Shroom Burger (as described by the menu, "Crispy portobello mushroom stuffed with smoked mozzarella cheese"). But this is not a burger review site so I will move on (but wait! I want to say that the mushroom burger was fried in overwhelming breadcrumbs or something and tasted like a bland mix of fried breadcrumbs and more fried breadcrumbs!).

Thankfully, however, the fries were pretty good. Well seasoned and a nice crispness to them. Not the best fries I've had, but pretty darn good. Trueburger also has a nice condiments bar where you can add onions, etc. Admittedly, I did not investigate the extra condiments enough, but you could add them to your fries if you really wanted to.

Price:$2.50

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Crispy on outside, soft inside

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (slightly greasy)

Seasoning: Well seasoned

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: Choose your own condiments, ketchup, mustard, pepper, salt

Overall Quality of French Fries: 7 out of 10

Sparky's Giant Burgers in Oakland, CA

The Team took a fun trip to Sparky's Giant Burgers, up in the Oakland Hills. You literally feel like you're in a small mountain town. I had my fries with a fish sandwich, which seem pretty hard to find around these parts. The sandwich didn't do much for me, but the fries were pretty darn tasty!

I should point out that these were the first fries I'd tasted since becoming a victim of salmonella poisoning, so I'm not sure if that perhaps skewed my opinion of Sparky's fries. That being said, I did very much enjoy these fries. They had an unusual chewiness to them that I found very satisfying. I know that sounds gross, but I think it's the way they cook them (and hopefully not that they were old!). As the menu states, the fries are "sliced daily," and for 2 bucks and some change they are worth the trip up the hill.

Price:$2.35

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. Overall wonderful chewiness to them.

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (slightly greasy)

Seasoning: A bit underseasoned

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: Choose your own condiments, ketchup, mustard, pepper, salt, hot sauce

Overall Quality of French Fries: 8 out of 10

The Hard Knox Cafe, 3rd Street Location in San Francisco, CA

The Hard Knox Cafe has a very special place in my heart. It sits right across from where my graduate school studio used to be, and I often caved and gave in to the Cafe's wonderful bad-for-you Southern style soul food.

I recently re-lived my glory days and paid the Hard Knox a visit for a Catfish Po Boy with a side of fries. Now the Catfish was, as it always has been, AMAZING. I usually order mine "blackened" instead of "fried" to trick myself into thinking it's healthier than it actually is. Delicious frikkin' awesomeness.

Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the fries. Slightly crispy, pretty soggy, and very underseasoned. And I hate to say it–because I truly do love this place–but the fries also came with a hair, which was definitely not mine. (I want to take a point off for the hair, but I'm assuming they don't always come with dead human skin cells, so I will forgive them for now. And this is the first time I've ever had a hair served with my food from this fine establishment.)

Price:$8.00 for a Catfish Po Boy with fries

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Undercooked and soft on outside

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5 (slightly greasy)

Seasoning: Very underseasoned

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: Choose your own condiments, ketchup, mustard,pepper, salt, hot sauce

Bonus Condiment: Someone's hair

Overall Quality of French Fries: 5 out of 10

Ole's Waffle Shop in Alameda, CA

So I'm not going to lie. Ole's is known for their killer greasy spoon breakfasts, and not for their french fries. These were definitely pre-cut and frozen, and slightly undercooked. However, I knew what I was getting into even though I'd never ordered fries at Ole's before. And they were just what I needed.

Not amazing, or even very "good", but will do in a pinch. And not too bad of a price, either. If you don't want to be disappointed, however, stick with the waffles!

Price:$2.31 (mine came with a tuna melt sandwich)

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Undercooked and soft on outside, a bit mushy on the inside

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5

Seasoning: Quite underseasoned

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: Choose your own condiments, ketchup, mustard,pepper, salt

Overall Quality of French Fries: 3 out of 10

In-n-Out Burger in Oakland, CA

Hooray for the only In-n-Out in Oakland, off Hegenberger Road!

Ahh, these fast food fries put all other fast food establishments to shame. 
The potatoes are, according to the store's promotional material, shipped "fresh 
from the farm" and straight to the store. The potatoes are cut right in the store 
and then cooked to perfection, then slightly salted. And let it be said that no matter

which In-n-Out you happen to find yourself at, the fries (and grilled cheese with

everything, which is the only other thing I can vouch for!) will be 
 consistently awesome.

+++

Price:$1.09

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Slightly crispy on outside, lovely and soft on the inside

Greasiness Level: 1 out of 5

Seasoning: Slightly salted

Fried in:100 percent pure cholesterol-free vegetable oil

Condiments: Served with small packets of salt; choose your own condiments, ketchup and/or packets of pepper and/or (more) salt

Overall Quality of French Fries: 7 out of 10

Quinn's Lighthouse in Oakland, CA

Beautiful scenery (the Fry Investigators sat outside on the balcony on the water), but sadly, the fries were pathetic. They tasted like pre-cut frozen fries, and were cooked until all life was sucked out of them. Also, how difficult is it to cut your own potatoes? Really, people!

I almost felt like the fries had been served previously in the day, and then were re-fried to heat them and served again, this time to me. Not a very comforting assumption to make.

The fries came with a basket of assorted condiments: Ketchup, mustard, A1 Barbecue Sauce. I think it is important to mention that the Ketchup was Hunt's brand which, like most national brands, is made from: tomato concentrate, high fructose corn syrup, AND corn syrup (because one type of corn syrup is not enough). Maybe it's best not to read the ingredient labels on condiments!

Good portion size for a pretty cheap price, but unfortunately, yukky overall (although I'm not going to lie. I did not leave a fry untouched.)

If you dare.

Price:$2.99

Portion Size: Slightly larger than a Medium

Texture: Hard and over-fried outside with overcooked medium-texture potato inside

Greasiness Level: 4 out of 5 (pretty greasy!)

Seasoning: None

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Condiments: Choose your own (definitely needs them–these things are hard and crunchy in a yukky overcooked way)

Overall Quality of French Fries: 3 out of 10

Luka's Taproom and Bar in Oakland, CA

I ordered the Luka's Belgian-Style Fries at lunch time, and partner-in-crime for the day Rebecca got hers as a side to burger. A small serving is $4, a large is $6. I ordered a small and thought the pricing fair, especially since they come with fun, tasty dipping options. The presentation is nice and the fries come with three condiments: chipotle aioli; smoked paprika ketchup; and herbed aioli. I must mention that Rebecca's fries came with aioli as well, which I think is a very nice touch. I enjoyed all of my condiments, although I wasn't completely blown away by any of them. My favorite by far was the chipotle aioli because it had a bit of a spicy kick to it. The fries themselves come piping hot and are nice and crisp on the inside and soft on the inside. They were unfortunately underseasoned and needed several shakes of salt (mainly because the salt kept falling to the bottom of the glass every time I tried to add some). Overall, a nice, tasty lunch treat.

Price: $4.00

Portion Size: Medium, and a perfect portion size for those "watching their weight"–not too big and not too small

Texture: Crispy outside and soft inside

Greasiness Level: 1 out of 5

Seasoning: Salt, but underseasoned

Fried in: Canola oil

Condiments: Chipotle aioli, smoked paprika ketchup, herbed aioli. Nice to have indeed!

Overall Quality of French Fries: 7 out of 10

Finding another 10 out of 10 is going to be difficult for sure.

Delfina (see 2nd post of the blog) is giving everyone a run for their money!

Bay Burger at The Emeryville Public Market in Emeryville, CA

These fries from the Emeryville Public Market are the lowest of the low, but they shall be discussed, as every fry encountered warrants review. These fries, which came as a side to a fried fish sandwich (which was also nothing home to write home about), are frozen, pre-cut fries, deep fried in...something. They are undercooked and mushy on both inside and outside. Very low quality, but will do in a pinch. (And if this says anything, I didn't finish them and left quite a few untouched. That's a pretty big deal for me.)

Price: $6.84 (comes as a side to a burger or sandwich)

Portion Size: A tad bigger than a Medium

Texture: Soft outside with undercooked, mealy potato inside

Greasiness Level: 3 out of 5

Seasoning: None

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil

Possibly Made By: Ore-Ida

Condiments: Choose your own (definitely needs them)

Overall Quality of French Fries: 1 out of 10

Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill in Oakland, CA Part 2

This is Part 2 of the Lake Chalet fry review, which concentrates on the sweet potato fries, which I thought were wonderful. Again, ordered during Happy Hour (3-6 PM and then 9PM to closing), I felt that for $3.00, the price was fair. And I would probably pay the normal $6.00 without much complaint, although I feel that is quite a lot to pay for a medium size portion of fries.

The sweet potato fries seemed to be coated in a light batter, which I'm not sure added anything to the flavor, but probably helped amp up the crispness.

Again, these were under-seasoned, but very well cooked--crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

They were served with something the waitress called "Herb Saint," a salad dressing made in-house, which sort of makes me wonder if they were purposely under-seasoned--because they are meant to be eaten with the dressing.

Herbsaint (which is probably not pronounced HERB-SAYNT, the way the waitress did), according to Wikipedia, is "a brand name of anise-flavored liquor," which apparently is placed in this dressing, causing it to have a slight chemical undertone (I'm not sure if "undertone" is being used correctly here--English teachers, please let me know!). I did not find the dressing disagreeable, although other members of the research team were immediately offended by the flavors, calling it "weird" and claiming that the anise flavor was not as subtle as I believed, and was in fact, "right up front."

I did ask for ketchup and salt to go with these fries as well, and that helped kick up the flavor a bit. Overall, I was satisfied.

Price: $3.00

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Crispy outside with soft potato inside

Greasiness Level: 1 out of 5 (meaning not greasy at all; very little oil left behind on fingers)

Seasoning: None?

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil (didn't bother to ask)

Could not determine: whether or not they were coated in thin batter

Accompanied by Condiments: Herbsaint Dressing

Overall Quality of French Fries: 7 out of 10

Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill in Oakland, CA Part 1

This is a two-part review for Lake Chalet.

The first part is for the parmesan fries, which are not very impressive at all. They are probably what the baseline should be in terms of fry edibility. Ordered during Happy Hour (3-6 PM and then 9PM to closing), I felt that for $3.00, the price was fair. If I had had to pay the normal $6.00, I would have been pretty annoyed.

Although they had some things going for them (they looked hand-cut, as there was still some potato skin left on them and were not greasy at all), they were very, very under-seasoned and were poorly cooked (slightly crispy on outside, very mealy on inside). They were not served with salt or ketchup, but needed both in a really bad way.

Recommended only at Happy Hour for $3 or if in a major French Fry Pinch.

Price: $3.00

Portion Size: Medium

Texture: Slightly crispy outside with mealy potato inside

Greasiness Level: 1 out of 5 (meaning not greasy at all; very little oil left behind on fingers)

Seasoning: Parmesan and parsley

Fried in: Some sort of vegetable oil (didn't bother to ask)

Just for Decoration, Added Absolutely Nothing: Parmesan and parsely

Accompanied by Condiments: No, but needed them badly

Overall Quality of French Fries: 5 out of 10

Delfina Restaurant in San Francisco, CA

When asked what the fries at Delfina were fried in, the waiter answered, "Rice oil," which I have never heard of before. How can rice have enough fat content to derive an oil?

However, research on the the internet led me to a product called "Rice Bran Oil." Interesting. According to Wikipedia, "Rice bran oil is the oil extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice." I assume it is better for you than lard. Not that I really care about that stuff. And if it means these fries are healthy compared to lard-fried fries, so be it: these fries are deee-licious.

A giant pile of fries arrives on the table. I mean GIANT. They come tossed with fried pieces of rosemary and sage leaves which are salty, crispy, yummy snacks on their own. They are very well seasoned, meaning they do not need salt added to them, and they do not come with a side of ketchup or any other condiment. They are supposed to be eaten on their own. And they were. All of them.

Price: $4.00

Portion Size: Extra Large (a steal!!!!)

Texture: Crispy outside with tender soft potato inside

Greasiness Level: 1 out of 5 (meaning not greasy at all; very little oil left behind on fingers)

Seasoning: Salt, sage, rosemary

Fried in: Rice Oil

Bonus: Fried sage and rosemary

Accompanied by Condiments: No

Overall Quality of French Fries: 10 out of 10

(It will be difficult to not give every fry I eat a 10. I promise to be as discerning as possible.)

Welcome to the French Fry Lady

I have never met a fry I didn't like. Having said that, that does not mean that all fries are created equally, because they're not. A fry can be soggy and mushy, or enveloped in marijuana (for pot-laced examples, please see Kennedy's Fried Chicken in Long Island City) and I will still eat it. I have even found a fully cooked french fry in the middle of my piece of chocolate cake at the Pour House in Boston. Which shocked me. But I still ate the fry, before continuing with the rest of the cake.

In this blog I will review french fries that I encounter in my life, with the hope that this food item be elevated to the status in the culinary world that it deserves. Feel free to send along recommendations. Happy Fry Spying!