Tuesday, December 14, 2010

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