Because we were all messing too much with the GQ thread.
Fries, fried potatos, patat frittes, fritten, pommes frites, whatever.
What belongs on them, who makes good ones, where are the best ones to be procured. Poutaine: good or evil? Mayonaise? Belgian or French or In-n-Out Burger? Crisscut or steak?
Opinion #1: Man, the Belgians have this one down, although I have never met a fry I didn’t like. They do this double frying thing-- they start with the cut potatos and fry it for a while sort of low, I think, so the insides cool, and then lager them. Then when you order them they flash fry them a second time so they are crispy on the outside. They toss them in a metal colander with some salt and Bob’s your uncle. Then you get the lovely sauces. At dinner at decent resturaunts with Belgian food you often get fries-- with your mussels or your beef carbonade: absolutely lovely.
All fries are good.
Poutine is incredibly good, almost worth making the trip for!
Mayo is okay, the only time I use it as dip is if I have green olives to snack on too, great combo.
Chili-cheese fries were my craving of choice during pregnancy.
Mmmm, fries.
I’ve typed it before nad I’ll type it again.
Mayo is for tuna, and nothing else.
To dip fries in mayo is an insult to every Idahoan.
Seasoned fries are better than regular, malt vinegar is good on thicker fries, ketchup is necessary if the fries are too salty.
- soaked in vinegar (preferably apple cider or malt), occasionally with ketchup and/or hot sauces as well
- never with gravy
- poutine, if made properly. cheddar has no home on poutine you ogdamned heathens.
- pachos ala kelly o’bryans with their ‘secret’ sauce
- homemade with the skins still on are the best way
- must be deep fried. no ovens.
They were just regular ol’ frites, but I loved having them in a big paper cone and walking around Amsterdam eating them. And being the true fat addict I am, I liked them with mayo as well. Almost as fun as buying those little croketten (?) from the automat with no idea what’s inside until you bite it. Yes, I was stoned out of my mind and I was thankful for it!
I thought the double fry was standard. Most, if not all, frozen fries (including fast food) are pre-fried, and the second fry is simply to crisp them.
Shoestring / Kosher Salt / Malt Vinegar.
Although, I made a roasted garlic aioli last time and it was fantastic with the fries.
Wendys Frosty as a dip for hot fresh fries! Three people in GQ can’t be wrong. 
When Keith Richards got busted in Fordyce, Arkansas at the Four Dice Inn (get, Fordyce?) the waitress reported he’s had brown gravy on his fries.
There were drugs involoved here, my friends, not just illegal posession of a knife.
I prefer Ketchup with meat or Ranch without.
Now, doesn’t poutine use cheese curds AND gravy? As soon as I get to Canada I am SO getting some.
I think gravy’s a fantastic idea. I have had fries with burgundy beef and it was swell.
The best adulterated fries in the United States are to be found in Utah, at the Training Table restaurants. Cheese fries with their house dipping sauce. Coronary on a platter, but I’d go with a big ol’ grin.
Yes it does, and if you want to know how it looks, like, here is an average picture.
detop who comes from the province where poutine was born.
People, people, the best fry is, and forever will be, the waffle fry. Why, you ask? It’s quite simple, let me explain:
The waffle fry is unique in that by having holes in parts of it, the surface area increases greatly in proportion to the volume. By doing this, the cripsy to fluffly ratio of the fry is at it’s peak. No other fry can come close to giving the perfect amount of crispness to fluffiness.
Now, personally, a perfect waffle fry needs to be dipped in Heinz ketchup. Other fries, such as shoestring, crinkle cut, and straight cut are good with ketchup, BBQ sauce, or, most best, loads of salt and vinegar. Yum.
The best non-waffle fries are to be had from Al’s French Fries in Burlongton, VT. They too employ the double-fry method. And there are bottles of vinegar at every table.
Thick cut allows much potato goodness to shine. Skinny fries (I’m lookin’ at you Steak n’ Shake) are all style, little substance.
A dash of salt, a touch of ketchup. Malt vinegar sometimes, but just a tich.
I make a fabulous fry at home. I microwave a potato, then let it cool in the fridge. Slice into steak-fry size pieces and fry up in a blend of canola and peanut oil. Fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.
This explains why my butt has its own ZIP code.
Haven’t been there in a while, but boy did their fries suck.
Well…no offense Stinkum, but steak fries are an abomination unto the Lord. Seriously, it’s nothing more than a mini-baked potato that isn’t neccesarily baked. IT IS NOT A FRENCH FRY!
Another resounding vote for Belgian frittes. These are the originals and still the best by far. And yes, I like to dip them in mayo. Fresh potatoes, kept in water until ready to cook, twice fried under strictly controlled temperatures, and tossed with salt. Pure heaven; I suspect that in the two years I lived in Brussels I must have eaten at least 500 pounds of potatoes. The only thing in America that comes close to being as good are beer-batter fries, and I’ve only had those at one place.