THE BEST: Fries

[Fat Guy]

Continuing along the same lines as our discussion of THE BEST: Creamed Spinach, where do you all think the best fries in New York are served?

One thing worth bearing in mind is that the different styles of fries -- shoestring, McDonald's thickness, Belgian thickness, American-style hand cut, steak fries, cottage fries, etc. -- don't necessarily compete with one another. There can be bests in each category.

[pixelchef]

I've heard Pommes Frites are the best Belgian fries in NYC, but this is just hearsay. Have you tried 'em, FG? I've also read many times that Les Halles and Pastis have incredible fries.

[alacarte]

MMMMMM, frites! I love this thread already.

B Frites on Broadway in the 50s, near the Letterman theater. But they don't keep, you have to eat them right then and there.

Otherwise, I vote for Ore-Ida steak fries from the freezer.

[bpearis]

les halles fries are the best i've ever had. it could have something to do with the bernaise sause they serve with them -- that stuff would make cardboard taste good.

[Fat Guy]

I've heard Pommes Frites are the best Belgian fries in NYC, but this is just hearsay.  Have you tried 'em, FG?  I've also read many times that Les Halles and Pastis have incredible fries.

You're talking about the place on Second Ave. just off St. Marks place? Their fries are pretty good, yes, but they're only fried once and therefore don't have that great balance that real Belgian fries get from being cooked in two different temperatures of oil.

I agree that both Balthazar and Pastis have very good fries.

[mamster]

I also vote for B. Frites, although I haven't surveyed the field since 1999. They double-fry.

[pixelchef]

I've heard Pommes Frites are the best Belgian fries in NYC, but this is just hearsay.  Have you tried 'em, FG?  I've also read many times that Les Halles and Pastis have incredible fries.

You're talking about the place on Second Ave. just off St. Marks place? Their fries are pretty good, yes, but they're only fried once and therefore don't have that great balance that real Belgian fries get from being cooked in two different temperatures of oil.

I agree that both Balthazar and Pastis have very good fries.

Indeed sir, I am. 123 2nd Ave.

A review I just searched out says this:

"The food, authentically Belgian, Pommes Frites' pommes frites (the only thing the shop sells) are hand-cut and twice-fried. Dipping sauces (of which six are free, and 20 cost 50 cents) include roasted garlic mayonnaise, satay peanut sauce and the complimentary house "especial"--mayonnaise, ketchup and raw onions"

Is that false advertising, or is the once-fried something you just assumed due to their lack of twice-fried characteristics? I'm interested, because when I come to NYC in the summer, good fries are something I'm gonna want to be very aware of. :)

[ajay]

F+B had great fries (that, I believe, utilized the double frying technique), but i haven't been there recently and fat guy's report suggested that they have gone down hill.

[Fat Guy]

Pixel, I've read in several places that Pommes Frites fries its fries twice, but if you go stand there and watch them cook the fries you can see raw potatoes going into a single deep fat fryer, being removed, and being served. So unless they've managed, on multiple occasions, to sneak them into a second fryer while I was distracted by a loud noise or a pretty girl, that review is wrong.

[Holly Moore]

FG, could it be that what you took to be raw fries were fries after their first frying - still white, cooked only until they became limp? Can can not imagine a place calling itself Pomme Frites and advertising Belgian style fries not frying them twice - especially in NYC.

[SobaAddict70]

El Gordo is correct. Pommes Frites, while having very good frites (note my usage), does not have twice-fried frites. My own preferences aside, their dipping sauces are diverse and range from mediocre to excellent.

My opinion --- stay away from the roasted garlic hollandaise (yeechhh) and stick to traditional or what passes for traditional.

Soba

n.b. they probably are twice-fried, or at least pre-cooked, but when I've been there I've only seen one frying.

Edited May 8, 2003 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[glenn]

Is that false advertising, or is the once-fried something you just assumed due to their lack of twice-fried characteristics?  I'm interested, because when I come to NYC in the summer, good fries are something I'm gonna want to be very aware of. :)

The Today Show last week did a series in honor of the Best of NY Magazine issue, which included bagels, donuts, burgers, fries and something else. I think Pommes Frites was rated #1 and the cook stated the fries were fried a second time just before serving. Didn't they open another store in the west village? In my opinion, they're good, not great, but the zillion different toppings makes it worth it.

[Holly Moore]

If Pommes Frites is starting with fresh potatoes as opposed to frozen, they pretty much have to fry them twice to achieve the desired golden crisp outside, mealy inside. I'm still thinking they must be frying the first time until they are just limp and still white. These could then be stored and refried later, during service.

I was there once, a few years ago, and found them adequate but not even close to the frites offered by any Brussels Frite stand.

[TrishCT]

Although the food can be spotty.... I have always found the frites at Tout Va Bien to be formidable.

[reggie_212]

If Pommes Frites is starting with fresh potatoes as opposed to frozen, they pretty much have to fry them twice to achieve the desired golden crisp outside, mealy inside.  I'm still thinking they must be frying the first time until they are just limp and still white.  These could then be stored and refried later, during service.

I was there once, a few years ago, and found them adequate but not even close to the frites offered by any Brussels Frite stand.

I haven't been to Pommes Frites in years but i do remember asking the server if the fries she was putting into the deep fryer were cooked already which she confirmed. Given how fast they're able to serve the fries to ou, how could they be raw?? I think if they started with raw potatoes in that big white bin they have, the first thing you would notice is that they would be turning a really nasty color as any unskinned, unsubmersed in water potato would turn. Plus, as I mentioned the cooking time would be alot longer if they started raw..

Can I include in this category your run of the mill home fries from the local greek diner?!?!? I don't know why, but there is nothing better than correctly cooked, slightly burnt, home fries to complement a couple of runny eggs and bacon.

[Yaacov]

Call me crazy, but when cooked to spec, McDonald's are perfect.

-yb

[pixelchef]

Crazy!

[Jason Perlow]

Call me crazy, but when cooked to spec, McDonald's are perfect. 

-yb

I would tend to agree with that, but when Mcdonalds switched to vegetable oil from beef tallow, they pretty much screwed the pooch on their fries for the most part. They now use some kind of beef flavoring to get a similar desired effect.

I'm partial to the fries at Nathan's franchises. Totally different kind of beast.

Also, I think Chik-Fil-A (a southern chicken sandwich chain, which has a few locations in NJ) makes really good Waffle Fries.

[Fat Guy]

El Gordo is correct.  Pommes Frites, while having very good frites (note my usage), does not have twice-fried frites.

I guess I'll have to re-inspect, but Soba tell me if you've seen what I've seen: 1) They have that hand-cranked machine that cuts the fries, 2) the fries go into the oil, 3) the fries get scooped out of the oil and salted, and 4) the fries get served.

[Yaacov]

El Gordo is correct.  Pommes Frites, while having very good frites (note my usage), does not have twice-fried frites.

I guess I'll have to re-inspect, but Soba tell me if you've seen what I've seen: 1) They have that hand-cranked machine that cuts the fries, 2) the fries go into the oil, 3) the fries get scooped out of the oil and salted, and 4) the fries get served.

I've only been there a few times, but the fries are fried pretty quickly. I'd think it impossible to cook them that quickly unless they were first fried in "cold" oil.

That said, this is an excellent excuse to find out.

Other very good fries:

Tartine (similar to McDonald's best)

L'Express (very thin, but good)

Blue 9 Burger

-yb

[Blondie]

In yet another instance of eGullet influencing my dining, I went to Pommes Frites tonight as I'm staying nearby.

They do fry them twice. I didn't get the specifics, but it seems the first frying they don't get much color. They're held in a big stainless steel bowl until they're fried the second time to order. They're damn good.

[Yaacov]

In yet another instance of eGullet influencing my dining, I went to Pommes Frites tonight as I'm staying nearby.

They do fry them twice. I didn't get the specifics, but it seems the first frying they don't get much color. They're held in a big stainless steel bowl until they're fried the second time to order. They're damn good.

Thanks for doing the legwork Blondie. Belgian-style fries are fried twice; once in a relatively cold oil to actually cook the potato and draw out it's natural moisture to the surface, and then fried later, just before serving, for a shorter time period at a higher temperature to actually crisp the potato.

-yb

[pixelchef]

Ah-ha! "Mystery" solved.

Thanks Blondie. I appreciate the sacrifices you've made for us here today. You're a brave soul. :)

Edited May 9, 2003 by pixelchef (log)

[rstarobi]

Call me crazy, but when cooked to spec, McDonald's are perfect. 

-yb

I would tend to agree with that, but when Mcdonalds switched to vegetable oil from beef tallow, they pretty much screwed the pooch on their fries for the most part. They now use some kind of beef flavoring to get a similar desired effect.

I'm partial to the fries at Nathan's franchises. Totally different kind of beast.

Also, I think Chik-Fil-A (a southern chicken sandwich chain, which has a few locations in NJ) makes really good Waffle Fries.

Jason, I've only tried the Chik-Fil-A's in Indiana, but I recall them being over salted and a bit unflavorful - all in all, pretty good for fast food, but not anything special. They stand out in my mind because the owner, an evangelical christian, demands that the franchises be closed on Sunday.

My faves in NY of the Frites type are Les Halles & the place on W. 4th, I think - just around the corner from the BB sandwich bar. Not so many sauces, but the fries are amazing.

Molly's on 23rd & 3rd does very good fries too as I recall.

[klinger75]

I always remember Le steak on the upper east side as having terrific fries. Not sure if they are still open. Sammys (ye old cider mill) in N.J. Might possibly have the best fries in the country!!