I am a french fry fiend. When I was little, my dad would always fry potatoes for a midnight snack, and my siblings and I would come into the kitchen half-asleep, gather around the stove and eat fried potatoes out of the cast iron pan.
Now, when I go into fast food restaurants and see all the greasy food, what I want most is a side of salty, crispy french fries. No ketchup, no hot sauce, I like my fries with salt only, and whatever seasoning the restaurant chooses.
There are a lot of places in Bed-Stuy that sell french fries, but most of them are more or less the usual fries that come frozen and are thrown in the deep fryer with salt. Don’t get me wrong, I love those fries. But this search was about finding something different.
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Here are five restaurants in the neighborhood that pay special attention to their french fries. Keep in mind, if the fries are good, usually so is everything else in the restaurant.
5. Royal Rib House
303 Halsey Street
This restaurant, which specializes in barbecue and soul food, uses a cajun spicing on its fries. Each bite is spicy, salty, zesty, and leaves you wanting more. I was surprised how quickly I could gulp down of plate of these shoestring fries.
4. Bushbaby
1197 Fulton St
This cafe makes a large plate of sweet potato and regular potato fries mixed together. The cozy atmosphere of the restaurant makes it a great stop with friends on cold winter nights, for a mug of tea and order of fries to share (if you eat them alone, it will make for an entire meal). The fries are all crunch, deep fried to perfection, and the sweet potato fries mixed in adds a bit of necessary sweetness to the dish.
3. Rustik Tavern
471 Dekalb Ave
This large, dimly lit, and indeed rustic bar and restaurant is a great place to eat some Cajun-spiced french fries, that are served in what looks like a french onion soup bowl. The fries are unpeeled, and crispy on the outside, but have a soft, mushy center. The Cajun spicing is delicious, I would recommend this seasoning for any type of fries.
2. Halsey Street Grill
260 Halsey St
The food here seems too good to be true. Just looking at all the soul food options through the glass divider is enough to make your mouth water. And if fries do speak to the quality of the rest of the menu, than Halsey Street Grill can deliver! The fries are unpeeled and cut into thick strips, with a slightly crispy outside and lightly spicy seasoning, and a firm center that embraces the flavor of the potato (fries that actually tastes like potatoes-is it possible?).
1. Peaches
393 Lewis Avenue
This restaurant on Lewis Ave is as heart-warming as its southern cooking. It has three types of fries; regular, barbecue, and sweet potato. I opted for the barbecue fries, and I wasn’t disappointed. The fries are cooked until they are slightly crispy, and coated in a delicious and smoky flavored barbecue rub. Try it with their barbecue aioli, a creamy dipping sauce that beats ketchup or hot sauce any day.
