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Jake’s Falafel Corner

For my last stop on this journey, I wanted to try something different. I didn’t want to go to a fast food restaurant or a pizzeria like I have been going to for the past five weeks. I decided to go to Jake’s Falafel In Newton Center, MA and order some fries and tahini.

Tahini is a Middle Eastern sauce made of ground sesame seeds. Although it sounds like a peanut butter mixture, it is not as thick as peanut butter and has more of a runny consistency. It tastes kind of nutty, but also sweet. I would say it’s more like a yogurt than peanut butter or hummus. I love tahini, sometimes even more than hummus which it is often paired with on falafel, and I thought putting it on fries would be unique and definitely something I have never tried before.

Jake’s doesn’t have tahini fries on the menu, so this was my own creation. What better way to end my journey?! Anyway, I was loving myself after pouring the tahini sauce onto of the fries, and so were my tastebuds. Jake’s fries were a little too soft for my liking, but that’s usually what you get at a place that doesn’t specialize in fast food, or I guess, American fast food, so I was expecting it. The tahini on the fries was something that tasted nothing like any of the other fries I tried on this journey. The nutty flavor complimented the salt on the potatoes nicely and we couldn’t get enough.

Even though this is the end of my journey for my journalism class, next time I try some specialty fries I will definitely make a post about it. This blog has been a great outlet not only for my food loving side, but for my friends and I to go out and treat ourselves to some fries we’ve never had before. I’ll miss texting my friends to go get  fries with me for the blog and eating them picnic style outside. This is not goodbye forever, Fries Over Guys, it Is goodbye until I find new fries.

Tahini Fries: 9/10

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Union Street Restaurant and Bar

Union Street Restaurant and Bar is a great place to go for any event. Also located in Newton Center, MA, I have attended field hockey team dinners, sweet sixteens, and regular family dinners there throughout high school. Once, I went with my friend because we were craving something sweet, and we ordered probably the best brownie sundae I have ever had.

Although I have been to Union Street multiple times, I had never tried their sweet potato fries. This is not a huge surprise since sweet potato fries are never something that I feel the need to order. When there is an option of getting regular fries or sweet potato fries, I will always get regular fries. Maybe it’s because I don’t like mixing sweet and salty (I feel the same way about kettle corn, it’s not something I love), but since the blog had chili-cheese, cheese, truffle, and spicy, I thought sweet potato fries would add some variety to the list.

I was pleasantly surprised by these fries. First of all, I really liked the way they were cut. They were crinkle cut which I feel like you don’t see a lot of at restaurants. The cut gave them a cool and unique texture which did the fries justice. Although they orange fries were pretty soft, it wasn’t a bad thing. Maybe sweet potato fries are better when they’re soft than regular fries. The potatoes were also not too sweet and not too salty which made both flavors work well together rather than like they were competing with each other. So, in conclusion, I did enjoy them, however, sweet potato fries just aren’t for me. If you do like sweet potato fries though, I would definitely recommend.

Sweet Potato Fries: 7/10

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Baramor Bar and Restaurant

Next to the donut store where I work (Blackbird Doughnuts), is Baramor Bar and Restaurant in Newton Center, MA. When I work through lunchtime, I usually order a chicken Caesar salad or the buttermilk chicken sandwich, both which I would highly recommend, and when I saw Baramor had truffle fries, I knew I had to try them.

As I’ve said before, I love truffle fries. I actually my love for truffle fries was universal, that everyone loves truffle fries until I excitedly told my friend Baramor had truffle fries and saw she was not as excited as I was. Anyways, to me, the smell of these fries was enough to get my mouth watering and unbuckle my belt for what I knew I was about to devour. Despite the truffle oil, these fries were pretty simple. They didn’t have a couple of different flavors that worked together to create a unique flavor, which I think would have brought them to the next level. The texture of these fries was something different. They weren’t crispy on the outside or soft on the inside, nor were they too soft or too crunchy. The best way I can explain them is that they were soft on the inside with a little bit of crispiness on the outside.

Although I wish there was a little more cheese and maybe even a sauce to go with them, they were addicting. I couldn’t stop picking them up one by one and stuffing them in my mouth.

Truffle fries: 8/10

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Bill’s Pizzeria

To celebrate the last part of my journey, I invited two of my friends to come have a meal of french fries with me. We went to four different restaurants and had a feast on a red picnic table, eating fries, taking pictures, and talking about our plans for the night. As a disclaimer, we weren’t comparing the fries to each other, and I won’t be comparing them on the blog either.

The first restaurant we ordered from was Bills Pizzeria in Newton Center, MA. When I saw spicy fries on the menu, I knew I had to try those for the blog. Bill’s is known for their pizza, chicken fingers, salads and subs, and is always crowded with people. When I got these spicy fries and opened the red striped cardboard container, I was honestly a little underwhelmed. Just by judging from appearance, they looked undercooked and soft. Maybe that’s not a bad thing. Some people like soft fries, but it’s just not something I like. I’ve tried regular Bills fries before, they come with their chicken fingers, and they’re always pretty crispy so I was surprised when the spicy fries weren’t.

The fries in general weren’t spicy at all. At times you could taste the flavor, but it wasn’t a constant spice I was looking for. I’ve learned from this experience that spicy fries kind of just taste like potatoes with a packet of ramen flavoring over them. So, I think that spicy fries in general are just not for me. I would recommend Bills for their salads and pizzas, just maybe not these fries.

Spicy fries: 2/10

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Steve’s Pizzeria

This weekend I went to Bristol New Hampshire with some of my friends, and in order to be allowed back home, we have been quarantining in Cape Cod for the last few days.

Although I had a great time in NH, my body was craving some Massachusetts fries, and I was excited to get back home and try some new flavors.

My first stop since New Hampshire was Steve’s Pizzeria in Falmouth, MA. It’s a small place on Main St., but I’ve realized throughout my life that small pizzeria’s are always the best. I assumed that these fries would be given to me covered in mystery yellow-cheese sauce as so many fries have been on my journey. However, as I watched them prepare my fries, I saw them first fry the slim cut potatoes, and then, to my surprise, sprinkle real cheese on top and put them in the oven. Although I’m not sure what kind of cheese it was (could’ve been mozzarella or white cheddar), they felt fancier, and a better quality than any cheese fries I’ve tried before, maybe because they weren’t covered in processed cheese. The fries themselves were crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. They weren’t soggy from the cheese, and in fact, stayed sturdy and intact as we lifted the fries from the silver container and brought them to our mouths. Not to mention that the cheese-pull was completely instagram worthy.

I would definitely recommend Steve’s cheese fries to anyone in the area. They are the perfect size to split with a friend. In fact, my friend and I ate them in the car as an appetizer to the pizza that we also ordered.

Cheese fries: 9/10

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Shake Shack

After work on Sunday, I was craving some greasy fast-food to help me get through the day. 15 minutes before my shift ended, I went on my phone and ordered a burger with lettuce, pickles, and shack sauce, and of course, the most crazy fries on Shake Shack’s menu: spicy cheese fries. 

Although they have multiple around Massachusetts, I went to one in Chestnut Hill, MA because it is the closest location to my house. I grabbed the paper bag filled with my order from the restaurant, and quickly drove home, excited to eat my lunch. 

The cheese sauce came in a container on the side because I got it for takeout, so I decided to try the fries plain at first to really taste their flavor. The best way to describe what they taste like is that it’s almost like they are tossed in the spicy seasoning that comes with instant ramen in the little packet that you open and pour in the plastic bowl. They were definitely spicy, but there was something about the flavor of the spice that wasn’t doing it for me - I wasn’t loving it, to say the least. The best way I can describe it is that the spice wasn’t mixing well with the fries, it was almost too dry. However, when I poured the cheese sauce on top, it added that different texture they needed to make the spiciness and the fries work well together. The cheese sauce cancelled out the aggressiveness of the spice, and actually brought the flavor to a whole other level. So, in conclusion, if you are going to get the spicy fries from Shake Shake, I would recommend getting them with the cheese. sauce, rather than just the plain spicy fries. 

Spicy cheese-fries: 7/10 

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Cabot’s Ice Cream & Restaurant

Located also in Newton, MA, Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant is best known for their plethora of ice cream flavors that can be mixed and matched to make incredible combinations of ice cream sundaes. However, just going to Cabot’s for ice cream would be a crime as their menu consisting of diner food like grilled cheese, burgers, chicken fingers, and of course waffles and pancakes are just as good as the dessert.

Just like Johnny’s, I’ve been to Cabot’s what feels like hundreds of times, but I tend to always get chicken fingers and regular fries as a meal, and then any ice cream sundae with marshmallow sauce onto for dessert. When I thoroughly looked through their menu for the first time in years, I was surprised to find that they offer a couple different options for fries. I decided to order their Cheddar Chili-fries because they seemed the most exotic out of the other options.

By first glance, these fries were beautiful. The sprinkled cheese onto contrasted the chili underneath making for a beautiful picture of what I think diner fries should look like. Again, since we had to order them for takeout, by the time we ate them the cheese was already cold and we couldn’t execute the aesthetically pleasing cheese-pull we probably could have had they been warm. Their temperature also ended up robbing the fires of a lot of their flavor, which made them more salty than they probably would’ve been. However, Because the cheese was real cheese and not cheese sauce, you could distinctly taste how the cheddar and the chili complimented each other, rather than overpowering the other.  Although they were cold, I still really enjoyed these fries. My only criticism would be that I wish there was a little more chili so that the spicy flavor would’ve shined through a little more, but otherwise, I would definitely order these again, but next Time eat them at the restaurant so I could get the full experience of the cheese-pull that I know they have the potential of accomplishing.

Cheddar chili-cheese fries: 8/10

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Johnny’s Luncheonette

Johnny’s Luncheonette was our second endeavor in my friend in I’s fry-day adventure, which actually happened to be on a Friday.

Also located in Newton, MA, Johnny’s 80’s themed restaurant was my favorite place to go when I was little. Their chicken fingers, Mac and cheese, waffles, pancakes etc are perfect for any meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner. I used to love their big coloring pages, comfortable purple booths, and of course, jukebox at the front of the store, all aspects that made Johnny’s so kid-friendly and family fun. 

On their menu, the only fries they had were home fries, which somehow, I had never tried before, so I decided it would be a perfect opportunity for this blog. Now, I love Johnny’s, I really do, but I was underwhelmed by what I received. When I opened the cardboard container to a pile of triangular cut potatoes, I was like, come on Johnny’s, you can do better than this. I mean in their defense, if I had ordered these as a side to waffles or pancakes, they probably would’ve been really good, but just as a side they were kind of boring. They tasted just like grilled red potatoes, and had some onion mixed in with them. In theory they did their job as home fries, but there was really nothing special about them. Although I asked, there was no sauce to put on top of them besides ketchup, but I don’t like ketchup. They were also a little too soft for my liking, and I wish they had some more crunch to them. Overall, as a side I think they would do their job, but I wouldn’t order them just by themselves again. 

Home fries: 6/10 

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Cook Restaurant

Today was a crazy day; my friend and I decided to try fries from three different places, go to the public gazebo near her house, and chow down on the differently cut potatoes in cardboard boxes. I’m not going to compare them to each other because they were all so different (you’ll see in the next posts), but I will, of course, describe each dish in detail.

The first place we went to is called Cook located in Newton, MA. It is described on it’s website as: “Modern, high-ceilinged bistro for craft cocktails, creative New American eats & weekend brunch.” Now, to be quite honest, I love Cook. My go-to is their kale Caesar salad and any of their flatbread pizza’s, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss. We’re here to talk about their insane truffle fries.

These fries for sure fit the speciality category when it comes to french fries. They are topped with parmesan cheese, rosemary, and herbs, while they pair perfectly with the aioli sauce that comes on the side. Aioli is a sauce made of garlic, salt, and olive oil, according to Google, and Cook’s is so good that eating these fries with plain-old ketchup would be a crime.

The fries themselves were crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside, exactly how I like my french fries cooked. There was also a variety of types of fries within the container; there were ones that were more crunchy and one’s that were more soft. Some had a lighter exterior, while others had a darker, more golden skin to them. Truffle fries are always more special than any other regular oil because the truffle oil adds that extra mushroomy, garlicy flavor, and the parmesan onto helps to bring that flavor out even more, and that’s what set’s Cook’s fries aside from other fries.

My only criticism about these fries is that since we had to get takeout, they were cold and ended up tasting a little more like cardboard than usual, which ended up robbing them of their flavor. Otherwise, we ended up finishing the entire serving, and even picked up all the parmesan at the bottom of the cardboard container.

Aioli Sauce: 9/10

Truffle Fries: 8.5/10

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Lee’s Burgers

Welcome to my first fry-day. As I sat through three zoom classes that felt endless, all I was thinking about were the golden fries I knew were awaiting me as soon as I shut my computer, grabbed my keys, and ran out the door. It was a distraction, to say the least.

This blog is not going to be me trying plain yellow fries and rating them based on whether they strip my mouth of all moisture from the pounds of salt they’re dressed in. No, no, no. I’m trying real fries. The one’s you get when you’re feeling bored and want to excite your taste buds.

I knew my journey had to start somewhere reliable. I didn’t want to go to a place that I knew would serve me cardboard, cut to look like fries, in a takeout container. I turned to Lee’s Burgers in Newton Center, Massachusetts, a popular fast-food restaurant for teenagers that serves burgers, hotdogs, sandwiches, and of course, fries.

I know from the picture it looks kind of gross, but I promise Lees did not disappoint. First of all, Lee’s fries themselves are not my preferred fry if I’m being completely honest. They’re thick cut and a little too soft for my liking, but in this mixture of chili and cheese sauce, they worked perfectly. The best way I can describe the chili-cheese sauce mixture Lee’s gave me in a plastic container is that it reminded me of high school cafeteria nachos, like really good, but also a little gross. I’m not sure if that taste is relatable to everyone, so I’ll keep explaining. The chili tastes like real chili, and I was even surprised when I tasted a bean. The cheese just tastes like regular nacho cheese, so how could you go wrong? My criticisms would be that I do wish there was a little bit of a spice to it though, just to add a little more flavor. I also wish the fries were a little more crunchy, or that the chili-cheese sauce had some texture to it, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by Lee’s work.

Lee’s is also known for their “special sauce,” but don’t ask me what is in it because they will never reveal their secret. The word on the street is that it is mustard, mayonnaise, and chili pepper concoction, but all I know for sure is this is the best sauce to put on anything that classifies as fast-food. They gave me a small container on the side, so I will rate what it tastes like to dip a french fry in some Lee’s special sauce.

Chili-cheese fries: 6/10

Sauce: 10/10