Alrighty kids, buckle up… This is only post number two and I went on my first actual road trip for some fries! This journey took us to the magical land of NEW YORK CITY! It is truly one of my favorite places in the entire world. I lived in NYC for a few months back in Spring and Summer of 2015. It is truly a shame that I didn’t have this idea back then, because I ATE A LOT OF FRIES over that little frame of time. ANYWHO… lets get to the task at hand! First stop…MANHATTAN!

FUKU+, New York City

Loaded Fries – $7

• Aroma – 8
• Texture – 7
• Flavor – 8.5
• Freshness – 6
• Value – 5
• Wow-Factor – Oh shit, Gurl.

I’m not going to lie, I have never been too excited to go to one of David Chang’s restaurants. I think he tends to be overrated, so I had some reservations. However, I went with a friend who HIGHLY recommended this little hipster heaven, and I trust his opinion, so there I was. We first ordered some drinks (a little pricey but they got the job done), and then it came time for the coveted frittes! My friend Mae and I decided to split the “loaded fries,” knowing that we had some more spuds to hit later on. The waiter told us the fries came loaded with a cheese sauce, scallions, and a spicy pork ragu.

These fries were a sight to behold and served on a silver platter…okay actually a silver quarter sheet pan like you see at a BBQ joint, but you get the point. Mae and I dug right in! First of all, the aroma was out of this world. The ragu hit us right in the face. Its meaty, sweet, and spicy all at the same time with a little bit of an umami kick near the end. The scallions also added a nice onion-y stench…the good kind. Next, I love when there are a few textures going on. This had it all, smooth, creamy, crunchy. My only complaint was that some of the fries right in the middle got soggy because they were covered with the bulk of the sauce. This would have been easily fixed by simply spreading the sauce for full coverage. The flavor was out of this world! The cheese sauce almost seemed like a homemade version of that really good but really bad Coney Island style fake cheese sauce…but this cheese was real. The ragu tasted like it had been simmering for days and those flavors were all hanging out in Happy Town and mingling together. The freshness of the toppings was undeniable. However, the fries were definitely pre-made and just fried on premise. They were a good vehicle for the toppings. Because of that fact alone, I though these fries were on the pricey side. It only came in a small boat. I would pay $5.50 at most for these. Oh shit, Gurl! These fried were really good! They definitely gave me a positive experience at my first David Chang restaurant. Good for you FUKU+… you have my vote.

Pommes Frites – New York City

Large Belgian Style Fry with TLC sauce and Truffle Mayo – $10

• Aroma – 9
• Texture – 8
• Flavor – 9
• Freshness – 10
• Value – 8
• Wow-Factor – I’VE BEEN WAITING MY WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS ONE NIGHT

For you to understand this one, we need to go back to Spring of 2015 when I moved to NYC. Pommes Frites has been on my bucket list since I was 18 years old. I have been in serious need of their fries and sauces. WELL… finally I was ready to go. I moved to NYC, i could go at anytime, right? WRONG! The day before I had plans to go, THEY LITERALLY BURNED DOWN! I thought all hope was lost until I found out the owner decided to rebuild. Flash forward to two days ago… my dreams were finally coming true! I was also very drunk by the time we went so they were EXTRA delicious.

This place is literally my mecca. It was stunning. An entire shop dedicated to solely making fries and beautiful, wonderful, exquisite dipping sauces. I had reached the epitome of my life. We went up, tried a few sauces and finally decided on getting their largest fry, the TLC (Tequila, lime chipotle) sauce and a truffle mayo. My friend Erik also got an order of poutine. We had to jet uptown to go to a drag show, so these fries were about to go on the ride of their life. Our drunk asses ate these babies while standing around a pole on the subway. They were hot, fresh, salty and PERFECT. Honestly they were everything I had hoped for and more. The sauces were insanely good. I preferred the TLC. It had the perfect spicy punch to it. The fried were gone in minutes. They were clearly cut in-house and had the perfect crunchy outside and soft fluffy inside. They were Belgian style and tended to be shorter in length… not usually my style, but I was into it (sorry for the innuendo). I honestly wish I had the time to sit down and enjoy them and maybe next time I will be slightly more sober. But still, definitely worth it! And I would have even paid more! They were what I have been waiting for my entire life. Can you get married to fries? No? Okay, whatever.

*funny story about this little picture that goes with it. I was very drunk and wanted to get a good picture. I had Mae open that bag and I just shoved my phone inside and snapped a quick shot. My inebriated mind thought it looked like a photo that should be in national geographic. It was a beauty. I now realize that a toddler could have done a better job.

Oh! How was Erik’s poutine, you ask?

“This poutine is literally the best poutine I have ever had. Being from Western New York, I know my way around a Poutine. But this one… the fries were nice and crisp with bomb-ass flavor, the cheese curds were delicious and slightly melted from the gravy. The gravy though…the gravy was definitely the MVP of this poutine. It was so good. It had hints of rosemary and thyme and was perfect paired with the cheese and fries.” – Erik Keough

If you are ever in NYC, I highly recommend both of these spudly spots. Keep giving me recommendations and thank you for reading! Now that I am back home in Providence, I am going to The Ivy Tavern! What can I say? It has my heart.