Pursuit Of ExcellenceFrom A Past Issue Of
The New Orleans Menu Daily
Originally published July 17, 2007
Ten Best Restaurants For French Fries

No restaurant is even considered for this list unless it makes it fries from actual fresh potatoes. The best are fried to order.

1. Antoine's. 713 St. Louis. 581-4422. The old restaurant's soufflee potatoes are the apotheosis of French fries, cut thin and puffed up like balloons.

2. La Boca. 857 Fulton, 525-8205. Standard-size fries, hand-cut, fried to order, served in a portion too big to finish alone. Always perfect.

3. Ruth's Chris Steak House. 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600. Fries in four different shapes. The best are the standard size fries, but the shoestring potatoes are also great.

4. Bistro at Maison de Ville. 733 Toulouse, 528-9206. After Chef Greg Picolo started serving fresh-cut fries with his superb mussels at lunch, the fries themselves became a signature item. They're so good that when the restaurant held its grand re-opening party, the fries dominated the buffet table.

5. Luke. 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840. These are classic French bistro fries, hand-cut, fried to order, clean and beautiful, crisp and hot.

6. Casamento's. 4330 Magazine, 504-895-9761. Big fresh-cut fries, perfect with their great oysters.

7. Clementine's Belgian Bistro. 2505 Whitney Ave., 366-3995. In Belgium, fries are a national mania. They eat them with everything, and even have stands on the street selling fries with various sauces. The Belgian style of fries is captured well here.

8. Herbsaint. 701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114. Fresh, crisp fries (usually; send them back if they aren't), served with a fantastic aioli on the side for dipping.

9. Crescent City Steak House. 1001 N. Broad, 821-3271. Good, big, firm, fresh-cut fries.

10. Galatoire's. 209 Bourbon, 525-2021. The primary fry form here is brabant potatoes, cubes rendered crusty at the edges and broiled with butter. ("Brabant" is a Belgian word.) They also make good soufflee potatoes, but don't order them when the place is mobbed.
© 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com