(Photo Via The Picurist)
I think it is more than fair for me to say that french fries are the greatest and most perfect food ever. You can argue with me all you’d like but I’m letting you know right now: you’re wrong. You can find them at nearly every eatery you can imagine, from shabby diners to five star restaurants. However, these places all make the same grave and unforgivable mistake: they subject french fries to an eternity as a side dish. Girl, no. French fries are so much more than a side dish and deserve to be treated with all the love and respect you can mustard (ha). French fries are wifey material. They are beautiful to look at but trust me, they’re far from shallow. Beneath their golden-brown and crisp exteriors hide a core of truth, a truth which reveals itself in the form of…potatoes. Things almost got really weird there, I apologize. But, what I am trying to get at is that french fries are amazing and they rarely ever find themselves basking in the limelight. Well, one establishment is aiming to change that and that special place is Pomme Frites in NYC.
Pomme Frites is located in the Lower East Side Section of Manhattan and has been a favorite location among locals (drunk and sober) since it opened in 1997. As their name reveals, this little shop specializes in the Belgian variety of french fries known as Pomme Frites. Slightly thicker than the fry you’re more than likely used to, these bad boys boast a ridiculously crisp exterior but give way to the most delightfully fluffy interior you can imagine. Served up hot in paper cones, they need nothing more than your attention. However, if you’re the type of person that likes to mess with perfection, the shop offers more than 27 different sauces for you to choose from. Feeling spicy? Try the wasabi mayo or sambal olek (hot chili paste) to add that extra kick. If sweet is more your deal, well then there’s a Vietnamese pineapple or a barbecue sauce just for you. For the really hungry, drunk, or adventurous, Pomme Frites also has their own version of the Canadian dish known as Poutine on the menu. Their trademark fries are topped off with Canadian cured cheddar cheese and doused in a chicken gravy before being handed to you in a cup (because a cone would be impractical).
The store may be small but the flavor is big at Pomme Frites. Regardless of what time of day it is, if you pass it on your next trip to NYC, it is necessary that you stop in and see (read: taste) what all the fuss is about. So long to the days where french fries were nothing but a mere accompaniment to a boring hamburger or meager wrap. Welcome to the era of the fry, where a cone full of french fries are a meal in its own right, made better (maybe) only by the edition of black truffle mayo or fatty cheese curds.
(Photo Via Serious Eats)
