Fado (again) - Austin, TX

I have visited Fado many times in the past.  Way longer than I have been "into" french fries.  Two things I learned on my most recent visit are that 1) there are many Fado pubs, and 2) one of them is in Abu Dhabi- where you have to own a personal liquor license to legally drink.  Seems like a problem for an Irish-themed pub.

Anyhoo, my buddy Jack was whining and complaining at me for like 2 solid hours about how hungry he was and how all he wanted was some tasty fries and could we please stop working for like 5 seconds and have some quick fries so I was finally all like "okay!  enough!  He is such a child sometimes.

Fado is so Irish.

We got the regular AND skillet fries (chips) on accounta we had just eaten lunch like 30 minutes prior.

I didn't remember that the regular fries came with all these fancy dipping sauces.  One was ketchup, but I think it was Irish ketchup cause it tasted boggy.  The other two were "Marie Rose" (never heard of her), and Guinness aioli.  Good, but too rich for my blood.

The skillet fries were legit.

A serious undertaking, especially in the middle of the day.

These are the kind of fries you have at the end of night, and go directly to sleepy time.  Incredible.

Jack finally shut up for a few seconds.

The price is kinda steep for em, but they are definitely worth it.  DO IT (again).

Kooky Canuck - Memphis, TN

Got waylaid in Memphis on accounta a bad car engine thing and had to spend the night unexpectedly.  We decided to turn those lemons into french fries and started with this joint called Kooky Canuck.

The place hangs its Canadian hat on one of those huge burger challenges where if you eat it in an hour without barfing you get a free turtle, blah, blah, blah.  I did one of those once.  But they also have fries so yippie!.  The decor is lodgey.

With lots of dead (Canadian?) animals on the walls.

I expected poutine but I'm not a huge fan of it (too much going on that hides the fry experience) so I ordered a regular batch for appraisal.  They always say "Hand Cut".  Who's working at these places- Edward Scissorhands?  Also sweet potato fries =yuck.

While we waited, the Grunion gazed wistfully upon the boulevard and pined for his younger days as a wandering blues man.  Strumming out the pain of generations of migrant Pokemon hunters scarred by the battles they waged and the rare ones that got away.

$2.99 for this.

Nice.

Real potatoes cut up and fried.  Couldn't tell if they were blanched first, but I doubt it.  Good though.  Not many limp ones.

All things considered, definitely a great fry experience for downtown Memphis.  Big dead moose head says DO IT.

But don't do this.