The Charlestown Rathskeller Remains UNDEFEATED

In addition to having live music and good beers, the Charlestown Rathskeller in Rhode Island continues to treat fries not like a side item, but a dish to be respected and yes, even feared. I have been there several times, and they have continued to create new specialty fry dishes since.

This time the chef took a left turn at Hawaii and went all the way to Japan for this recipe: Okonomiyaki Fries! "Okonomiyaki" means "try to finish this many fries American pig dog" in Japanese (I think).

And holy moly! It's as big as a football cut in half lengthwise.

 

That yellow sauce is the bomb.

 

If you are not familiar, bonito flakes are simmered, smoked and fermented skipjack tuna and taste savory, smoky, salty, and deeply umami. They also wiggle when they are put on something hot. They take these fries over the top into a new culinary realm that we seldom see in the fry world.

Absolutely astounding work. These fries should have a Michelin star.

If you ever have the chance to visit the Charlestown Rathskeller, do yourself a favor. It is worth it. DO IT. 

 

German Fries in the Baltimore Suburbs

I go to Baltimore on occasion to see if it's still dangerous. Frequently I will eat fries while there.  A while back I wanted to have an all German fry outing so off I went. The Old Stein Inn does the beer garden thing right. 

Very beergarden-ny indeed.

Jager Fries? Bitte, babe.

ACTUNG!

Very nice. I love that this joint calls this a "snack".

The giant beer I had was good too.

Next we were off to Garten. 

This place is fancy pants. Not sure what I paid for these specialty curry something fries but I'm sure it was a boatload.

Still worth it for a special occasion I suppose. I got regular fries too cause I like fries.

 

Guinness Brewery in Baltimore

I'm betting not a lot of people know that there is a Guinness brewery in Baltimore. And it kinda stands to reason cause they don't actually brew "real" Guinness there. They brew Baltimore Blonde and a rotating lineup of experimental beers. However, they do serve actual Guinness there (it's just in kegs from somewhere else). So...pretty confusing. 

 

But they have fries. Barrel Cut Fries to be exact (even tho this menu didn't specify).

$9 for a basket. Pretty good.

Shaped weird. But lightly battered and delicious.

Nice.

Hard to beat this combo. DO IT. 

The Venetian Inn

Went to the Venetian Inn in Tontitown recently with a bunch of work peeps. The last time I've been there is probably at least 25 years ago. 

The decor has not changed, but why should it?

It was empty on accounta the Tontitown Grape Festival was going on. Score for us.

Holy crap? Italian Fries? YES. Ever notice that everything at an Italian restaurant automatically becomes Italian by default. Fries become "Italian Fries", chicken wings become "Italian Chicken Wings", etc.

 

Whoa.

 

Steak fries with mozzarella, Parmesan, Alfredo sauce and some orange sprinkles and green stuff.

 

They are really good. DO IT.

P.S. The wings are really good.

P.P.S. The spaghetti with sausage is really good too. 

The Haversham Tavern

Westerly, Rhode Island was purchased in 1660 from a Montauk captain named Sosoa and for hundreds of years was a major shipbuilding port where Oliver Hazard Perry built gunboats, famous for fine-grained granite used for monuments and other fancy stuff, and had a major impact in the textiles and finance industries.

These days it's mostly know as THE TOWN WHERE TAYLOR SWIFT OWNS A MANSION. And beach tourists in the summer. And I guess the Haversham Tavern.

This old-timey joint is a bar/restaurant/hotel/wedding event place/tourist attraction. I didn't really look at anything but the bar/restaurant, which is old-timey looking I guess...

Ah the old standby. Truffle Fries. Almost impossible to screw up. Now, I have to mention here that these fries were on the menu when I went to this joint during my 2 year sabbatical. They are gone now and have apparently been replaced by something called "Waffle Fry Supreme".

Oh my.

Very nice.

 

 

If you are visiting Tay Tay and want some good fries, the HT is probably worth checking out, although I can't vouch for their current fry offerings.

Hell's Kitchen

I generally like Gordon Ramsay. I don't know him personally but he seems okay. So I went to his joint in one of the big casinos with an open mind.

There was this big tv with him on it on the way in. I wish he would yell at you real mad. That would be fun. Instead he was just like "welcome to my restaurant, blah blah blah".

Big place. Kinda empty on accounta we went for dinner around 4pm. Sheesh...old people am I right?

Hey look at that slacker over there on the right. You got time to lean, you got time to clean buddy!

I'm not sure how I even got fries during the dinner service since they aren't on the menu. Maybe I greased somebody. I can't remember. Any way it was funny how the cup of fries and ketchup came on a little black plate. Classy!

They are pretty good. Not sure what I paid for em but they're probably not worth it. 

This is one of the things the joint if famous for. Beef Wellington. It's good.

 I would say get the fries if you're going there anyway. 

Rapp's Barren Brewing - Weird Name, Great Stuff

If you are a fishing person, you probably know that Mountain Home, AR has like fishing on a river there or something. I do not fish, but there is also a great brewery on the old town square that has killer fries. 

Rapp's Barren Brewing has a cavernous interior and Carne Asada Fries.

NICE.

 NICE II

NICE III

 

My buddy ordered a burger. Look at the amount of fries they give you as a side.

 

Mmmmm.

DO IT. 

P.S. The beers are really good.