Happy National French Fry Day. Here are some great places to celebrate this special day all around Tampa. There are so many great ways to serve up fries... crinkle cut, shoe string, cheese fries... here are my 6 favorite picks.
Best Take Out Fries: Wingstop
The seasoning is insanely good. I normally don't like a lot of seasoning on my fries. But they nail this combination of salty and sweet. The Food Lovin' Family website says to recreate the Wingstop seasoning, you'll need garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, sugar and brown sugar. Take it to the next level by dipping those perfectly-seasoned fries into the Wingstop ranch sauce. It's probably my favorite ranch sauce anywhere.
Geno/Q105Five Guys fries are a close runner up. I just wish they offered a small size instead of the smallest size being a large. I'm a big fat dude and if I'm solo, I just skip ordering fries because there are just too many of them. And I can't leave fries behind. That's criminal.
Best Cheese Fries: Portillo's
Known mostly for their Chicago-style hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, I usually stray from the popular items on the Portillo's menu. I love their burgers. Their fries are good, but their cheese fries are a masterpiece. Pair that with one of those chocolate cake shakes and I'm a happy guy.
Best Fast Food Fries: McDonald's
Sorry to be so basic, but no fast food chains can compete with McDonald's to me. The big thing though with McDonald's is timing. There was a YouTube video I watched sometime back where they analyzed the taste of the fries in time increments... long story short - eat them first with your meal. As the minutes tick by, the quality of the fry goes down fast according to their "study."
Best Restaurant Fries: Datz
Try the Fusion Fries with truffle oil, Parmesan, onions and sea salt and dip them in th eside of herb aioli. They're not cheap. What is in South Tampa? An order of these fries at Datz will cost ya about $11.
Best Crinkle Cut Fries: Zaxby's and Guthries
This one's a tie. And neither are best known for their fries - they're both fried chicken spots. But their fries are hearty and nail crinkle-cut style.
Best Fair Fries: Fiske Fries in Plant City
This is a category where there's really no runner up. Fresh Fiske fries are a must when you visit the Florida Strawberry Festival.
