Photo of fries and sliders at Matchbox by alykat

Dish of the Week: French fries

Who doesn’t love a good french fry? While there are countless restaurants that relegate the production of fries to Sysco, leaving them as a throwaway that accompanies every burger or sandwich, others expend tremendous effort to make this comfort food all the more comforting.

Maoz (1817 M Street NW) ranks high for their double-fried fries. Double frying ensures they’re cooked all the way through, while the second frying crisps up the exterior. These not too greasy fries have a natural saltiness, and retain their crisp exterior and tender interior even after cooling. Combine this with their creamy garlic sauce, and this is a nearly ideal fry.

The fry plate on the bar menu at Palena (3529 Connecticut Avenue NW) is a bit of a cheat in this category. Aside from conventional fries and lemon slices, it also includes Duchess potatoes. Small rosettes of mashed potato are piped into the oil, creating a perfect little mound of crisp exterior and wonderful soft mash. Dipped in a kicky combination of sambal and house-made mayo, the usual four to five of these per fry plate always make me sad there aren’t more.

Some others local spots with extraordinary fries include Brasserie Beck, Blue Duck Tavern, Spider Kelly’s, and Granville Moore’s. Who makes your favorite fries? Let us know in the comments.