Description
The item that everybody will ask about is owner/hef Chris Grodach’s “48-Hour-Fries.” The effort undertaken to make these potatoes seems Thomas Keller-esque in its meticulousness--appropriate, since Grodach once worked at the French Laundry. They’re soaked in water overnight to wash away all surface starch, then slow-poached in saltwater, dried with fans, frozen stiff, and, finally, fried to order. It would be a disappointment if they ended up tasting like any old French fry, and they don’t. The crust has a crunchy, grainy texture, as if it was coated in microscopic sugar crystals. But the interior texture isn’t fluffy like mashed potato, as it tastes like the root itself. But even if the process may be more impressive than the product, it does accomplish one important thing: It sends the message that Grodach isn’t one to take the easy way out, and that this is no dive bar, even though it looks like one.
