Like the little black dress of the food pantry, the humble spud can be dressed down for casual snacking or glammed-up and served alongside the butcher’s choicest cuts.
Julienne and fry that potato and it’s elevated to the status of emotional sanctuary.
Be it French, Belgian, British, Spanish or American, fries are king among comfort foods, a statue-worthy emblem of flavor liberty — Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry masses in need of deep-fried fortification.
Perhaps this is the reason for the recent gentrification of what is most commonly known as the French fry, especially at eateries that also take pride in reinventing the spud’s tried-and-true companion, beef.
“People love potatoes,” said Dylan Moore, chef at three restaurants — Delite, Deluxe and Deluxe Burger — and the new Deluxe Street Food truck, referring to the appeal of dressed-up fries. “We like ’em salty, we like ’em cheesy. They’re a great vessel to carry all types of flavors.”
Deluxe Burger serves seasoned, thick-cut fries. For the Deluxe Street Food truck, Moore developed “smothered fries” topped with white cheddar, ranch dressing, bacon and scallions. They were equally inspired by ooey-gooey nachos and potato gratin.
“Any way that you’ve had a potato,” Moore says, “you can do fries.”
Restaurateur Zach Chodorow was counting on the idea that “fries are everybody’s favorite snack” when he helped develop seven types of fries for Denver’s Big Game Restaurant and Lounge. “A lot of culinary culture nowadays is about taking things that people know and are familiar with and giving them a different direction,” he says.
And with that, Chodorow aptly characterizes Big Game’s most popular take on the deep-fried potato. Simply called Thanksgiving, these are sweet potato fries topped with marshmallow and candied nuts.
So while there will always be fry lovers who swear by that skinny, salty, crunchy variety available globally at one behemoth fast food chain, there are growing opportunities to expand one’s French fry repertoire. Here’s a list of some of the spots currently being frequented by the Denver-area’s French fry freaks.
Big Game Restaurant and Lounge
1631 Wazee St., 303-623-1630
The restaurant serves seven made- to-order types of French fries including Thanksgiving, British-style fries with malt vinegar and horseradish caper mayo, and disco fries topped with melted cheddar and brown gravy.
Bistro Vendome
1420 Larimer St., 303-825-3232,
Boasting a variety of “frites,” one features simple syrup and spices. A natural with steaks and burgers, but even more popular at brunch.
d bar 1475 E. 17th Ave. 303-861-4710,
Crue fries feature a multilayered knockout mix of garlic, Parmesan and other cheeses, bacon, ranch and chives. “Very dangerous!” says one fan.
Deluxe Burger 5325 E. Colfax Ave., 303-333-5683, .
“Fat fries” are served with fresh thyme and garlic, or truffle and Parmesan. “Smothered fries” flavored with white cheddar sauce, ranch, bacon and scallions are available from the Deluxe Street Food truck showing up at farmer’s market and festivals this summer.
Jonesy’s Eat Bar 400 E. 20th Ave., 303-863-7473,
“Jonesy’s Fries” can be prepared with truffle aioli and Parmesan cheese, hot sauce and bleu cheese, or sausage gravy and cheddar cheese.
Sputnik 3 S. Broadway, 720-570-4503,
Choose from white potato or the popular sweet potato fries accompanied by your choice of sauces including pork green chile, sweet habañero jam or chimichurri.
TAG Restaurant 1441 Larimer St., 303-996-9985, .
Duck-fat fries accompany kobe beef sliders. “I begged some from the person next to me!” says one patron. Another simply described them like this: “Yummm. . .”
Elana Ashanti Jefferson: 303-954-1957 or ejefferson@denverpost.com
