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Fresh off National French Fry Day, The California Post set out to crown LA’s ultimate fries at the inaugural Los Angeles French Fry Festival in Griffith Park, where hundreds of potato-loving Angelenos turned out to celebrate the humble side dish.
We sampled fries from 10 of Los Angeles’ top vendors, all handpicked by event organizers Street Food Cinema and Bucketlisters.
The lineup was curated based on “great taste, great ratings, and huge fan following,” Street Food Cinema event producer Heather Hope-Allison said. “We worked on curating a wide variety of vendors who create the best fries.”
Each basket then faced the ultimate test, with fry fanatic and California Post producer Steve Nevills serving as the official taste tester to determine which vendor deserved bragging rights as LA’s fry king.
“I’m a fry connoisseur because French fries were the first solid food my mother ever fed me and despite others just coming to the realization that fries can be the main course, I’ve been living that trend my entire life,” Nevills said. “I’ve tried fries from thousands of establishments, always looking for innovation in the community.”
Nevills determined that the best overall fries were from the Chick Truck because of their perfectly textured waffle fries with crispy buffalo chicken and blue cheese crumbles. He was overwhelmed by their aroma before even taking his first bite.
The runner-up was from vendor Everyday is Fryday, who wowed Nevills with its mango-habanero fries, a creative and well-balanced blend of flavors and textures with a spicy kick.
And finally, the best plain basic fry came from vendor Frylicious because of its perfect texture: crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, not too skinny and not too thick. These fries paired perfectly with the huge variety of sauces available at the festival.
French fries are taking off as a foodie trend across California and chefs are cooking with them in all kinds of creative ways. The French fry festival shows how fries are evolving from a humble sidekick to the star of the show.
“They’re so versatile,” Hope-Allison said. “They’re so shareable. You can explore thousands of sauces. I think it’s time we showed fries the appreciation they deserved all along.”
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