Japan is known, among many other things, for its delicate paintings and its impressively ritualistic tea ceremony. But seldom in the U.S. for its whiskies.
Recently a long-time Japanese whisky maker merged with a famous U.S. group called Beam to form a new entity called Beam Suntory. The original Japanese company had been studying and implementing Scottish distilling techniques since 1923. But now they have a strong “in” to American tastes. After extensive experimenting, Beam Suntary has brought to market a whisky totally in tune with the Japanese style but informed with the experience of the Beam family (makers of Jim Beam, etc.) and the know-how of Scottish experts. It’s known as Hibiki Suntory Japanese Harmony Whisky, and it’s all about beautiful blending.
Beautiful cut-glass decanter shows off the amber liquid
Recently at a lovely modern venue in West Loop known as Morgan’s on Fulton, the Beam Suntory company showcased this latest innovative liquor. Packaged in a beautiful cut-glass decanter with 24 cuts to match what the Japanese know as 24 seasons, this light, delicate, oaky (it’s aged in 5 different types of casks) but harmoniously blended whisky is likely to bring a smile to the face of Scotch lovers and bourbon lovers as well as whiskey lovers. It’s delicate without being the least bit fragile (aromas of rose, lychee, rosemary and sandalwood, and notes of sweet candied orange peel and white chocolate on the palate). And it worked beautifully in several mixed cocktails served at the event. And then, Japanese attention to detail was apparent in the way the whisky was presented unmixed—with a hand-carved ball of pristinely clear ice in each glass. This method preserves the flavor and aroma by preventing too much melting to dilute the liquor–and it looks really cool. They make the ice in large square cubes, and the bartender hand-chips it into a ball.
Artist’s depiction of Hibiki Japanese Harmony Bar
It’s a beautiful sight, the glistening super-clear ice in the pale honey-amber-colored whisky. But they set it off even more by presenting a multimedia, interactive visual display known as the Hibiki® Japanese Harmony™ Bar. This fully immersive, interactive experience is the first of its kind in the world. It takes guests on a journey through the richness of the Japanese seasons, the moving pictures of paintings (all by famous Japanese artist Shinsuke Kawahara) activated by each of eight participants picking up his or her glass and swirling it. Fluttering butterflies in spring and leaves in fall, snowflakes in winter and flowers and sunshine in summer. Each season was accompanied by appropriate Japanese-tinged musical interludes. The lights in the room were turned down so the visual presentation took center stage.
Leave it to the Japanese to create this exquisite way to enjoy a drink. Get some of this beautiful whisky for yourself (retail ~$65) or as a gift for a really good friend.
The name of this place, Osteria via Stato, was familiar enough. But I hadn’t heard anyone raving about it, or really even talking about it. So it was under my radar for a long time. Through a friend recently, heard about their Heirloom Tomato Dinner. Sounded great (and at $75 per person including wine pairings, definitely not overpriced by Chicago standards, so we signed up. And what a delightful discovery.
Even from outside it looked promising. The patio was fairly busy on a warm Wednesday evening, plenty of outdoor diners smiling and looking very comfortable. Then inside, the welcoming began in earnest. The whole place is full of dark wood and soft lighting—perfect ambiance in my book. The friendly concierge helpfully pointed out the ladies’ room and then the door to the private room where the Heirloom Tomato surprises awaited. In the room, amiable-looking folks mingled and sipped wine or little tomato-based, sweet-and-spicy cocktails invented for the occasion, and servers bustled efficiently around doing last-minute prep.
Facaccia studded with salty, lovely heirloom tomato puree
Antipasti, both passed and served at table, set the stage. Delicious little bites – oh, how creamy the Gorgonzola cheese melting under the square of crisp bacon on one—preceded the family-style platters of heirloom tomatoes nestled in marinated rings of Tropea (Italian red) onion and crowned with hand-made Italian Buffalo Mozzarella (SOOO good), big plates of Pappa al Pomodoro (local tomato and bread soup – num!), and super-thin-crusted pizza of Creminelli Coppa (Italian cured meat similar to prosciutto), roasted tomatoes and Pecorino cheese. Oh, yes and baskets of fluffy-inside, crusty-outside Italian bread and moist, salty slices of tomato-adorned focaccia always on the table, along with the roasted-garlic olive oil and dishes of olives. The pairing was a delicious Soave Pieropan 2014.
Antipasti and first course at Osteria via Stato’s Heirloom Tomato Dinner
Okay, now we get to the primi (first course). Utterly lovely, light and creamy risotto made with Laughing Bird Shrimp from Belize and laced with chunks of fennel and flavored lightly with tomato. Simply excellent. We both wanted to keep eating this one.
Next came family-size platters of both secondi courses—pan-roasted large cod in a spicy, light tomato broth so good I felt like drinking it; and braised, forkably tender lamb shanks bathed in a deeply flavorsome, rosemary-scented red-wine sauce along with irresistibly succulent roasted tomato slices and potato puree I couldn’t get enough of in each bite. Each in its own way was spectacularly good.
Can I drink that tomato broth?
Secondi to set your heart aflutter
The wine that came with the secondi deserves a whole paragraph to itself. The Tormaresca Trentangeli 2012 was extraordinary—rich-hued, velvety in the mouth, and deeply gratifying to the palate with a long, smooth finish. A perfect companion to the food. I dream of acquiring a case of this in the hopefully near future. What a surprising treat as your next hostess gift (see earlier post about Antinori wines) – and if Wine Searcher is on target, a bargain in the price range of $15.
Unbelievably good desserts
Well, and finally we come to the Dolce. I am not usually a dessert person, but I simply had to try each one of the specialties on offer here. Gelato, which I normally can live completely without, was so flavorful, creamy and rich that I had to try several flavors, each more lovely than the one before. The cookies—sandy-sweet wafers sandwiched with fabulous chef-made heirloom tomato jam, slices of almond-studded chocolate-covered soft crackers, and dark chocolate truffles dipped in powdered sugar—were impossible to resist. And the fact that the server brought over a slender chocolate bar wrapped in heavy paper and smashed it with a hammer to break it into smaller pieces made it seem impolite not to try some chocolate—lovely. Of course, the pairing of Saracco Moscato d’Asti 2013 made a bubbly light companion to these indulgences.
Portugal. Home of port wine, right? Yes, but also home to many beautiful table wines as well. Master Sommelier Eric Entrikin from California recently presented an array of samples from Wines of Tejo at the beautiful Sepia Restaurant private dining space.
“White” table grapes (Photo credit: Wikipedia
Entrikin said that even though grapes indigenous to Portugal have very different names from the ones most Americans are familiar with, they possess categorical similarities. He explained how, during his formal training as a sommelier, he had to learn to taste all over again. He learned to sense and taste similarities between types of wines that are made from different grapes yet have distinct features in common. For example, Alvarinho grapes from Portugal produce wines with similarities to those made from Albariño grapes from Spain and to some wines made with Chardonnay grapes. Aragones grapes in Portugal are known as Tempranillo in Spain and produce wines that might compare to some of those made from Pinot Noir grapes.
Sepia’s unique and refreshing zucchini-basil gazpacho
The white wines presented were exceptional in flavor and remarkably value priced, most ranging from ~$9.99 a bottle to $13.99. Sepia chefs did an admirable job pairing dishes with these lovely wines. For example, with the first course of super-creamy, zucchini-fresh-basil gazpacho studded with burrata and garnished with Marcona almonds, three very different types of dry white wines each complemented the dish in a uniquely enjoyable way.
Favorite white wines included the complex but beautifully balanced Quinta da Ribeirinha 2014 Vale de Lobos Branco–an incredible value at ~$10.99–and the Quinta da Aloma 2014 Arinto VR Tejo–bright and crisp and delightful in a multitude of ways (think Sauvignon Blanc without as much minerality) and well worth its ~$9.99 price tag. I kept going back to taste this one because I felt like I discovered something new with each taste.
Sepia’s braised pork cheek and smoked mushrooms
Several rich red wines were selected to accompany a red-wine-braised pork cheek (bearing some resemblance to a chunk of braised beef) that was served artfully with a smoked mushroom escabeche atop a smear of creamy polenta and garnished with tiny sprigs of fresh herb. Notable values among the reds included Casal Branco 2012 Quinta do Casal Branco Tinto (~$10.99) and Adega Cooperativa do Cartaxo 2012 Bidao Classico Tinto (~$8.99).
The imaginative food items paired so well with the delightful, delicious Wines of Tejo–and served in such lovely surroundings–that this was an occasion to remember. Visit Sepia soon, and talk to your favorite wine merchant to seek out some of these exceptional Portuguese values. You will not regret it.
Jean-Claude talks about his luxury affordable wines
Jean-Claude Mas is a tall, handsome, slender Frenchman who has earned a respected place among experts in the wine world as the leader of Domaines Paul Mas. He said while in Chicago recently that he never grows tired of talking about his wines because he doesn’t talk about the technical side. He speaks from his heart about the emotional side of winemaking.
He spoke with obvious pleasure and pride about the wines he’s been creating in Languedoc since 2000. His deep enthusiasm for the process and the joys of making wine, tasting wine, and enjoying wine with friends and customers came through as he spoke with passion about his dedication to creating “everyday luxury” for wine consumers.
Domaines Paul Mas is a leading wine producer from the South of France. At it since 1892, the Mas family bequeathed 35 hectares of vines in Languedoc to Jean-Claude Mas in 1998, and he has taken the reins with gusto and imagination far beyond where the family had previously gone. Now owner and producer, Jean-Claude Mas takes full advantage of the many variations on Mediterranean climate and the wide array of terroirs available in the region by establishing ten separate vineyards.
He makes the most of each location by hiring winemakers who have the technical skills needed and who share his commitment to sustainable growing practices, while he himself makes the critical decisions: when to pick the grapes and so on. His portfolio of fine-yet-affordable wines has been instrumental in propelling forward what many call the “new Languedoc” or the “new wave” of French wine.
The Mas culture and philosophy is called “luxe rural” because, he says, “we cherish our rural roots, we strive for excellence in everything we do. Our wines are the end result of our desire to delight and thrill.” And yet, he makes a point of honor that almost all of his retail wine prices be kept under $20 US–the point at which many buyers begin to question value for dollars.
Delightful small bites at Naha restaurant went well with the luxury wines
As proof, almost all of the wines showcased at Naha restaurant, 500 N. Clark St. were extraordinary and yet are available at that mark of under $20. The wines were a treat for the palate, and the elegant table setting in the downstairs private dining room at Naha was a treat for the eyes, while the imaginative American-and-Middle-Eastern-inspired tapas made delicious satellites to the starring wines.
It’s not easy choosing memorable wines from among the thousands of possibilities. But based on this tasting, you should be able to choose almost any wine from one of the Domaines Paul Mas estates and be sure you’ll get a highly drinkable fine wine. One thing you could do is have this list with you when you speak with your wine merchant. Pick the varietal you’re in the mood for and ask for a bottle from one of these ten estates (see photo of map below):
Château Paul Mas, Clos de Savignac & Clos des Mûres, Montagnac;
Domaine Silène, Saint Pons de Mauchien;
Château Paul Mas, Conas & Clos de Moulinas, Pézenas;
Like most people today, you probably care deeply about how your food is grown. If you can afford it, you may buy organically grown fruits and vegetables, but do you know what’s involved in keeping plants organic? If you’ve ever known a farmer—of even a small plot—who tried to grow organically, you know how hard it is to keep soil healthy and what a raging, frustrating, ongoing battle it is to keep the bugs, the subterranean creatures and the above-ground animals from ravaging your crops before it’s time to harvest them.
In vineyards around the world, winemakers fight the same battles on a daily basis. Jean-Claude Mas, winemaker and owner of Domaines Paul Mas wineries, who brought samples of many of his luxury-for-value French wines to Chicago recently, subscribes to a sustainable-growth program called Terra Vitis that was created in 1998 and is certified by the French Ministry of Agriculture. “It is the stamp,” he said, “of French vinegrower-winemakers who respect nature and apply sustainable agriculture.” Below is a simplified description of the program and a few ways his wineries practice it.
Winemaker and vine growers consult on sustainable practicesFrom vine to table – sustainably grown luxury French wines
Objectives:
Respect the environment.
Preserve our terroirs.
Safeguard our soils and respect their ecosystems by:
Promoting biodiversity throughout the vineyard, and
Preventing soil compaction and making use of available mineral and organic resources from our vineyards.
Reduce the use of chemicals (herbicides) in the vineyards.
Meet consumer expectations.
Steps:
Inoculate the soils with selected endomycorrhizal fungi (to help vine roots absorb nutrients more effectively).
Bring biological enrichments to increase the microbial biomass of soils. For example, in our Les Tannes vineyard we are introducing certain selected bacteria that act as biological activators. That is, they make possible the mineralization of organic fertilizers and increase the bio-availability of critical plant nutrients.
Practice deep plows to decompact the soils and encourage roots to grow and other life to develop and be active in the soil.
Use lighter machinery to avoid excessive compaction of the soils. As an example, we bought a Kubota tractor—1000 kg lighter than its equivalent from Fendt or New Holland.
Use phytosanitary products that are more respectful of the environment, usually consisting of plant decoctions like these:
Anti-mildew: We use horsetail decoction as an elicitor—that is, it significantly increases the width of the cell walls, which makes the plant more resistant to plagues.
Herbicides: We use a decoction of fern that works well as a repellent.
Use existing phytosanitary products and use them in a reasoned way. The timing of the application and the dosage are very important. We have been able to reduce the dosage to one third while maintaining total efficiency.
Really makes you think about what goes on behind the scenes to produce that luscious glass of wine you’re drinking with dinner, doesn’t it?
It’s a funny name, but football fans know it well. Israel Idonije. He played for the Chicago Bears for ten seasons. He had a Super-Bowl season. And now he guides a Chicago foundation to help under-served kids.
“IFF programs focus on helping kids further develop social and emotional life skills in the hope that every child achieves his/her goals.” Even though you’ll hang out with many of Chicago’s who’s who to enjoy the fashion show and great cocktails and food from local restaurants, the best reason to go is to support this Chicago-based foundation.
The event will be Thursday, October 29, 2015, at The Godfrey Hotel Chicago | I|O Urban Roofscape, 127 W. Huron St. at LaSalle St. VIP private cocktail reception (5:30 – 6:00 pm) with Israel Idonije. Private cocktail reception from 6:00 to 7:30 pm for general ticket holders, followed by a runway show with fashion by international designers Zadig & Voltaire, hair by George the Salon (George Gonzalez), and makeup by Makeup by Aga (Aga Kaskiewicz) at 8:00 pm. The event features light hors d’oeuvres from a collection of local restaurants, a wine tasting led by advanced sommelier Jim Bube from Heritage Wine Cellars, and a raffle for cool donated items.
Purchase tickets in advance (prior to 10/26) for just $50. Tickets may also be purchased at the door on the night of the event for $65. A VIP Patron ticket ($100) entitles you to a private meet-and-greet cocktail reception with Israel Idonije, a gift bag, 5 raffle tickets and reserved seats. To reserve your tickets in advance, visit www.compassionfashioncocktails2015.eventbrite.com. I’ll see you there.
The restaurant industry is a rough place to work. If you pick up Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, you’ll read a brilliant account of the details of the seamy side of life as a restaurant employee—cook, line prep, server or whatever—and you’ll never think about the “back of the house” the same way again.
Recently received a review copy of another book about the dark side of the industry. Called Torn Together, it chronicles the life and times of a married couple as they navigate the choppy waters of addiction and recovery, and condemns how the restaurant industry tends to promote a life of abuse and addiction for its many members.
Authors Scott Magnuson and his wife Shaaren Pine co-own the Argonaut Tavern—a place twice recognized by local Washington, D.C. magazines as one of the city’s best bars and family-friendly restaurants. Magnuson writes as someone who’s recovering from alcohol and drug addiction that started when he was 14 years old. Pine writes as someone who’s had to hold the business and the family together during the worst of it.
The couple founded a nonprofit called Restaurant Recovery that works to assist restaurant employees and their families who need help finding and paying for reputable drug and alcohol treatment programs. The book is intended as a cautionary tale for those fighting addiction and as a call to action to the restaurant industry to change the culture of permissiveness that allows and encourages employees to overindulge. Read more at http://www.torntogetherbook.com/
Jeff Mauro, Food Network celebrity chef (Photo credit: Food Network)
Food Network star Jeff Mauro (The Kitchen, Star Salvation, Sandwich King) took time out from his crazy-busy schedule recently to host the 3rd annual RedEye Battle of the Burger presented by Amstel Light. More than 500 guests enjoyed the beautiful summer evening on the patio of the Chicago History Museum where they sampled the between-the-bun, mainly-beef specialty offerings from nearly two dozen of the city’s well-known eateries and cast their votes for Chicago’s best burger. Winning burgers are at the end of this article–and man, they taste good with Amstel Light.
Jeff was kind enough to do a brief Q&A about being a Food Network star. Jeff originally wanted to be a comedian, but after years of cooking and working in delis and four years as a private chef in a big corporation, he also knew he wanted to be on Food Network. So, on his third try at the contest, he finally got cast.
What’s your favorite story about how you got started?
“I was in NY for 11 weeks. My son was 2 years old. We just got done living in the basement with my in-laws. It was so stressful leaving, but I was pursuing this dream. When I came home from the call, I was in the top two and I knew I was going to make it. I went to my house—that I’d saved up for so long—and after thirteen years, my house, family, son. I was elated to be with my family again.” He went on to win the Food Network star competition.
How do they choose contestants for competitions on Food Network TV?
“The show’s producers hire a casting company and these folks do an incredibly thorough job of vetting contestants. First, you make and submit a video, then you wait for a casting call. Then you go and then wait for a call back, then you compete. They do background checks, psychological testing, incident testing, on-camera test, ask very personal questions, and so on. They want to be very sure that this person will make a good appearance on television in terms of behavior, attitude and strength of character. It’s a long process. But my wife just knew that last time that I’d make it. She told me, ‘This video is going to get you there. Your life is going to change forever.’ She was right.”
How did you become known as the “Sandwich King”?
“When we were in the midst of the competition and I’d been mentioning all the diners and delis I worked at, Bobby Flay said to me, ‘So, you’re gonna be the sandwich king, eh?’ And it stuck. That became my name henceforth. That had been my point of view for years as I went from butcher shop to sandwich catering company. I knew I was good at constructing those.” For handy hints on making a non-slip sandwich, visit Mauro’s Sandwich King web page.
What do you enjoy most—besides money!—about being a Food Network star?
“All the travel is hard, but it’s great that I can include my family and travel places and experience foods. You get treated a certain way in restaurants. It’s unique. I don’t take it for granted. We still live in the same house and same neighborhood. I love making television. I’ve been doing it four years now.”
What do you like most about Chicago as a foodie heaven?
“I’ve been in LA and NY. I’m in New York four to five times a month. I go to all the great restaurants everywhere, but I absolutely adore Chicago. It is a place where chefs can exercise their creative chops without the intense pressure that chefs in, say, New York have to face every moment when they’re paying tens of thousands of dollars a month in rent. Chicago allows chefs to experiment and feel comfortable with trying new things, without always worrying about being first or how high they are in the competition.”
What are some of your favorite restaurants in the Chicago area?
Jam Restaurant in Logan Square is owned by a Jeff Mauro, but that’s not the same guy.
“Yeah, it’s a different Jeff Mauro who owns Jam Restaurant. I actually had him appear as a guest on my Sandwich King show.”
What would you say to anyone who aspires to become a famous chef?
“Work in the kitchen at a restaurant for a summer. That’ll tell you whether you really want to cook and whether you can stand the life. Short order cook, work the line, whatever—for free most likely. Save yourself 30-40 grand for culinary school.”
Is there a book in your future?
“Maybe. Probably a memoir, though, not a cookbook. Anybody can get my recipes from TV. If I do write one, it’s more likely to be the story of my life.”
Leadbelly (Portage Park and Gladstone Park): Old Time Religion Burger – Roasted tomato, goat cheese, arugula and truffle aioli (and I might add, try their fabulous housemade butter cookies).
Beef & Barley, 3001 N. Ashland: The “Smang It” Burger – Chipotle mayo, Spanish chorizo, avocado, jalapeno, lettuce, tomato and pickle.
Whisk, 2018 W. Chicago: House Burger – Chihuahua cheese, chipotle mayo, guacamole and tortilla strips.
Whether you’re new to enjoying wines or an old hand, it’s always nice to hear what an expert has to say—especially one who grew up in the midst of the French champagne mystique. Such a man is Patrick d’Aulan, who recently visited Chicago.
Matthieu Grassin and Patrick d’Aulan enjoy talking about wines
Patrick d’Aulan (right in photo), owner of both Altamana Chilean and Alta Vista Argentinian wineries, comes from a family with 150 years of winemaking experience as owners of Piper Heidsieck champagne. But all that time and even after selling the company, d’Aulan said his father was always looking for new challenges. “He was the first to make sparkling wine in India,” said d”Aulan. “He had already gone to Sonoma and established a presence there with Piper Heidsieck.” He said his father believed in starting early to instill the appreciation of wine in his children.
“My father began teaching me and my sister to taste wines when I was 5 or 6 years old. On Sunday nights he would give us a small glass of wine, then blindfold us and put a covered plate of fruit in front of us. Smell the wine, then smell the fruit, he would say, to notice the relationship between the two.” D’Aulan recalled how early Chardonnays were always associated in his mind with pineapple.
“The fact that he made it fun really helped us learn how to taste wines,” said d’Aulan. “But I really began to learn about wines seriously from my uncle. He had a library of wines. He started me early in life by giving me a little bit of wine and a lot of water. Then each year he would increase the wine a little and decrease the water. Once I reached 18, he told me I had the right to go into his library of wines. Later, I gave him a bottle of my first wine which he had agreed to put in his library.”
“People tend to confuse the idea of having wine as part of your lifestyle with the excesses of alcoholism,” said d’Aulan. “There is no comparison. Giving a kid wine early on is a great way to introduce that child to the appreciation of wine for a lifetime.”
Technology can help, and education is very important. Matthieu Grassin (left in photo), winemaker at d’Aulan’s Alta Vista vineyards in Argentina said, “We use technology to enhance our ability to make good decisions while making our wines.” Grassin said they use an app that shows the slope and temperature variations over every square yard of their vineyards. But that’s just a tool in their winemaking scenario, D’Aulan said. He hired Grassin not just for his formal education in oenology and viticulture, but also because he had significant hands-on experience in the trenches—personally working the vineyards. “I would not trust someone who did not have this kind of experience,” said d’Aulan.
D’Aulan is proud that Alta Vista’s three single-vineyard Malbec wines are considered benchmarks of Mendoza’s old Malbec terroir wines. To help Argentina build its reputation—and so that his own wines will be part of it—he has gifted the trademark concept and use of “single vineyard” Malbec to the Argentinean National Viticulture Institute.
More memorable remarks from Monsieur d’Aulan:
Technology can help with changing climate conditions, but good winemakers know how to make good vintages in all kinds of weather. “When nature is not generous with us, we have to deal with it. It is the heart and courage of the winemakers that makes the difference,” said d’Aulan.
Global warming isn’t just a temperature threat. More frequent storms, especially hailstorms, are an even greater threat to a vineyard. They can destroy the green-leap canopy and damage the vines for the next year as well. Our protection against hail is emergency nets; against frost, it’s setting fire pots around the vineyard. One winemaker hires a helicopter to fan the air circulation against frost. These attacks cannot be predicted but rather are always completely random.
Cutting down on nature’s interference may make less work for a winemaker, according to d’Aulan, but a very clean vineyard is not a good sign. “It should be wild and a little dirty, with flowers and creatures.”
D’Aulan believes that apps like Vivino make sense. “I like to get feedback from consumers, expert or not.”
Winemakers usually add SO2 (sulfur dioxide) to their wines to purify them. But this is not natural. D’Aulan’s Altamana vineyard is working towards adding no SO2 to become a totally natural wine. No pesticides.
Wavy French fries sold in a Canadian supermarket. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
National French Fries Day (July 13) was yesterday. Sorry we missed it, but over at this Gold Coast eatery, The Local Chicago, 198 E Delaware Pl., they’ve kicked off the celebration with a new french-fry-based dish, Cherry Pepper Poutine. Made up of hand-cut fries, rich brown gravy, Wisconsin cheese curds and fresh cherry peppers, it’s then topped with pork belly and an over-easy egg sprinkled with tasty chives. A filling meal-in-a-dish for $14.
French fries covered in cheese (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Whether fast or fancy, some people have been known to judge a restaurant almost exclusively on how good its French fries are. Either way, it’s an honorable dish in the U.S. (deep-fried potatoes are known as chips in Great Britain), despite the French nomenclature. Read more about the history of French fries here.
Meanwhile, also in honor of National French Fries Day (July 13th), Ranker.com (crowd-sourced rankings) released results of its public poll asking voters to rank The Best Fast Food French Fries to determine which ones are a cut above the rest. Here are a few highlights:
McDonald’s French fries Take #1 Spot
Millennials prefer Dairy Queen French Fries and Chick-fil-A waffle fries
Women favor Rally’s/Checker’s seasoned fries and Culver’s fries
Men’s top picks included KFC Potato Wedges and Dairy Queen french fries
Baby boomers like Arby’s curly fries and White Castle fries
