Fresh, not frozen: Here's who took the title for best French fries in Naples
More than 500 readers voted for their favorite fries in Naples and elsewhere in Collier County, and there were three clear leaders on the scoreboard that nabbed 61% of the vote totals among 13 competitors.
Alphabetically, readers’ top nominations to determine the field included:
BrickTop’s in Naples Culver’s - Multiple locations
Dorona in Naples
Five Guys – Multiple locations
Fogg Café at Naples Botanical Garden in East Naples
Ford’s Garage – Multiple locations
Fuse Gastrobar in Naples
Gigi Gourmet, a food truck at Celebration Park in East Naples
La Casa del Taco in Naples
McDonald’s – multiple locations
Miller’s Ale House - multiple locations
Oasis the Kitchen Lounge in Ave Maria
Pinchers - multiple locations
The French in Naples
Polls closed at noon Friday, June 21. The results, as voted by you, are below.
Third place winner
When reviewing fast food restaurants with Bicyclette Cookshop’s Louis Mele, who started as a fry guy at McDonald’s in Windsor, Ontario, before rising to the president for the chain’s Canadian and Italian locations, the first thing he noticed was the spud's new cut.
Potatoes were cut fresh when he was manning the fry station in 1972.
During our February visit, Mele noticed the fries are now smaller, appearing more uniform in size and ensuring most are crispy.
We also gleaned a tip from a couple who ordered theirs without salt to ensure a fresh batch.
McDonald’s missed second place by a mere 1.7%.
(11 locations around Collier County; mcdonalds.com)
We asked, you answered: Here are America's favorite french fries
Runner up
In second place, BrickTop’s, an upscale chain with a local outpost at Waterside Shops, lost by 7.8% to the winner.
Reader Carl Kepford loves them: “Thin and crispy with no artificial flavors or additives.”
This restaurant also made the final four in our Best Burgers in Naples Challenge.
Sure, the fries are great with burgers, but delicious alternatives abound if you go.
Kepford offered two ideas for eating them with a companion, other than the accompanying ramekin of ketchup.
“Both people order the French Dip sandwich with a side of broth and horseradish sauce. One person picks the fries as a side. The other orders crispy Brussels sprouts as a substitute for the fries.”
Another variation he offered is to take advantage of the sandwich’s accompanying “dip” broth but add an order of horseradish dip.
“Dip both fries and beef into broth or horseradish dip or both. Beats dipping fries into catsup by a mile.”
As one of my favorite spots in town for fries, I countered Kepford by suggesting steak frites on BrickTop's dinner menu. I dip the fries into the peppery sauce instead of ketchup.
(BrickTop’s: 5555 Tamiami Trail N., bricktops.com)
And the winner is...
When heading to this fast food joint, you first notice potatoes.
Barrels of potatoes.
Another clue?
A sign indicates where exactly the spuds you’re about to eat were grown.
Still stumped?
Fries are prepared fresh, not frozen, and you can taste the difference.
The winning Five Guys takes taters seriously.
During my first-ever visit in February with Mele, bonus fries in the bag almost made up for the annoying tip prompt.
Coincidentally (or not?), there are five locations in Naples. Visit restaurants.fiveguys.com to find these fries.
Final thoughts on French fries
Have you ever dined out with friends, and several companions scored a side of fries with their order?
I’ve always thought that if I ever opened a restaurant add fries were on the menu, what would make my place different is that I would bring each order of fries out separately so they stayed hot during the meal.
'Ketchup in my veins': Retired McDonald's president says what's best at 8 fast food chains
My service staff would probably hate me, but I think it’s genius because cooled-down fries lack zip.
And yes, you’d have to share with your tablemates, but isn’t camaraderie one of the reasons we love eating out with pals?
Connect with this reporter via [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Best fries in Naples? This burger chain was crowned the winner
