Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The local chain’s standard

Barney’s Skinny Fries

When Barney's moved in years ago, I guessed I'd be eating there pretty much weekly (I first started going to their Piedmont Ave location).


View Larger Map

To begin reviewing their FFs (they offer several), I started with the "skinny fries."

We got a $2.50 single serving. The fries are McD like in style and appearance, served in a cheery red striped brown paper bag.

It’s a big serving. Quite a satisfying bulk for the American overeater.

First impression: limp; not a crisp batch. A pale, bleached-Twinkie-on-a-dusty-Tijuana-afternoon yellow. They cooled quickly; two-thirds through the bag they seemed like thawed frozen french fries.

These aren’t fries to savor one at a time (most are too small). I stuff several in my mouth at once. Hoping for what: flavor? texture? crunch? potato-ey smooshiness?

They’re low-interest FFs. Singularly or collectively, they aren’t worth paying attention to. Maybe they’d be appropriate for watching a game on TV, where, eyes glued to the screen, you use only peripheral vision to reach into a bag of wriggly FF worms and crush them in your teeth before sending them down your throat with a cleansing swill from a 32-ounce superdrinkie sports bottle.

Maybe I’d like them better if I were more depressed, due to their non-challenging nature and large serving size. G’s observation: “No salt?”

Overall impression: indifferent