Read on for some of the greasiest, crispiest, heart-stoppingest, and most delicious French Fries this city as to offer…

Ziggiz

Price $2.00

This Gramercy grease pit serves humongous orders of double-fried skin-on shoestrings that are the quintessential late night delicacy. Open until 3AM during the week and 5AM on weekends, NYC Food Guy implores you to get over there and try what I think are arguably the best fries in this entire city.

Virgil’s Real Barbecue

Trainwreck Fries ($10.50)

These are the most delicious cheese fries I’ve ever had. They’re covered in monterey jack, cheddar, crispy pieces of bacon, and sliced jalapenos. It’s served covered in some excellent buttermilk ranch dressing, but I order it on the side because I don’t like hot ranch dressing. I recommend you do the same. Served on a hot skillet, these fries are best when dipped in some ranch and then some ketchup. Go to Times Square, spend the money, and follow up with some of the best Banana Pudding I’ve ever eaten.

RUB

BBQ Chili Cheese Fries ($8.50)

These are the messiest and probably best chili cheese fries I’ve ever had. The medium cut, skin on fries are strong enough to hold the weight of the many chunks of tender brisket and glops of melted cheddar. I’m not usually a fan of this kind of generic melted cheese but it works in this case and is definitely worth the price.

Houston’s

Price $5

Houston’s is one of my favorite restaurants. It’s a chain so that may sound like a cop out, but they consistently put out excellent and delicious food. These fries are thin, crispy shoestrings dusted with salt and pepper. They’re irresistible. I have never once finished the serving next to my burger or ribs and not wanted more fries. I’ve always been scrounging for the crumbs and last little bits, they’re that good. Houston’s Burger, Ribs, Artichoke dip appetizer, and Warm 5-Nut Brownie Sundae are also amazing, each one good enough to warrant a spot on the plate of my last meal.

Pommes Frites

Regular $4 Large $6.25 Double $7.75 plus 34 sauces according to website

Delivering on their name, these fries are true to the Frites form. Thick cut and potatoey, they’re crisp on the outside, and hot and fluffy on the inside. Choose from one of what seems like a million sauces and you’re good to go. I had honey mustard and was pleased. The best thing about this place is that they’re open until 4AM on weekends making them a must stop after some East Village gallivanting.

Market Table

NYC Food Guy review

Price $7

Market Table is a swanky little spot, not the type of place you go to for just fries, but if you wanted to you could sit at the bar and munch on these crispy, seasoned bad boys. I’d ditch the cocktail sauce they serve them with and get some ketchup. These were crisp, potatoey, and overall perfect.

Telepan

NYC Food Guy Review

You’re looking at the “Volcano”. Use your imagination and you can see why. It’s a volcano of onion rings shooting flashes of deep-fried potato all over your plate. Fancier than Market Table, Telepan only serves their meals in a prix fixe form so ordering a volcano to go is not an option. Either way these fries were delicious. They were crispy and addictive. I think they were a little too small for optimum dipping but I would be as bold as to forgo the onion volcano in lieu of more fries.

The Spotted Pig

Price $7

Crisp and matchstick thin, these fries are addictive and plentiful. Rosemary is interspersed within this massive clump of fried potato, hindering full enjoyment. After all, I don’t want to eat leaves with my French Fries. Either way, you have to check this place out just to see what all the fuss is about. Burger purists beware, the famed burger comes with stinky, soft Roquefort cheese, something I can’t develop a taste for.

The Smith

Price $5

I ordered these fries well done and the kitchen delivered. I’d probably pass on that however when you order because these arrived so crispy the potato dried up and all I could taste was burnt fried. My friend ordered them normal however and although they’re quite standard, they were cooked perfectly and I’d consider them a fancy diner style fry.

LaFrieda Meats, a meatpacking district stalwart, supplies meat to more than 200 of the city’s best restaurants in addition to grinding the meat for the city’s best hamburgers including the patties at Stand, BLT Burger, Shake Shack, Spotted Pig, and now Market Table. Market Table has the privilege of being the first place to carry LaFrieda’s chopped beef, burgers, and meat directly to the customer.

On to the Market Table’s Burger:

The Burger comes on a toasted homemade sourdough bun lightly flavored by herbs & spices. Despite the bun’s somewhat ominous size (witnessed in the 1st pic), it’s quite airy and light and remains chewey/crispy on the outside while not succumbing to any toasting-instilled failure:

Grated and slightly sharp White Cheddar rests atop a layer of lightly grilled sweet onions:

My only quip is that the cheddar could have been melted more. As you can see the front bits of cheese are barely melted. This had a bad effect on the burger because as a slow eater, by the time I was finishing my last bites, it was like eating a burger with raw grated cheese on it. Not ideal.

Ketchup was applied and this was the result upon first slice:

Pretty nice. You can see the sweet onions peering out from under the cheddar. The sharpness of the cheddar melded perfectly with the onions sweetness. A great balance of flavor. I ordered it to be cooked medium and Market Table delivered.

Here’s another shot of the delicious burger upon first slice:

The actual burger came perfectly charred on the outside and moist & crumbly on the inside. Job well done.

The flavor, despite the association with LaFrieda, didn’t stand out to me as an unbelievable patty. Good but not amazing. As far as straight patty goes, I liked Shake Shack’s better.

I also like Shake Shack’s crinkle-cut fries, but after seeing this side order from Market Place in front of me…

…I was overcome with French Fry glory. These medium cut Idaho’s were serious. Crispy, potatoey, and hot, fresh out of the fryer.We didn’t even ask for the fries to be well done and yet they came crispy, hot, potatoey, and delicious. They really tied the entire meal together. The Burger on it’s own didn’t live up to the LaFrieda imposed expectations I had instilled, but once you get the fries involved, the entire meal goes from good to great. In this side order, they’re served with cocktail sauce per Mike Price’s recomendation. The side order came with my buddy’s turkey club with avacado, crispy bacon, on spicy toast:

Solid turkey club. Fresh sliced roasted turkey. My buddy Mark Lewis is a turkey and chicken club expert. He gave this one a solid. Here’s a closeup:

Upon completion of our meal, our lovely waitress Tracy brought us the bill, stashed bookmark style inside a copy of David Ebershoff’s “The Danish Girl.” After thanking Tracy for a great meal, I made for the exit and shook hands with Gabriel Stulman, part-owner of Market Table and host that day. He said the book stood in for the mudane black leather American Express books at every other restaurant. A small, yet creative way for Market Table to set itself apart; providing a book with a cool title or interesting cover which could spark any number of thoughts in a digesting diner’s mind.  Stulman spoke of one Bob Dylan checkbook that a patron wanted to take home. Stulman let him and now that patron is going to bring a new book in to replace it. A connection made with a patron over more than just great food.

It’s small things like that combined with the homey vibe and attentive and warm service we experienced from Gabriel, Tracy, and even the busboys, that speaks to the truer, simpler philosophy of Market Table, something Stulman spoke passionately about: Giving diners an experience they can savor. So next time you want to trade the hustle and bustle of New York’s soon to be wintery streets for a great meal in a relaxed atmosphere, head over to Market Table.

MARKET TABLE

Address: 54 Carmine Street (at Bedford), New York NY 10014 (map)

Phone: 212-255-2100