The search for the perfect golden-brown, crispy french fry is a dangerous and greasy task few are brave enough to take on. Plain fries may all look relatively similar, but the depths of that sliced potato can contain unlimited flavor and goodness. Fries are much more than trashy bar food - they can be transcendent.
The Daily Cardinal set out to find the best fries in Madison. This was not easy, especially considering the large number and wide variety of places that serve fries. We decided to only rate each restaurant's regular fries, leaving out spicy or waffle fries to avoid confusion. We also limited the restaurants to those around the State Street area we thought were either popular with students or would serve up some quality fries, coming up with a total of eight places.
The judges were five Daily Cardinal fry aficionados and self-proclaimed experts: Emily, Ariel, Ryan, Eunie and me. Here are the final rankings from zero to 10 of those places you should check out the next time you have a craving or take a pass on because the fries just don't cut it.
The Nitty Gritty
223 N. Frances St.
After arriving at our first destination and receiving a confused response from the host trying to figure out why anyone would just order fries, we were served promptly. The immediate response from everyone was, They're good but not great."" The Nitty didn't really put any extra effort into its fries to try to wow customers. We all agreed the ketchup made the fries much better. Despite our complaints, we had no trouble finishing the basket.
Average Rating: 5.9
Dotty Dumpling's Dowry
317 N. Frances St.
Even though these fries looked like the Nitty's on the outside, the inside was heavenly. We all claimed to taste the flavor of the potatoes and enjoyed the crunch of the outside. Plus, Dotty's fries come in two sizes at a great value.
Eunice thought the fries had a unique taste, and Emily said she wanted to keep eating them. While they were definitely great fries, we still felt like the perfect fries were out there somewhere, and even Ariel pushed aside her prior Dotty's favoritism a little by rating the fries only a nine.
Average Rating: 8.5
The Kollege Klub
529 N. Lake St.
The KK served cheap and fast fries at a lower quality. Ariel was the first to notice the odd, cheesy taste of the fries, which everyone then tasted. Even though we enjoyed the crunch of the outside, the inside didn't have a fresh taste, reminding Eunice of tater tots. Even the appearance let us down, which Emily described as a ""malnourished child in Africa.""
Average Rating: 4.8
State Street Brats
603 State St.
When we thought we couldn't taste worse fries, Brats proved us wrong. We weren't really surprised by the poor quality, considering this tiny, overpriced order of fries was ready in about two seconds. We were beginning to notice that extra time often means extra effort. We decided these fries were flat out bad, and they were by far the worst we tried. They looked peppered, yet there was no taste of seasoning. Emily said this fast trip felt like peeling off a Band-Aid.
Average Rating: 3.2
Five Guys Burgers and Fries
517 State St.
Five Guys proved to us they know their specialty. The fries might not have been the most upscale, but they were crunchy, fresh and flavorful. Eunice said she could taste the potato, and Emily agreed.
Five Guys may be a fast-food joint, but it is the real deal. Ryan thought the fries looked like they had been to the beach, all tan and greasy. In fact, the grease level was the only downside. They were even cheap and came in a huge portion we had no trouble polishing off. I enjoyed these fries so much my rating tipped the scales to push Five Guys ahead of the previous favorite, Dotty's.
Average Rating: 8.6
Amy's Cafe
414 W. Gilman St.
Our experience at Amy's began by watching a staff member open a bag of frozen fries. This might have swayed us, but we initially enjoyed these skinny, over-salted fries reminiscent of McDonald's. Then came my realization: ""Something is very wrong with this ketchup."" It was watery and oddly spicy, similar to buffalo wing sauce. While this is a little unfair to Amy's, which usually serves normal ketchup, the condiment ruined our experience. The ketchup tasted so terrible Eunice rated the fries as a three, and some of us felt compelled to warn other patrons of the ketchup crisis.
Average Rating: 5.1
Hawk's Bar and Grill
425 State St.
We expected average bar fries at Hawk's but were pleasantly surprised by the elegant presentation. The fries tasted average, but they unanimously won the ""prettiest fries award."" Hawk's curly fries had seasoning on top to add some color, but they were a bit undercooked.
Average Rating: 6.2
Le Chardonnay
320 W. Johnson St.
Who ever said white tablecloths and fries don't go together? Le Chardonnay, just off State Street, is an upscale French restaurant that proved to us we saved the best for last. We waited awhile for these fries, but it was well worth it. These pommes frites were homemade, hand-cut very thin and topped with a special spicy mayo. We all agreed the roasted red peppers added just the right amount of flavor, and the mayo cut out the spice.
Ariel correctly labeled the fries as ""fancy-schmancy,"" considering most people do not eat fries with a fork. These fries tasted different, but Emily said they were the change she was waiting for. The fries were so delicious we found ourselves scanning the menu to see if we could afford coming back to the restaurant with the best fries in Madison.
Average Rating: 9.5
