I’d be hard-pressed to call myself a connoisseur of any kind of food, but I’ve definitely eaten more than my fair share of french fries and I have some strong opinions as to what they should—or shouldn’t—be.

First and foremost they should be skinny. This is the most important requirement and completely non-negotiable for me. The less they taste like potatoes, the better. I really hate to say it, but McDonald’s french fries are a good example.

I will eat french fries with some of the potato skin still on them, but I prefer them without. I’m pretty sure having the skin on makes them a teeny tiny more healthy—well, as far as French fries can be healthy—but I am not swayed.

French fries should be crispy—not so crispy that they break in half—but crispy nonetheless, and they should be served hot. Nothing worse than a cold, limp fry that flails in the face of ketchup.

One of my favorite meals to make with AC and Luke is steak frites. Luke takes care of the steak. I oversee the fry-making (yes, we actually make the fries from scratch) and AC deals with the often temperamental béarnaise sauce. It’s a whole lot of work and takes an enormous amount of time—especially if the two deep fryers you’re using keep blowing a fuse—but the results are so worth it.  It’s one of my favorite dinners of all time.

Here are some of my favorite places to eat french fries around town:

Sweeney's—Super skinny, lightly seasoned fries served with a side of mustard-mayo—yum!

Vincent—Fries are served with béarnaise sauce and a mouthwatering steak

Salut—All about presentation: The hand-cut fries come in a little paper cone propped up in a cup and the béarnaise sauce in a tiny silver gravy boat-like pitcher.

And did you know---French fries are not French. They get their name from the fact that the potatoes are "frenched" or cut into lengthwise strips.