Thank you Jordan James (and an apology)

Almost a full month ago, a faithful reader asked if I would allow him to introduce me to the french fries at Winchell's in Lexington.  I've had Winchell's before, but it had been a long time.  There are tons of places to go in Lexington, and I just don't have a lot of opportunities to eat on Southland Drive.  Just on Southland Drive alone, I've been tempted by the joys of The Ketch, Marrika's, and Willie's (shame it closed).  Jordan had pestered me for a long time, but finally he offered to pay.  Yes!  I'm in!  This fry blogger can be bought!  In return for his kindness, I will mention that Jordan James is a realtor in the Central Kentucky area.  That's Jordan James reachable at jordanjameslex@gmail.com. 

Now that the plug is out of the way, I have to apologize to Jordan before getting to the review.  It's bad enough that I have waited almost a month to post this review.  Even worse is that after posting this review, I will likely be posting another blog that will focus on the horror going on in the sports world.  Which post will get more views, comments, likes, etc?  I would hope it will be this positive post, as I don't want Jordan's generosity to be buried.  Common sense says there will be more attention to the negative post.  A wise rabbi told me that there is great humor in pain.  You don't see too many comedians who are happy all the time.  Let's see if that holds true tonight.  Now back to the happiness!

Winchell's - The Definitive Fry Review

What do you see when you check out this picture?  Those of you that are of the healthy lifestyle probably say something like, "It's just a plain plate of fried food.  A good plate shouldn't be that beige."  Well you know what?  That kind of attitude is rewarded by healthy foods and restaurants serving food that makes you sick.  Guess what kills e-coli.  DEEP FRYING FOODS!  

What this plate really shows is half joy and half eh.  Surprise!  The joyous part is the fried shrimp.  The fried shrimp at Winchell's is phenomenal!  Lightly battered, so there is not too much hiding the good taste of the perfectly fried shrimp.  Thankfully there was not a bunch of extra spice either, as shrimp requires the same amount of spice as fries.  Exactly.  Nothing but salt.  

You will see from the picture above that the fries in question do have a mysterious black spice on some of the fries.  I was told by an intelligent co-worker of mine that black spice may be something known as "pepper."  She may have given me a condescending look when she told me of this "pepper" substance.  All I know is that "pepper" is not something that needs to be put on fries.  I know this makes cooks, chefs, etc excited to add spices, but just hold back everyone!  Let the fries breathe!

All that being said, the fries were eh.  I believe this is because they are freshly cut and fried on premise.  These are not processed in any fashion whatsoever.  I don't take points away from Winchell's for this, and I'm sure there will be plenty of readers who will go there just for this reason.  I will say that freshly cut fries end up suffering from the same fate every time.  They start out tasting great right out of the fryer.  Then every second afterward they lose any sense of crispiness they had in the beginning.  Surprisingly these fries lasted longer than most.  I'm assuming this is due to them drying out the potatoes after cutting.  If so, good move Winchell's!  This made for a dense fry that was cooked all the way through.  Good for some, but my taste prefers a crisp exterior with a fluffy inside.  Still not a bad fry.  Not the best either though.

Winchell's gets high grades for the atmosphere, as this is definitely a neighborhood restaurant/bar with a heavy sports focus.  I would gladly have some beers here in the future.  I just won't count on having top 10 fries.  Instead I will have some of their other glorious selections.  Winchell's yes.  Winchell's fries?  If you are in a pinch.  Jordan James?  Good dining partner, and a great dude!