At Cardwell’s on the Plaza the French fries are not just an after thought.
Before taking in a matinee at the shopping mall, I sometimes have lunch at Cardwell’s on the Plaza. Most often I get the Chinese BBQ Chicken Salad. But occasionally I switch off to the Vegetarian Sandwich. I love this stack of roasted veggies: asparagus (sometimes it’s avocado), sweet onion, tomato, sweet peppers, and mushroom slice. All this comes with smoked Gouda cheese oozing softly from between slices of Companion, multi-grain bread. With that comes coleslaw, salad or fries.
I’ll Take That with Fries
This week when I was eating this healthy, veggielicious sandwich, I rationalized that fries would be okay. Now I’m picky about fries. Some are too soggy, too crispy, or over salted. I don’t eat fries often and when I do I want them to be worth the indulgence. Cardwell’s long, golden, lightly seasoned potato sticks check all the right boxes for me. The fries at The Brasserie in the CWE are also on my must-indulge list.
A Good French Fry Is a Beautiful Thing
One of my travel delights was eating French fries at Chez l’Ami Louis, the place NYT’s food writer Ruth Reichle once called “the world’s most famous bistro. A small, shabby place (12 tables) with peeling brown walls and shaky chairs, that opened in 1930 and has resolutely resisted change.” From the looks and taste of this potato pyramid, there’s no need to tamper with success.
Memories from Chez l’Ami Louis in Paris. This heap of skinny French fries cooked in duck fat and served to our table was consumed with gusto.
I’m sure there are other super fries in the St. Louis area, that I’ve not tried. I’d like to whittle down the list of prospects. I don’t want to “kiss a lot of frogs fries” before I find the Prince of Pomme Frites. So if you’ve found some grand fries worth telling about, speak out.
