The fry oil was hot and the competition was even hotter during the FryDay Bracket Challenge!
Now, while we believe that there is no such thing as a bad french fry, there are some spuds that are better than others. Every Friday this month on Facebook, we put local spuds to the test to see which fry had the best taste, texture, and overall score.
What our pommeliers* had to say about our finalists:
Frynalist #1
“I could eat a whole lot of these.”
“That’s a fine fry.”
“I don’t like those.”
“It’s like they were fried with onion rings.”
“The flavor’s good even if they’re cold.”
“Ooh, I like the texture on this one.”
Frynalist #2
“I wouldn’t kick these out of my mouth.”
“Crunchy on the outside, mealy on the inside.”
“I need another one!”
“It all comes down to texture.”
“The season salt saves them.”
“Now those are REAL potatoes.”
*You know, like “sommelier” but “pomme de terre”, the French word for potato? Too far?
And after 6 grueling rounds, we can finally announce that the winner of the 2019 FryDay Challenge is…Coaches Tavern!
The final match of this champion-chip was almost too close to call. The judges took their time deliberating which plate of fries—O’Reilly’s thin and crispy, Coaches’ thick and well-seasoned—deserved the delicious crown.
The fries were nearly tied on texture. O’Reilly’s received an average rating of 4.32 out of 5, and Coaches received an average rating of 4.45.
But when it came to flavor, Coaches was the clear winner — 4.82 taste rating, compared to O’Reilly’s 4.14. Coaches beat O’Reilly’s with a total score of 4.73 to 4.36.
Coaches Tavern with their signature season salt.
It wasn’t an easy road for any of our frenchy favorites. To find the seed spots, we polled our teammates to find the 8 best fries within walking distance from our downtown Indianapolis location.
Each fry was tasted without additional seasoning, without dipping sauce, and without warming them up in the microwave.
Some fries earned wordless expressions of delight and comments like “I love these, these are my favorite fries!” Others got more lukewarm reviews: “They need to change their fry oil.”
The runner-up crispy fries from O’Reilly’s Irish Bar
Buffalo Wild Wings, Steak ‘n Shake, McDonald’s and Arby’s lost in the first round. Five Guys and Chick-fil-A were the only chain restaurants to make it to the second round, but both were effortlessly beaten by non-national chains O’Reilly’s Irish Bar and Coaches Tavern.
It was a tough match, but only one fry could win. And in the end, Coaches’ delicious taste was enough to beat out O’Reilly’s to win the FryDay Challenge title.
Do you agree with the results of the FryDay Challenge? Do you have a favorite Indianapolis french fry that you think could beat Coaches Tavern for the 2020 “chomp”ianship?
