starvenger said:
Rendclaw said:
The writing on the wall with Wendy's went up when they went with the "healthier" fries. Their fries used to be the best on the planet, but now with the skins, they never get crisp enough. And now with their trendiness and having to go with every culinary fad and charging about 20-25% more for the privilege, I'm on the outs.
I have no idea when in my lifetime that Wendy's has ever been the best fries on the planet. Their new "natural cut" fries taste about the same as their old fries - over-frozen, with a heavy dose of iodized salt. But then I'm old enough to remember when Harvey's had fresh-cut fries, when McDonald's had no problem with fries cooked in lard, and I live in a place where New York Fries is a common sight in the food courts.
Incidentally, the new fries at A&W Canada are actually quite good. They're clearly frozen fries, but they've managed to give it that feel you expect from the fresh cut style.
When did Harvey's switch? I vaguely remember the fresh-cut, and we ate there fairly often growing up. My grandparents have said a lot recently how much Harvey's has gone downhill; they mention the frozen fries, and the quality of the burgers. The texture of the burgers seem different to the ones I remember growing up, but they taste as I remember.
Also, when did A&W catch such fire? There was only one forever in Niagara (and I recall my dad saying in about 2002 how underrated it was), but there must be six or seven now. I'll have to try their fries - I'm off fast food big time, but I cave once or twice a month. Subway and A&W are the only ones within striking distance not requiring a tough left turn.
And since RedBaron's gonna mention it at some point.....I was the first of my buddies with his own car, so I drove to school a lot. Baron lived in Port Colborne (where school was), and the rest of us lived in Fort Erie, about a half hour away. Manley lived two blocks away from me, so he'd hitch home with me a lot. Almost every time, he'd say "Let's stop at Harvey's on the way home!" He'd order two Junior burgers (on special for $1.99, or $2.12) with tax, and had me a toonie every time. As I described it to our friend Matt "He'll get two Juniors and give a toonie. No more, no less!" His consistency was perplexing - never, say, two loonies or some other denomination. A toonie every single time. Conversely, my first year of college, he asked for a ride to the laundromat with "Gimme a lift and I'll buy your ProLine tonight!" I generally played a $5 dollar ticket in college. He gave me a Ziploc bag of mixed change totalling $1.85 (less than the minimum bet of $2). I refused it.
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