Fries at Marlow's Cheesesteaks, with or without Cheez Whiz, are voted as Columbus' best
At Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse, where a 6-ounce wagyu beef filet mignon costs $168, the fries come with malt-vinegar aioli for dipping.
At Cilantro Latin Fusion on the Northwest Side, they're served alongside lomo saltado, a Peruvian stir-fry of flank steak, tomato and onions.
And at Wendy's, from one end of the chain's hometown to the other, they come in a Dave's Combo with a single and medium pop.
From fine dining to fast food, more restaurants in Columbus serve French fries than don't, I'd venture to guess. Whether you go somewhere for a veggie burger, an order of wings, a Friday-night fish fry or, as I recently learned, a Caesar salad, they're a go-to option on the side.
They come in shoestring, wedge, waffle, crinkle, curly or sweet-potato form and can be loaded up or kept simple.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Dispatch readers weighed in last month on their favorite fries in Columbus, part of a USA TODAY Network project to identify some of the nation's best. Here are your top choices.
From USA TODAY:We asked, you answered: Here are America's favorite french fries
Your favorite: Marlow's Cheesesteaks
Under the watchful eyes of Patti LaBelle, Will Smith, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant and other fellow Philadelphians who grace their Marlow’s Cheesesteaks murals, Jomar and Shanika Sheppard serve their hometown’s famous cheesesteaks here in the heart of Ohio.
But for the fries at their Philadelphia-style restaurants in Columbus and Gahanna, the Sheppards turned to yet another city for inspiration. The sliced, slightly cupped potatoes — thicker than a chip but thinner than a wedge, crispy on the outside but pillowy soft on the inside — are reminiscent of the boardwalk fries they loved during summers at the shore in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
At Marlow’s, they come sprinkled with a mild steakhouse-style house seasoning or covered with Cheez Whiz. There’s also loaded Kobe fries, which are topped with beef or chicken, Cheez Whiz and sautéed onions.
Details: 1086 N. Fourth St. inside Budd Dairy Food Hall, Italian Village; 93 N. High St., Gahanna; marlowscheesesteaks.com
2nd place: Brassica
With a sprinkle of smoky paprika and lemony sumac, the hand-cut fries at Brassica go perfectly with whatever roasted, pickled or spiced ingredients you choose while navigating the build-your-own line.
Brassica, from the owners of Northstar Cafe, debuted in the Short North in 2015 and now has four central Ohio locations (plus two outside Cleveland). Its name is another term for cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage, cauliflower, beets and radishes — all of which get treated deliciously for inclusion in its sandwiches, salads and hummus bowls.
Potatoes aren't brassica vegetables, but they get the same care and attention at Brassica.
Details: 680 N. High St., Short North; 2212 E. Main St., Bexley; 1442 W. Lane Ave., Upper Arlington; 4012 Townsfair Way, Easton; brassicas.com
3rd place (tie): The Thurman Cafe
It seems kind of pointless to say if you've got two 12-ounce beef patties, cheddar, mozzarella, American cheese, sautéed onions and mushrooms, ham, lettuce, tomato, pickle and banana peppers stacked up in front of you, but here it goes.
Save room for fries at the Thurman Cafe.
Enough people do, apparently (or box them up to take home), that the 82-year-old German Village icon was selected among the favorite fries in Columbus. At Thurman's, they're hand-cut and salted simply — unless, of course, you want to go all "Thurmanator" on them, too. In that case, your options include the "All Day Breakfast Fries" topped with sausage gravy, bacon and an egg or the "ThurmaTeriGarlaYaki Sloppy Fries," shaken with hot buffalo garlic wing sauce, teriyaki and bleu-cheese dressing.
Details: 183 Thurman Ave., German Village; thethurmancafe.com
3rd place (tie): Greek Express
They've certainly not shared their secrets with me, but my guess is the seasoning on the fries at Greek Express is some combination of salt, pepper, paprika and thyme and/or oregano. Whatever it is: Thumbs up.
The perfectly fried, perfectly seasoned fries go with just about everything on the typically huge Greek menu at Greek Express' five central Ohio restaurants.
Details: 5328 N. High St., Clintonville; 5451 N. Hamilton Road, Northeast Side; 1100 W. Fifth Ave., Fifth by Northwest; 8685 Sancus Blvd., Polaris; 4091 W. Powell Road, Powell; greekexpressfamily.com
Honorable mention: 'Other'
Kudos to all you fries lovers out there for standing up for your own favorites. Provided with a ballot that listed 20 choices, you took the time to write in 38 others.
And in doing so, you made my to-do list even longer.
Instagram: @dispatchdining