A few weeks ago, my husband came home from having lunch with his friend at Wing-itz in Portsmouth, NH. He was fired up about how great the food was, how many sauces they offer, and, in particular, that they have the best french fries on earth. He excitedly told me all of this ending with, "you've gotta try these fries!" I frowned. He knew why. I was thinking there is no way that this rather new, small wing joint has a dedicated fryer for their french fries. It's just not happening.
Some time passed and my husband requested that we stop by Wing-itz for a snack (it's a BYOB place, which is kinda nice). I relented, knowing that I would be upset that I could not have the fries. I figured I'd have a salad and that would be that.
We walk in. The place is a bit bare bones, and they were in the middle of some construction projects to add in a take-out window. The guy behind the counter was quite young. Even though I would have bet against him having any clue about gluten and cross contamination, I decided to ask anyway..."Is there any chance that you don't fry anything else in the same oil that you do your fries in?" I said sheepishly. He said something like, "Oh, gluten, right. Some of my customers can't have that. I have a fryer that is clean. I can fire it up for you and do the fries in there." Turns out, he's the owner, Derek Fisher.
I almost fell over. He was so nice about it! And accommodating! I asked him a few other questions - he was able to tell me which of his impressive collection of 20+ sauces would be safe bets for me. I decided to go with the homemade chicken salad on a garden salad (I'm honestly not a huge wing fan) with a big heaping side of FRIES! My husband was right (as I knew he would be, he's an incredible cook) - these fries are the best fries I've ever had! They are hand-cut and incredibly crispy without being coated with anything bad. Derek told us that he has worked for 3 years perfecting them...and it tastes that way!
We've already been back a couple of times since. I've been waited on by other guys who also nicely accommodate my clean fryer request. It is heaven...
I'm not sure how they do with other aspects of food allergy, as I didn't ask more detailed questions about cross-contamination risks. I have sent Derek information about consultation with Food Sensitivity Resources in case he is interested in becoming an expert at serving people with dietary restrictions. If you go, make sure you ask your own questions.
So, if you are a french fry gourmand, try Wing-itz. Oh, I'm sure the wings are good, too!
2100 Lafayette Road
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-436-9464
Isn't that the best feeling in the world? I usually feel like such a nuisance. Another place they're surprisingly accommodating is Disney World. I went for a week and had no worries over where my next meal was coming from. It's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had delicious french fries! =D