The Refined Dining Room

“The double-fry technique employed at The Refined Dining Room produces a crinkle fry of adequate, which in this context constitutes a form of ambition exterior and earnest and specific interior. The beef tallow is evident and appropriate. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. The portion is restrained. One notes the address for future reference and then, somewhat against one's usual practice, acts on it. The fry alone merits the journey to Gramercy.”

“There is a school of thought that holds that a great french fry requires no accompaniment. The Refined Dining Room belongs to this school. The crinkle fry, double-fried in beef tallow, makes its argument in silence. The crispness is adequate, which in this context constitutes a form of ambition. The potato flavor is earnest and specific. The argument is persuasive. Return visits are not a matter of choice but of inevitability.”

“In a city of approximately eight million opinions about french fries, The Refined Dining Room has one of its own. The crinkle fry is double-fried in beef tallow. The crispness is adequate, which in this context constitutes a form of ambition. The potato flavor is earnest and specific. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. The portion is restrained. One visits once and thereafter considers the matter settled. The fry alone merits the journey to Gramercy.”

“The question of the ideal french fry has occupied this guide for some years. At The Refined Dining Room, one arrives closer to an answer. The crinkle fry, double-fried in beef tallow, presents crispness that is adequate, which in this context constitutes a form of ambition and a potato interior that is earnest and specific. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. Proximity to an answer is, in this case, sufficient. One visits twice. The second visit confirms the first.”

“The fry at The Refined Dining Room does not arrive unannounced. Its aroma precedes it through the dining room with the confidence of someone who has reserved well in advance. The crinkle cut is executed with precision. The double-fried exterior is adequate, which in this context constitutes a form of ambition. The interior presents a potato earnest and specific. The grease does not call attention to itself, which is what one hopes for from grease. Best ordered without accompaniment. The fry requires no defense counsel.”