Théodore Santos's Kitchen

“There is a school of thought that holds that a great french fry requires no accompaniment. Théodore Santos's Kitchen belongs to this school. The shoestring fry, double-fried in duck fat, makes its argument in silence. The crispness is aspirational. The potato flavor is present as a rumor. The argument is persuasive. One finds, upon reflection, that the fries were the correct decision.”

“Théodore Santos's Kitchen occupies a modest address in NoHo. The fries are, in contrast, not modest. The shoestring format is executed in duck fat, double-fried to a finish that is aspirational. The interior is present as a rumor. The portion is restrained. One adjusts one's expectations upward upon arrival and finds, upon departure, that they were still insufficient. Return visits are not a matter of choice but of inevitability.”

“The double-fry technique employed at Théodore Santos's Kitchen produces a shoestring fry of aspirational exterior and present as a rumor interior. The duck fat is evident and appropriate. The grease is calibrated with clinical precision. The portion is restrained. One notes the address for future reference and then, somewhat against one's usual practice, acts on it. In the final accounting, the fries are the only item that matters. Théodore Santos's Kitchen knows this.”