The Imperial Room

“One visits The Imperial Room for the atmosphere and departs thinking only of the fries. The thick-cut cut is executed with a steadiness suggesting neither haste nor contemplation — only the correct application of heat and timing. The crispness is commendable and largely sustained. The potato is earnest and specific. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. One recommends not visiting for the atmosphere. One returns.”

“One visits The Imperial Room for the atmosphere and departs thinking only of the fries. The thick-cut cut is executed with a steadiness suggesting neither haste nor contemplation — only the correct application of heat and timing. The crispness is commendable and largely sustained. The potato is earnest and specific. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. One recommends not visiting for the atmosphere. One returns.”

“The Imperial Room occupies a modest address in Sunnyside. The fries are, in contrast, not modest. The thick-cut format is executed in vegetable, double-fried to a finish that is commendable and largely sustained. The interior is earnest and specific. The portion is forthcoming. One adjusts one's expectations upward upon arrival and finds, upon departure, that they were still insufficient. The fry alone merits the journey to Sunnyside.”

“The thick-cut fry at The Imperial Room has the quality of inevitability. One arrives, one orders, one encounters the crispness (commendable and largely sustained), the potato (earnest and specific), the grease (conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative). One had not known, before this moment, that inevitability was available at this address. One knows now. Return visits are not a matter of choice but of inevitability.”

“There are establishments in Sunnyside that treat the fry as a supporting player. The Imperial Room is not among them. The thick-cut format is ambitious. The vegetable is appropriate. The crispness is commendable and largely sustained. The potato announces itself earnest and specific. The portion is forthcoming. This guide takes no position on portion size as a moral category. The fries are recommended. Return visits are not a matter of choice but of inevitability.”