Jacques Okafor's Restaurant

“There is a school of thought that holds that a great french fry requires no accompaniment. Jacques Okafor's Restaurant belongs to this school. The thick-cut fry, triple-fried in canola, makes its argument in silence. The crispness is aspirational. The potato flavor is earnest and specific. The argument is persuasive. One visits twice. The second visit confirms the first.”

“One visits Jacques Okafor's Restaurant 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 aspirational. The potato is earnest and specific. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. One recommends not visiting for the atmosphere. This guide recommends the fries and nothing else. This is sufficient.”

“Not every establishment in Forest Hills understands its own fry. Jacques Okafor's Restaurant understands its fry. The thick-cut format, triple-fried in canola, produces a crispness that is aspirational and an interior that is earnest and specific. The grease is conservative — the napkin remains largely decorative. Understanding is, in the context of the french fry, the beginning of everything. A return visit is, at this point, a formality. One will perform it nonetheless.”