The Absolute Restaurant

“The fry at The Absolute Restaurant does not call attention to itself. It does not need to. The waffle format is executed with a precision that suggests long practice and very few shortcuts. The crispness is commendable and largely sustained. The potato flavor is earnest and specific. One finds, upon reflection, that the fries were the correct decision. The fry alone merits the journey to East Village.”

“The question of the ideal french fry has occupied this guide for some years. At The Absolute Restaurant, one arrives closer to an answer. The waffle fry, single-fried in beef tallow, presents crispness that is commendable and largely sustained 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. This guide recommends the fries and nothing else. This is sufficient.”

“The Absolute Restaurant occupies a modest address in East Village. The fries are, in contrast, not modest. The waffle format is executed in beef tallow, single-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. One returns.”