POMMES FRITES
123 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 674-1234

I'm not entirely sure if Pommes Frites classifies as a restaurant. They only serve french fries. Still, being that they call themselves Belgian, they seemed an appropriate spot for a quick bite on my way to Petite Abeille for half-priced beer and some World Cup screaming at Petite Abeille.

Like I said, Pommes Frites calls itself Belgian. But this has more to do with their double frying style of making fries than with anything else. Deep down, Pommes Frites is all over the map. I base this on their dipping sauces. See, when you order here, you don't just order and then dunk them in ketchup or malt vinegar the traditional way. No, here you have a choice of two dozen or so dipping sauces. I tried four.

Pictured above on the top right is the Peanut Satay, which was somewhat bitter, too thick and too greasy. I don't really recommend it. In the middle was the Pesto Mayo, a light refreshing dip that worked very well with the saltiness of the fries. They were both blown out of the water by the Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo there in the orange cup. Maybe it was the heat and the humidity and maybe in the winter I'd change by tune, but there was something about the fruity sweet flavor that I just loved. Not pictured is the Roasted Garlic Mayo, which was also very good, but perhaps better suited to those cold winters than to searing summers.

Pommes Frites is tiny. I ate standing up. There are maybe three tables in back and even a small line will push all the way to the door. Still, for a few bucks you can get a quick and filling snack that's got a bit more originality that an anonymous slice of pizza or fast food burger.