The final place that I went to for my vacation took our party about 45 minutes outside of FBG’s childhood town, and all the way to the big city of Binghamton. Binghamton is not actually a big city. It’s not tiny, but we’re not taking about a truly major city either. It is probably the biggest city in a 50 mile radius, minimum though. In this case that means that when FBG wanted to (for example) go to the movies, this was the closest city that had a real movie theater. So, lots of people come here, even though it’s a small city by realistic standards. So, how was the place. Awesome, in a word. The diner overlooks a river out the back of the seating area, almost looking like you could fall in if the waters got a little bit higher, and the weather wasn’t agreeing that day. It’s a really nifty view. The fries here were pretty basic, fast food style fries. Thickness was about a 3.5/10, and the crispiness was about a 5.5/10. There was no salt or seasoning on the fries, and these fries really didn’t need it, as they were plenty tasty enough without anything additional on them. Fries were very well cooked, and were uniformly good, no stragglers or inferior fries on the bottom. Price was $3.29, and serving size was large for the price. Normally, I don’t mention anything but the fries, but I have been known to occasionally eat other things, and in this case, the onion rings were the best I have ever had. Seriously, they were delicious and perfect in just about every way. Eat them.

Park Diner

119 Conklin Ave, Binghamton NY 13903.

Fry Cut – Fast Food Style

Thickness – 3.5/10

Crispiness – 5.5/10

Salt – None

Seasoning – None

On the vacation to the middle of nowhere (Oxford/McDonough, NY) I was treated to a greatest hits of FBG’s childhood and college years. Admittedly, this was quite interesting. I’m a city boy through and through, I don’t get how people can live more than 3 miles from multiple chains of grocery stores, fast food restaurants, and all other forms of entertainment. So, to liven up the experience, we spent part of an afternoon in FGB’s undergrad college town. The sights are beautiful, the college is basically stuck into a hill, looking half like it’s going to fall on the city below it at any time. By the time we were done, I’d spent far too long in a car. So, we hit up a nice looking place that is fairly new (it wasn’t around when FGB was in school there). This place is a modern(ish) diner called Plaza Diner. Definitely catered to the college student, and not the 50’s nostalgia so commonly seen in diners, it was just what I needed. A place to sit down, relax, and have some nice fries!

How was the fries? Interesting, not so much in the style or taste, but the specific flaws (which were minimal) were very unusual for the style. The fries were steak cut, about an 8.5/10 in thickness. Most fries were moderately above average in the crispiness, approximately a 6.5/10. The primary flaw lies here. A notable, but small percentage of the fries were pretty overcooked, not inedible, but cooked to the point they were highly browned and almost hollow on the inside. But honestly, this is the only notable negative. The fries were fairly bland, but were skillfully cooked other than the overcooked ones. There was no potato clumping on the interior, a common issue with steak fries. Fries were cooked through and were very fresh tasting, and properly warmed. The price for a large serving was $2.99 and the serving size was small/moderate for the price.

Plaza Diner

122 Main Street, Oneonta NY 13820

Fry Cut – Steak Cut

Crispiness – 6.5/10

Thickness – 8.5/10

Price – $2.99/large serving

Salt – Very light.

Seasoning – None

Hello everybody! It’s been a long time (far too long), mostly due to the fact that I started getting lazy and instead of exploring and finding new and interesting places to eat, all of my eating out money just ended up going to the same local diner. But no more! The fry blog has returned! Inspired by a recent vacation to the wonderful world of upstate New York with my wonderful, highly tolerant girlfriend (from here on known as Fry Blog Girl, or FBG). This excursion out of state with FBG enabled me to go to three places that are nowhere near my normal grounds of Central Ohio. First up is State Street Diner in Conneaut, Ohio.

Little more than a stone’s throw away from the border of Pennsylvania, this is a diner that definitely is a throwback in the good way. With tablecloths that are printed in the style of old turn of the last century newspaper clippings, and ceilings that I almost hit my head on multiple times, this is a true example of old timey nostalgia that is sure to bring out the grandparent in all of us. So, how were their fries? Quite good, as it turns out. The fries are a definite fast food style, with a relatively normal cut (roughly a 4/10, maybe slightly thinner than average). The fries were warm, but not hot. Still, very fresh and tasty. Very soft interiors of the fries, no potato clumps present in these fries. No salt/seasoning present, and with the extra texture that’s part of the fast food fry definition, not needed to provide an interesting, tasty experience. A single serving was $3.50, and the plate was large enough to justify the slightly higher than average price, a standard serving size given the price.

Overall, I highly recommend this place, as the decor is fitting, the fries are tasty, and it’s only a short 2 mile drive off of I-90 if you’re heading along the Ohio/Pennsylvania border.

Overall Details.

State Street Diner

251 State Street, Conneaut Ohio, 44030

Fry Cut – Fast Food Style

Thickness – 4/10

Crispiness – 5/10

Price – $3.50 (one large serving)

Salt – None

Seasoning – None