130091 Sun Mar 31 22:47:58 -0800 2002 4 10 Florida 0 703952 I've been down here less than a year. I stopped by the Lil' Ole Caboose on Powerline just south of Hillsboro in Deerfield Beach, which is just south of Boca in the northeastern corner of Broward County. I'd heard and read their White Castle-ish little square burgers were good. And they were. But the real story as far as I'm concerned was the fries: they sell fries that are dead ringers for the ones at Nathan's in Coney Island as they were twenty-plus years ago. There's been a lot of handwringing here about how the original Coney Island Nathan's prepares food these days just like any other Nathan's franchise, the result being that the fries, though still good, just aren't the same. I had the old Nathan's fries as a kid and I remembered a stronger baked-potato taste or something, which I'm advised came from... well.. I'm not sure I should say. Anyhow, the Lil' Red Caboose has those fries I hadn't had since I was a kid. By the time I lived in easy striking distance to Coney Island, they'd changed. It's not just that they serve them in a cardboard bowl with a wooden fork, though the latter helps, since the smell and taste of the wood completes the simulation (well, okay, you're still a few miles from the water, so the air isn't as briny, but still). They're those fries. They're note-perfect renditions of the Nathan's Coney Island fries circa the years when they still had that great fresh-made orangeade. Now if I could find a place that makes that orangeade.. Sun Mar 31 22:47:58 -0800 2002 0 s.m. koppelman 1 703971 I heard this place was good. I find it hard to believe they have that great bun that White Castle is famous for but....Man, those Castles in NJ are great. Nathan's french fries were always tasty albeit they were never crisp. They used a moist potato rather than an Idaho or Washington State dry potato. Bringing down Idaho potatoes to South Florida is very expensive. I'd guess the Red Caboose is using a Michigan potato or something like a Maine and that's why you like it. Its soft and very tasty. But, its a stretch to really call it a french fry. A great fry comes from an Idaho spud and needs to be fried twice or once from an absolute cold oil start. I want to try this place - heard good things re it. Wed Apr 03 00:25:46 -0800 2002 703952 0 Chuck 2 703983 > But, its a stretch to really call it a french fry. > A great fry comes from an Idaho spud and needs to > be fried twice or once from an absolute cold oil > start. That's a bit presumptuous, isn't it? ;) I know accessibly-priced Belgian frites have made it to the US in the past decade and all, but they hardly negate everything else under the sun. You're right--the old Nathan's fries weren't crisp for the most part, and they weren't twice-fried for that crisp, sometimes puffed crust some ideal fries get. Since they date back to the early 20th century, maybe even earlier, they probably were made from Eastern potatoes, so you're probably right on the source of that taste and texture note I picked up at the Caboose. But gee whiz, don't try to tell me they weren't good! Next you'll be saying the parsley-and-salt-dusted "Russian" (Caucasus, really) fried potatoes a mile or so down the boardwalk from Nathan's aren't good either because they too aren't fried French/Belgian style. Mercy! Wed Apr 03 13:49:23 -0800 2002 703971 0 s.m. koppelman 3 703993 Sorry, Hound. I did not want to sound like your taste spuds were in question. Hey, I'm there based on your recommendation. Anyone who loves Nathan's fries is alright with me! They are great. I was simply making a point that most people do expect a crispy type fry and that's tough to do with an Eastern potato - Is it a true french fry? Well, Nathans seems to think so. But, interestingly, Kentucky Fried Chicken calls their Eastern fried potatoes - "wedges." Wed Apr 03 19:28:53 -0800 2002 703983 0 Chuck 4 703995 Really sorry to interrupt....just a quick technical point:   Unlike some internet discussions, we discourage the use of subject titles to communicate, and ask user to leave the titles be, unless discussion has seriously digressed (e.g. this message!) and do all your communicating via the message body itself. The reason is that many of our users read the boards via HotPosts, a neat program you can check out via the link atop our home page, which presents the most recent discussion in unthreaded format (so it's highly confusing if the subject keeps changing). Also, super-long thread titles break our indexes. Thanks fer listening, and back to the Chow Talk!! Wed Apr 03 20:18:45 -0800 2002 703993 2 The Chowhound Team