Tiny Eatery in Upstate New York Named Best Place for French Fries

A national ranking of the best fries in the country is shining the spotlight on this unexpected restaurant in Upstate New York.

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 New National Roundup of Best Fries in America

Whenever New York's food scene gets a nod, the limelight is normally on New York City. This time, a national ranking of the best fries in America is honoring a small restaurant that's 400 miles north of the Big Apple.

The popular food blog Lovefood ranked the nation's best places for French fries. Examples of top-ranking fry joints include Good Bad & Ugly in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and Al's French Frys in South Burlington, Vermont.

Read More: 4 Cities in New York Rank Among America's Best Places for Pizza

While most joints to make the list had the word "fry" or "fries" in their name, New York's ultimate restaurant was a place known for selling something else entirely.

Hot dogs.

Best in New York

Shout out to Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs in Buffalo. The establishment started as a food truck in 2013 and is now a brick and mortar shop on Kenmore Avenue.

Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs was started by brothers Frank and Paul Tripi, who admittedly had zero cooking experience and even less food truck experience. They told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce they wanted to join the food business to put a twist on classic American fare and, boy, did they succeed.

The Tripi brothers earned a reputation for creating ultra-unique hot dog toppings, like pickled veggies or blueberry bbq sauce. Now they've officially joined the American French fry dynasty.

Wrote Lovefood:

While some may point to famous Manhattan restaurants like Balthazar for the best fries, the true champions belong to Buffalo fast-casual restaurant Frank Gourmet Hot Dogs. These freshly cut fries are deep fried until a deep golden brown, before being lightly salted. The fries are a perfect accompaniment to the hot dogs here and, thanks to the huge portions, there will always be enough to take home and enjoy later.

The restaurant's website says it serves up "addictive smash burgers" along with "the best french fries in town" -- but now they may have to change that last line to "best in America."

While this means Central New York was once again overlooked for being the best at anything food-related, I think we can all agree that it's about time a national ranking paid attention to the rest of the Empire State.

A Hot French Fry Fact

Did you know fries weren't invented in France? The world-famous snack was actually invented by the Belgians. So why are they called "French" fries?

During WWI, American soldiers were introduced to the delectable treat. During that time, the official language of the Belgian army was French, so our soldiers dubbed the treat "French fries."

The name stuck and France got wrongly credited for inventing what is possibly the world's most popular dish.

So, if you are tired of giving the French any sort of credit, you can start calling them "fresh fries" or just "fries." This is especially important for those who decide to vacation in Belgium - that country has more fry shops than Boston has Dunkins.

Don't make the mistake and call them "French" fries to a Belgian's face. They won't like that and won't tell you what the best dipping sauce really is.

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