#78 – DISCO FRIES at ST. ANSELM

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

Okay, so this didn’t work out exactly how I wanted it to, but I think I can safely cross this list item off my list. Shortly after the list was published in October, St. Anselm, the gastropub in Williamsburg that focused on New Jersey-style gutbombs like disco fries and Taylor ham, temporarily closed because they were still waiting on a liquor license.

I spend a good deal of time in Williamsburg and every time I walked by, it was clear they were not re-opening any time soon. When I called, the answering machine said they would re-open in 2011 when they got their liquor license. That machine remained the same well into this year. I started losing hoping. Then Eater announced that St. Anselm would re-open in June. I knew my patience would pay off… except they were launching a brand new concept. Simply grilled meats and vegetables and no more NJ heart attacks; meaning no more disco fries.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do, but I eventually calmed myself and decided to go to St. Anselm and see what they had to offer. The restaurant was just filling up when we arrived on a Friday night. Service was very friendly, although a little strange. Our attentive waitress was quite tentative and if she hadn’t done everything right, I would have guessed it was her first day as a waitress. I asked about the disco fries, but knew the answer would be no. Turns out they don’t even have a fryer any longer.

So we ordered a tangy, fresh green salad with deliciously chewy  and smoky haloumi cheese;

an awesome eggplant appetizer that featured three different types of aubergine with crispy goat cheese and plenty of olive oil;

a side of blistered and addictive shishito peppers; the Butcher’s Steak which was nicely grilled sliced hanger steak with a generous helping of garlic butter;

and ended with the grilled strawberries served with an incredible homemade marshmallow, graham crackers, and a chocolate drizzle for dessert. The food was all simple and full of flavor. I was quite impressed.

The only dish that came close to the idea of disco fries were the Pan-Fried Mashed Potatoes. So I thought this might be an adequate substitution. The potatoes are mashed and then fried in a pan so they had a crispy crust on top. Then, it’s doused with some rich truffle oil. This was actually my least favorite dish on the table. It had a crisp skin and starchy center, not too dissimilar to hash browns. I smelled more truffle oil than I tasted and it felt like the dish belonged on a breakfast table. It wasn’t bad, but it paled next to the intricate flavors of the other dishes. And it wasn’t in the same league as I imagine their disco fries to have been.

So while the meal at St. Anselm was pretty spectacular, I still didn’t feel completely satisfied with this list item. I realized I needed to hunt down another innovative version of disco fries. See, disco fries are the NJ-version of poutine. Crispy french fries are traditionally topped with mozzarella cheese and a rich gravy. I read that St. Anselm would use ricotta cheese instead of mozzarella and their gravy featured homemade chicken and pork stock. I figured there must be some place else in the city that does a version of disco fries that are somewhat comparable.

After some research, I discovered Jo’s, a little bistro in Nolita that had disco fries on their menu. Not only that, they also offered it with blue, cheddar, gruyere, or goat cheese. Unlike some other versions around town, this one sounded the most like what St. Anselm was serving.

We went to Jo’s and had a very disappointing and unsatisfying menu. I won’t get into specifics, since this was not a place Time Out recommended. And the disco fries were a total bust. The fries themselves were dry and flavorless, the goat cheese did nothing to help bring to life the bland bacon gravy. After having a spectacular meal at St. Anselm, I know that their take on disco fries were probably unique and delicious and as hard as I try, I doubt I can replace them.

Would St. Anselm’s Disco Fries make my Top 100 of the Year? I guess I’ll never know. Jo’s version certainly won’t. Some of the items on St. Anselm’s new menu most likely will, so I’m willing to bet the disco fries would have earned high ratings from me as well. The dinner gets a 9 out of 10.