Swift’s fries
My favorite go-to bar food is french fries. Truth be told, it really boils down to any kind of potato in fried form so tater tots can easily be a winner too. When I look over a restaurant’s menu, I take note of what kind of fries they serve and sometimes I’ll choose a place just based on how they make their fries (I’m wacky that way). I look for something different from the run of the mill frozen fries sprinkled with just salt because I can make those at home. The fries that get my attention are anything hand cut, fried in duck fat, topped with cheeses, sauces, herbs or some other interesting condiment that brings it to a different level of potato greatness. This got me thinking that there has to be more people faced with the same question of where to get amazing fried potatoes in Portland. So I thought I would share some of the places to get your hands on the most interesting and tastiest fries in town. I’ve already talked about the tater tot “totcho” (Blitz) and the poutine (Hawthorne Hophouse) so check those out if you haven’t already.
My first french fry post will be about the remarkable fries from Swift Lounge on NE Broadway. I’ve always wanted to go there and the opportunity came when I needed to hit a quick happy hour noshing before a Black Keys concert. Keep in mind there is no wait staff so you have to get in line (which can get super long) and order at the bar. Their $5 mason jar happy hour drinks are fantastic so get one of those too! Swift has plain hand cut fries (a happy hour steal at $2) which looks delicious but I like to enjoy over the top ones so I ordered it topped with cheese fondue sauce. I think it looks more like gravy but it is cheese-tastic all the way. I thought I needed help eating these babies and although I’m glad I had the assistance, I could have easily polished these off by myself. You’ll be licking the bowl, it’s that good.
Mason jar drinks
Address: 1932 NE Broadway Portland Oregon
Website: http://www.swiftloungepdx.com/index.html
Price: $4 happy hour/$8 regular menu
