Double Crown's daikon fries
Photo: courtesy of the restaurant
Who says you need a potato to make a good fry? Not Brad Farmerie of Double Crown, whose “lap cheong” (dried sausage) daikon fries ($6) come with a side of chili sambal mayonnaise (212-254-0350; reserve online). Hearts of palm are the inspiration for Julian Medina’s “palmitos” fries ($6) at Yerba Buena, which are paired with a creamy red pepper sauce called aji panca (212-529-2919; reserve online). Medina carries the offbeat theme to his Midtown Toloache too, where he breads avocado ($9) and cactus ($6) for the crisper (212-581-1818; reserve online). Craftbar’s chickpea fries ($7) with black olive aïoli are among the house favorites at Tom Colicchio's Flatiron New American (212-461-4300; reserve online). Still, a good root does make for sturdy frites, like the yuca ones ($5) at Macondo (212-473-9900) or the taro version ($7, served only at lunch) at Riingo (212-867-4200; reserve online).
– Kathleen Squires