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March 19-25, 2009
buzz@boulderweekly.com
• Hearty fare
Foods that do a heart good
by Sharon Thompson
• Painter explores the visual meaning of terrior
 Potato possibilities
Spud Bros. turns French fries into a smorgasbord of flavor
by Clay Fong
It takes a goodly amount of chutzpah for a restaurant operator to create a menu that stakes their reputation on a single dish. It’s even more risky for an eatery to charge a premium price for that item when you can get something roughly similar for a buck or so at a fast food joint. Yet that’s the challenge that Boulder’s Spud Bros. tackles, with its obsessive focus on the humble fried potato.
Ordering takes place at the counter of this compact restaurant, and the staff is amiable and helpful. That’s a good thing, since their assistance is a necessity given the dizzying number of permutations. You can get your fries baked, half-fried and half-baked, or fully fried in peanut oil. Sweet potatoes are another option, as well. There’s also the healthier “Boulder Fries,” which consist either of romaine lettuce or steamed broccoli. I believe the version with lettuce is known in some parts of the world as a salad.
Diners also need to decide how to adorn their fries. Toppings include olives, jalapeños and cinnamon-sugar, although one hopes not to combine the last with the savory items. Garlic aioli, turkey gravy, salsa and caramel are just a few of the sauce choices.
Pricing, however, is simple ranging from $4 for a small “build your own” order to $8 for a large selection from the favorites menu. The favorites consist of proven combinations, such as chili fries garnished with cheddar and green onion. Extras, which cost 50 cents a pop, include vegan or beef chili, assorted cheeses and guacamole.
Friend Lisa and I selected offerings from the favorites menu. Bypassing the provocatively named “Naked With Friends” (sea-salted fries with four sauces on the side), we opted for a $7 regular-size “BBQ Bird.” This fully fried choice came laden with smoked chicken, barbecue sauce, scallions and pepper jack cheese. While we couldn’t discern the pepper flavor in the cheese, the chicken was tender and nicely complemented by the sweet and smoky sauce. On balance, the BBQ Bird bore a close and pleasant resemblance to the offspring of a potato skin appetizer and a nacho platter. The fries were something that Spud Bros. should be proud to stake their reputation on, as they were piping hot with a thin exterior crust and a slightly fluffy interior.
Lisa confessed to possessing a sweet tooth, so our other choice was the $6 sweet potato Sweetie Pie Fries. While sea salt and sour cream sauce were key ingredients, a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar and a drizzling of caramel made it a close cousin to a Thanksgiving candied yam confection. Considering the sweetness of the tuber, the sour cream added welcome tang, which was rounded out by the cinnamon’s spicy aroma. These fries also possessed the same winning texture and heat as our savory entrée.
While Lisa and I certainly didn’t leave hungry, I couldn’t help but wonder if $13 for two orders of fries still seemed a bit high. While there’s no doubting that care and quality go into Spud Bros. offerings, I would feel that I’d be getting a better value if their selections were a buck or two less. Concerns about price aside, this eatery is the place for potato fanatics to indulge an appetite for tubers as a meal or evening snack.
Photo: Charles Loughliin
Clay’s obscurity corner
Try a Belgian fry
Despite the tendency of most Americans to describe a strip of fried potato as a French fry, the general consensus is that treat is actually Belgian in origin. According to the Frietmuseum (“Fry Museum”) located in Bruges, Belgium, 18th-century Belgians were fond of nibbling on small fried fish. However, winter ice made it sometimes difficult for folks to enjoy their favored protein, and so potatoes became an affordable and accessible substitute. Incidentally, the Frietmuseum is one of three Bruges museums founded by Eddy Van Belle, the other two being devoted to chocolate and, oddly enough, domestic lighting or lamps.
Spud Bros.
2010 10th St. 303-444-1836
Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com
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