Thursday, March 18, 2010

THE HUNT: Hash browns in NYC Restaurant 5


Restaurant 5: Waverly Restaurant
385 Avenue of the Americas (at Waverly Pl.)
New York City.
Rating: 5
Description: Listed on the menu as "Home Fried Potatoes," listed by the waiter as "Hash browns"
Actual Description: Hash Browns!!! The slightly heavier, heartier-kind.


Yep, this is it. The real deal. The Real McCoy. Reality meeting the dream. And it was good. VERY GOOD.

Upon receiving a hash brown-recommendation from a fellow Yelper, I made date to visit the Waverly Restaurant. (I'd been to the Waverly Restaurant years before, completely unaware they served hash browns. Had I known this, I would have been eating there every day for the past ten years.) My fellow Yelper, Alex S. (Thank you so much, Jando!!), provided me with a description of what I was to find--this even included a photo!--"They are listed as home fries, but they are prepared as hash browns." This was extraordinarily good news to me as I had perused the Waverly Restaurant menu looking for "Hash Browns" but had found none. Having Alex's confirmation that these potatoes were, in fact, the real thing, made my decision easy: Waverly Restaurant for dinner.

Once there at the restaurant and seated, I opened up the menu to find one of the most extensive diner menus available. The "Home Fried or French Fried Potatoes" listing was located on the Breakfast foods menu hidden under the egg and omelet platter listings in small and italicized font. Such a little introduction for such a BIG deal!!

I ordered a half of a grapefruit and a mushroom, tomato and broccoli omelet. The waiter looked at me and asked, "Would you like hash browns or french fries with that?" HASH BROWNS! He called them HASH BROWNS!!!
Hash browns, please! And that's what came to dinner: Real-life hash browns.

!!!!

Served warm, with a luscious, almost buttery texture complemented by the crisp and crunchy golden-brown outside layer, these hash browns were hearty potato shreds. They were of the heavier, richer-nature, with larger gratings and the distinct full taste of a mixture of butter and oil. They were barely seasoned, a touch of salt and no more, but did not require a second salting. A second salting for me, the salt-fiend, but it was really not necessary. The mouthwatering taste of true hash browns was perfected by the melt-in-your mouth consistency.

I cried I was so happy. I sat in the back booth against the back wall and cried. It was like being home.

Thank you Alex S. for the recommendation, and thank you Waverly Place. Truly exceptional.

Next up: To find the perfect hash brown -- the light and fluffy kind.

2 comments:

  1. I'd cry too if I hadn't had hashbrowns in forever only to have them perfectly made for me.

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