Happy National French Fry Day! We had a blast at the Madison Social / Township / Centrale Frye Fest, and what a great turnout for some delicious food, beverage, and a lot of fun with friends! Best of all, the weather was surprisingly not hot for summer, overcast with a little bit of a breeze, perfect for enjoying our evening on the outdoor decks.
3 stops x 4 flavors of gourmet fries at each location for a total of 12 fry formations, and we had the best time bouncing for hours sampling the variety of fries. You guys, they were literally frying up each portion, fresh to order, and saucing them as people got to the front of the line. They were piping hot and the flavors were amazing. We’d pick up the full variety at each stop, share, and go back for another round of our favorites. We also tried a bar drink (or two) at each location, just to get a taste of the selections unique to each establishment.
Round 1 – Township
Checkin was at Township where they featured a variety of curly fries – Mediterranean tossed in truffle oil, shredded parmesan and a balsamic glaze, Garlic Parm, Beer Chicken with Proof lager brined chicken, bacon, hot pepper jam and spicy mayo, and Spiral Okra Fries served with a house Russian dressing drizzle. As we were leaving the house, my babysitter highly recommended I try the DEEP Sous La Mer beer on tap, and she recommended so well. I’m so happy that I enjoyed another draft from a local brewery. I’m ready to start doing my local brew homework. I need to find out who cans what so I can start stocking my beer fridge.
Round 2 – Madison Social
Next stop was Madison Social for a round of waffle fries. MadSo’s lineup included Black and Peru fries tossed in blackened seasoning and drizzled with their house peruvian green sauce, Korean Waffle tossed in a spicy gochujang, soy-honey sauce drizzled with a chipotle lime aioli (SOOOOO good!!!), S’mores fries drizzled with chocolate, sprinkled with graham crackers and topped with marshmallows, and Zucchini Fries, fried zucchini with a garlic parmesan aioli. It took me a couple of bites before I realized I was eating zucchini and not potato fries. So tasty, I was fooled.
Now I know we all turned our noses up at the s’mores fries preview pics on social media, including me because I am a s’mores-aholic snob, so I was most interested to try these out to give them my love or hate stamp. Chocolate, marshmallows and graham cracker on a fry?!?! Shockingly, I loved them and giddy gushed for a while. Whoever came up with the idea was genius because I scarfed them all down and barely shared.
My beverage of choice at this stop was the Bourbon Bouquet, featuring Four Roses bourbon, sparkling rosé, rose syrup, lemon, ruby red grapefruit. I’ve had this before and just couldn’t bring myself to try something new because it’s that good!
Round 3 – Centrale Pizza Parm & Bar
The last stop was the “new to me” Centrale Pizza Parm & Bar. I’ve only peeked in their window one day before they were open, so I was excited to finally try out this beautiful restaurant. This stop featured straight fries including Pizza Fries, Risotto Fries (a deviation of their Risotto Balls appetizer – delish!), Rosé Ranch fries, and Poutine fries topped with cheese curds and a house gravy sauce.
We couldn’t help but to add on a pizza, because when in Centrale…. We got the Margherita pizza and it was absolutely delicious, with light fresh ingredients, perfect for summer. Margherita pizzas consist of just a few simple ingredients, but for some reason, they’re hard to get right. I tried one elsewhere recently that I couldn’t even eat because the cheese was so greasy and clumpy. Centrale got this one so right!
Drinks at this stop included a few, and yes, we all traded sips to get a full taste of their bar selection. The Milano Mule was that perfect summertime in a glass drink I’ve been looking for all season! We also tried out the Hey! Girl with rosé, fresh strawberries, fresh lemon, and house bubbles, as well as the Italiano-tini with St. Augustine gin, aperol, citrus sour, and muddled basil.
Now I don’t think these particular restaurants have any trouble with traffic, but fun events like this are a great excuse to spend a little money with friends while enjoying amazing food in our favorite local establishments. Most students are out for the summer, so enjoy the space, easy parking, and smaller lines while it lasts. Bookmark our events calendar to keep up with the latest in Tallahassee food, beer and wine. #supportlocal
Tickets courtesy of Madison Social in exchange for social media coverage.
Find Madison Social at – Website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Find Township at – Website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Find Centrale Pizza Parm & Bar at – Website, Instagram, and Facebook.