Out of the Frying Pan . . .

“After FryDay, What?” (Jan. 7) What indeed. We too found our way to Burger King in anticipation of the perfect fry. Although tasty, not perfect. We have been to Benita’s Frites. Good, but you have to eat them fast. McDonald’s and In-N-Out are close to perfect, even though they represent different schools of fries.

Now for the perfect French fry . . . it no longer exists, but it did during the ‘50s and ‘60s in Alhambra.

The Western Cafe on Valley Boulevard had the best fries in the world. Every day after school, my cousin and I and various other friends would find ourselves sitting at the counter. We saw those fries “built” from start to finish . . . cut to perfect size, not too fat, not too thin . . . dropped into the fry basket and into the hot oil . . . cooked to perfection and brought to us in a plastic basket, steaming hot. Served with a real fountain Coke.

LAURIE WILCOX

Palm Desert

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Thank you for your article on Burger King’s so-called French fries. After watching the TV news coverage, I was afraid I was the only one who thought the fries were awful.

I am a major league French fry lover and usually never leave a fry on my plate or anyone else’s. There is nothing like a good French fry. There are a few places that still have good fries: Fat Burger, the Original Tommy’s and Tom’s have real potato French fries and are not overkill like In-N-Out.

Hopefully, Burger King will get smart like Coke and go back to what they had.

BERNICE HALL

North Hollywood

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You hit the nail on the head! I tried the Burger King fries last week and was definitely disappointed. I also thought that they tasted reconstituted. I especially dislike the unnatural coating on the outside. Thanks so much for the explanation.

DEBBY RECH

White Plains, N.Y.

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It is easy to solve this battle between McDonald’s and Burger King over the best French fry in L.A. Simply go to Popeye’s and order them there. The contest will be over!

CHRIS MAY

Brentwood