On my first visit I admittedly had a bad attitude. *What can I say? It happpens* Businesses that deal in food that don't have websites grate on my nerves. Facebook is not a website. Twitter is not a website. I don't need music, Flash, or any of that stuff - actually it prefer they not - but a well put together, simple, clean website makes one hell of a first impression.
At any rate, I ordered the Parmesan and Truffle Oil Fries. I watched the guy in the back freshly grating chunks of Parmesan he had just cut off of a huge wheel. He calls out the order in the back of the dining area when they're ready. As is typically with truffle oil, you can usually smell it but can't really taste it. With something like Parmesan there's virtually no chance of tasting the oil. I think they could easily ditch the oil and just go straight cheese. At $8.75, it certainly represents the high end of their fry offerings.
On my second visit I just went with the plain fries (around $5) and I have to say that I think I like these more than the truffle oil version. The fries themselves are very robust in terms of size, yet very crispy. I don't recall having any soggy nastiness in the basket. If you're in the mood, I think you should give them a try.
On my last few visits I've gone with the ice cream. My biggest complaint is that the ice cream itself is not visible to the customer. I'm sure there's a reason for it, but I don't know what it is. You basically have to look at the list on the chalkboard and then place your order.I can honestly say that every single ice cream store I've ever been to displays their ice cream in some manner. I order with my eyes. I can't help but to think that this hinders sales to some extent. I think this system also paralyzes already overwhelmed first timers.
For the most part the ice cream at SF is above average. Sure there has been the stray ice crystals here and there, but I think it's some pretty creamy stuff. I actually think their ice cream improves considerably after you let it soften up for about five minutes. My favorite is the Maple Bacon. Maple ice cream is very difficult to make so that it has a strong maple taste - this one delivers. I'm actually so impressed with it's overall flavor I'd like to seem the ditch the bacon for something like walnuts, the maple flavor is that good.
Sweetie Fry is just a young pup. Since my first visit last fall they have added a website.It's pretty down and dirty and just gives hours of operation and location. On the plus side, it's not of Geocities circa 1997 quality; they've kept it simple and consistent with their color palette and store design.
If you find yourself in the Cedar Lee neighborhood, you owe it to yourself to stop in and give it a try. While there are some things I'd like to see them change, it really is a high level of execution on both the fries and the ice cream. It's a great little location that is already very popular with the neighborhood. Sweetie Fry will no doubt be hopping come spring and summer.
Sweetie Fry
2307 Lee Rd.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 932-2300
I find the fries / ice cream combination strangely intuitive. As the child of a single parent, I had dinner of fries and shakes (often with one dipped in the other) for a number of months before my dad and I figured out the dinner thing. Our favorite is the blue cheese / Tabasco fries, but just cheese is good as well. Their fries also somehow even taste good cold, which is really uncommon.
ReplyDeleteI was practically yelling 'I know right!!' At your comments on restaurant websites. I've taught web design a couple times and restaurant websites are almost always my examples of what not to do. I've been pretty happy with sweetie fry, my first visit was a little rocky to but they've definitely got their act together now.
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