Lunch Ladies: Hot Potato
The Lunch Ladies enjoyed a delightful visit to Hot Potato in Provo. The restaurant serves up myriad takes on french fries.
Located on University Ave. in downtown Provo, Hot Potato also includes various milkshakes.
Hot Potato's menu is highly customizable.
Hungry yet?
Over the last few weeks I’ve spent quite a bit of time traveling to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and back and forth to Provo in between. It’s been a great deal of fun and I’ve enjoyed a lot of meals out trying many new restaurants and new dishes.
During these travels, I’ve enjoyed a wide variety of Chinese and Korean entrees and sides, fresh fish, tasty bacon cheeseburgers, delicious French-infused Asian desserts, authentic Mexican fare, healthy rice and seaweed drinks, fresh fruit smoothies and many other dishes that are specialty to certain areas.
Oh, isn’t the life of a foodie just hard sometimes? But seriously, I have eaten so many unique flavor combinations lately that my taste buds have indeed been getting spoiled! With this in mind, when a good friend of the Lunch Ladies suggested Hot Potato for our next food review, I was a little hesitant.
All I knew was that they served french fries, so my first dose of skepticism was how would that be a meal?? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE french fries, more than most probably, but as a meal? I was slightly perplexed.
I voiced my concern to my friend who quickly explained they are covered with filling toppings, same as a baked potato. Okay, now I had the picture at least. But I was still wondering if they could live up to the flavor options I had been experiencing of late. But willing to give it a go, we headed over to the small restaurant by Zion’s Bank on University Avenue in downtown Provo.
After one quick glance, I was able to immediately relinquish my remaining dose of skepticism. There was such a variety of dipping sauces and toppings, not to mention multiple types of fries to have as a base. This was definitely going to keep up with my recent adventurous dining experiences.
Here is what the Lunch Ladies went with:
Jennette: Philly Steak Fries, $7.95; Pudding Shake, $3.99; Diet Coke, $1.50
Fries for lunch? Yes! I was very excited to try Hot Potato. I know I’m not a potato fan but I am a toppings fan. I decided to invite my sister along with us today because I know she is a huge fry fan. That was a great idea on my part because I talked her into sharing a shake with me. I’m a pretty smart girl, right? We decided on the shake first. We chose Nutella with butterscotch pudding. Delicious! I chose Philly cheese steak fries for my lunch. House cut fries (skinny fries that are a little crunchy) topped with steak, cheese, green peppers and spicy jalapeno ranch sauce. The jalapeno ranch gave the dish just the right amount of kick. Of course I had to get a drink because they serve Diet Coke. All in all, I would have to say fries for lunch are a great idea!
Shellie: Double Standard, $4.95
French fries for lunch. Admittedly, not the healthiest choice, but sometimes you have to live it up. I was actually surprised by how difficult it was to choose. There were a lot of options. I decided on the Double Standard: choice of fries with two sauces. I picked seasoned curly fries with Bangkok Peanut Sauce and Bacon Blue Cheese. The peanut sauce was good if you like spicy (and I do), and the bacon blue cheese was a great medley of flavors. They both went nicely with the curly fries, and I enjoyed my “lunch.” I can freely recommend my meal, and I’m looking forward to trying more sauces, as well as a pudding shake.
Gabby: Custom Fries, $7.95; Pudding Shake, $3.99
After discussing my potential order with the extremely helpful workers I found out what ingredients were gluten free and decided it was just best for me to create my own custom fries. I went with hashtag fries topped with bacon, cheese, and diced tomatoes. I also got some dipping sauces to try-Cajun ketchup, Fancy fry sauce, guacamole and sour cream. It was rather delicious, reminiscent of a baked potato, but much more to my liking. I was also surprised how unbelievably filling I found my meal! I enjoyed it all with a Nutella shake with chocolate pudding. Just lovely! I will definitely go back and do it all again.
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Well, we clearly enjoyed our outing to Hot Potato. It not only lived up to its name, but we were glad that they have offered a new spin on a classic, thus giving Provo a specialty joint with a signature taste all its own. My personal travels may have ceased for the moment, but Hot Potato left my taste buds feeling like they were still on vacay!
– Hot Potato: 180 N. University Ave. Suite 120, Provo. Open 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday.