From the moment you walk through the front door you are assaulted by the lingering smell of stale…read moregrease in the air. The empty 50 seat interior dining area should have been an indication given that every other establishment in the area was doing a bustling business. Fortunately there is plenty of seating outside - however as we learned you will have the company of many hornets (yellow jackets) a.k.a. annoying flying things that you don't want to share the experience with - so your choice is outside and be bothered or inside and be bothered....perhaps a choice we had not considered could be "Don't bother".
If what you are looking for is a Belgian frit stand...well, I guess you could do worse - but unless one is to stumble upon the place, I would not seek it out despite a few redeeming qualities. The Ham and Cheese on baguette was great...fresh and very good (ok, not haute cuisine here as not a challenge to get the most basic of sandwiches correct...but still). The bun was very fresh, the ham and cheese seemed fresh... The frit were cooked perfectly as they should be; it was nice to see that they were making fresh cut potatoes. The accompanying "Andalouse"** was quite pleasant considering most often I am not a fan...but with limited choice I accepted this Belgian accompaniment.
Upon ordering, you are told to "have a seat" and they will bring it to your table. Now the place is pretty large inside while outside there is ample seating but not too big - the purpose of saying this is that you are not given a number or a ticket...nothing. They are going to find you...well, not a problem with only our six in the seating area, but after more people starting showing up, it was obviously confusing for the "Fryer Guy" to find who ordered what. Yes, the same individual who makes the fries carts your food to the table. My guess is that they really do not want you standing there watching the two "cooks, cleaners,cashiers, jacks of all trades" staff doing what they do to your "food".
One of our party ordered the "Deluxe Burger" and two weeks later is still regretting it. I happily informed him that the meat portion of the burger had been deep fried....(there was no grill or other means to cook a burger). Although I had picked up on this right away, I wanted him (he was visiting us) to experience the total package of how badly a burger really can be cooked as it is not uncommon in these parts. Having said this, if you are looking for quantity over quality, it was the largest burger and bun that I have ever seen in a single serving. When prompted for his opinion of the burger he reluctantly stated, "uh, I guess technically it is food" - you may agree this is not a resounding recommendation - he did not offer a further comment when I let him in on the cooking secret!
What I learned at Frit' & Co is if you are looking for a canned beverage and a sandwich - this was a great place to fill the void for a very reasonable price....it is just a hard to find a comfortable place to eat here. I should also say that the fries were very good and very "Belgian" which only means something to those who have experienced Belgian "Frit".
**Andalouse Sauce is a food accompaniment that is found in Belgium and Luxembourg (made by Heinz) that seems to be a replacement for Ketchup in these parts. Yes, you can still get Ketchup, but the condiments of choice for frit (fries) are 1. Mayonnaise 2. Andalouse 3. Ketchup. For the record, it seems to be only those from North America request #3. Andalouse is (reported on the bottle) Sauce (Mayo) with Tomato, Cayenne Peppers and Mustard. If my family could be considered a fair market sampling 3 of the 6 of us have been converted. Frankly I find the stuff repugnant - but for some reason it appears in our grocery cart from time to time as it is apparently good with toasted paninis as well. Although I tried again, I still do not like Andalouse.
