above: ouside European Republic
Emily: Last week, I embarked on a journey that I knew I wouldn’t forget. My first trip to the Long Island. Before we left, we made a to-do list of things we wanted to do while on Lauren’s beloved Lawnguyland, but considering it’s us, it ended up being a to-eat list. Having fulfilled all of goals of visiting all of the destinations, our passion to blog about the food we eat – whether it be dining out in DC or how to improve dining hall slop.
To start off, we’re posting our first stop on Spring Break Food Fest ’09. Huntington’s European Republic is a little place with just a counter to order and just a few tables, but is very well known for its fries which are reminiscent of “Dutch-style” fries, thick cut and perfectly salted. I ordered the combo which came with a full wrap, an order of fries, and a beverage. I ordered the grilled chicken, brie, and honey Dijon wrap, which was both gooey from the warm brie, and flaky from the wrap. I tend to be partial to honey mustard as my favorite condiment and this one was no disappointment: perfectly creamy without being too gluey. What was really the clincher though were the fries. European Republic has over 20 dipping sauces to choose from (the first free and extras for 0.35) from traditional barbeque to the more daring smoked salmon. I opted for peanut, parmesan, and Jamaican curry. I was not huge on peanut – it was too sweet and a bit fake-tasting. However, parmesan was delicious, like a super creamy parmesan peppercorn dressing, as was Jamaican curry which was spicy and cool at the same time. While lunch was modestly priced (the combo is less than $7.00), I was not modestly full. More like waddling for two hours full. It was a very happy full – full of perfect fries and creamy goodness which believe it or not, wasn’t actually very heavy. Stop one: a success.
above: Grilled Chicken Brie Honey Dijon Wrap Lauren: European Republic has been my favorite lunchtime destination for quite some time now. A $7 combo comes with a full wrap, a regular fry, and your choice of water, soda, or Snapple, so I always leave full to the gills.
The dutch fries for which European Republic is famous are superb; not crisp, but solid. Not greasy, but not dry. Not too thick, not too thin. Perfectly salted, and best eaten with one of European’s 20+ dipping sauces. I generally stick with the European Ketchup, a “special sauce”-like ketchupy mayo concoction. Always satisfying. However, I did try some of Emily’s choices, and the Jamaican Curry was quite excellent as well.
above: European Ketchup A wrap girl I am not, as they often fall apart on me and make my life difficult. However, the wraps at European Republic are an exception. The actual wrap they use forms a shapely tube around the ingredients, which allows for a much cleaner eating experience. The wrap serves its cohesive purposes without ever getting soggy, which I also appreciate. My favorite wrap here is the Spicy Chicken and Fresh Mozzarella wrap - seasoned strips of grilled chicken and snow white hunks of fresh mozzarella, doused in a delicious green spicy sauce. Perfect.
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