Every day is Fry Day

Behold the humble french fry, and all of the paradoxes associated with it:

n The base is the reasonably healthful potato, but we love it most in this high-fat fried version.

n It is served in every fast-food joint in the world (well, maybe not the world, but close), yet some of the world's best chefs seem obsessed with perfecting it.

n We publicly decry its calories, but secretly crave it and frequently indulge in it.

n We like it for many diverse reasons -- because it's unadorned, because it's adorned; because it's greasy or not greasy; because it's crisp or because it's soft.

When we in the Taste section considered the best french fries in Las Vegas, the resulting list reinforced the idea that fries are the great common denominator among restaurants, with the best produced by everything from fast-food spots and diners to temples of haute cuisine.

Here are our picks:

The Auld Dubliner, 40 Via Bel Canto in Lake Las Vegas, Henderson: The Curry Chips are basically average french fries; it's the addictive curry sauce that makes them hard to resist.

Bradley Ogden, Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South: The fries have perfect crunch and retain their flavor well after they arrive at the table.

Carl's Jr., multiple locations: The CrissCut fries are waffle-shaped and nicely crunchy, sort of a cross between home fries and french fries.

Cheeseburger At the Oasis, Miracle Mile Shops, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South: The fries have a distinctive spicy flavor that doesn't overdo it.

Chicago Hot Dogs, 1078 N. Rancho Drive: The fries are made from fresh potatoes with the skins on and are still a little greasy.

Firefly, 3900 Paradise Road and at the Plaza, 1 Main St.: Sprinkled with Parmesan and herbs, the fries are served with aioli for dipping.

Gordon Biersch, 3987 Paradise Road and 750 S. Rampart Blvd.: The garlic fries are truly garlicky, with a pungence that would deter the most determined of vampires.

Greek Bistro, 565 Marks St., Henderson: Seasoned in an unusual way, the fries are hot and crispy and even better dipped in tzatziki sauce.

In-N-Out Burger, multiple locations: The fries are fresh-cut in front of you -- you can watch from the drive-through -- and fried on the spot.

KFC, multiple locations: These fries seem to fill a basic need. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with enough grease for an energy boost.

Kilroy's, 4340 S. Grand Canyon Drive: The shoestring fries are crunchy and munchy.

Metro Pizza, multiple locations: The garlic-Romano fries are hot and crisp, sprinkled with garlic powder, Parmesan cheese and butter, and even better with ranch dressing.

Mon Ami Gabi, Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South: Crisp, skinny fries are served in the French fashion -- and even better as part of a steak frites.

Morels, Palazzo, 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South: The fries are perfectly browned and crisp and fluffy.

Mount Charleston Lodge, 1200 Old Park Road: The fries are deftly seasoned and just crisp enough.

N9NE Steakhouse, Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road: The stout steak fries are crisp-edged and potato-y.

Paymon's Mediterranean Grill, multiple locations: Athens fries are served with a spicy, assertive seasoning and a dipping sauce that adds flavor while putting out the fire.

Pop's Philly Cheesesteaks, 501 S. Decatur Blvd.: The contrast between the fluffy interior and the crunchy, translucent golden exterior makes these fries tasty. If you ask for them crispy, that's what you get.

Sammy's L.A. Pastrami, 4035 S. Decatur Blvd.: The best crispy fries. The garlic ones rock.

StripSteak, Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South: Fried in duck fat and served as a lagniappe before dinner, the best fries here are the ones served with truffled aioli.

Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery, Main Street Station, 200 N. Main St.: Firm and potato-y, the fries are without that squishy prefab feel.

We also decided to include a few words about sweet potato fries. These restaurants do them particularly well:

Create Gourmet Burgers and Frozen Custard, 7290 W. Lake Mead Blvd.: The sweet potato fries are always fresh and hot, and if you ask nicely, they'll give you a side of any of the many sauces to dip, with teriyaki preferred.

Lucille's Smokehouse Bar B Q, 2245 Village Walk Drive in The District at Green Valley Ranch, Henderson: The sweet potato fries are not greasy; just right.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@review journal.com or 702-383-0474.