WCCO Viewers' Choice For Best French Fries In Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Sure, French fries are typically a side dish.
But at Val's in St. Cloud, they are good enough to be the main attraction.
The roadside restaurant is subtle enough to blow by, but it has gained the kind of reputation for its burgers, shakes and fries to make it a destination.
"I'm from here, but I live in Oklahoma now," said a Val's patron. "When we come to visit, we have to come to Val's at least once."
Parked on a busy St. Cloud intersection for nearly 60 years, not much has changed.
"Val is my dad. My mom and dad started the business [on] Memorial Day 1959," said owner David Henning.
He started working behind his dad's counter at the ripe age of 11.
"My dad retired in 1979. My brother Billy and I worked together 11 years until 1990. My family bought my brother Billy out in 1990," David said.
Now David's sons, Aaron and Logan, have taken over the spatulas.
"Burgers, French fries, milkshakes -- that's what we do," Aaron said.
And Val's remains a family-run business.
"We do it all. We're pretty much the Swiss Army Knife of the restaurant world," Logan said.
The Hennings say there is really no secret to the fries.
"There isn't a lot of magic," David said.
But I beg to differ. They use the Cadillac of potatoes, and then use popcorn seasoning, which makes the salt extra fine. It makes for a mighty good fry.
When it comes to their French fries, the Hennings have just one rule.
"The thing is, when you get a French fry, you want it to be a whole-cut fry. You go to other places, you [get] kind of a mushy diner fry kind of thing. If you spend the money on the French fry, you get a good product," Aaron said.
And you better believe they are going for the cream of the crop.
"Everyone in the business knows that the best French fries are grown in the northwest territory in Idaho. That's where they get the lowest moisture content," David said.
They are made to order, served piping hot, overflowing in a white paper bag.
"They're salty and they taste good," said patron Grace Raftevold.
There is nothing fancy about Val's, but the lack of bells and whistles may just be what makes it work.
"It's been a really solid part of the community. I think it means a lot to people that they have something that doesn't change," Aaron said.
Val's is open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Your other favorite spots for fries are Lions Tap in Eden Prairie, Dari-ette Drive-In in St. Paul and Cafe Lurcat in Minneapolis.