Ed Maksher likes fried potatoes, and he’s betting that you do too. “I’ve never heard anybody say I don’t like fries,” the 34-year-old restaurateur says. “They may not like onion rings or tater tots, but no one dislikes french fries.”
Die By Fry is Maksher’s latest venture on Brookland Park Boulevard, and specializes in “loaded” fries. Last year, he opened Slay Burger with partner Mohammad Alradaei. The new spot sits across the street a block down and boasts a similarly enticing smell and stylish vibe. Die by Fry, with its colorful, retro-’90s decor and “Angry Fry Man” logo (designed by the artist KingsFool), is the latest addition to a burgeoning neighborhood culinary scene that also includes The Smoky Mug (BBQ), Shrimps (seafood) and a resettled Ruby Scoops (ice cream), among others.
Everyone loves fries, but sole owner Maksher admits that some folks walk into the new eatery, which opened in November, a little confused. A restaurant specializing in french fries? “They have some questions. But once they try it, they understand it. They get hooked and always come back.”
Die by Fry mixes crispy, twice-fried Idaho spuds with a variety of toppings — beef brisket, chicken shawarma, fajitas, beef/lamb gyros, pizza. The cooks are also marinating the fries in garlic infused-truffle oil, and combining them with shrimp and chicken and an Asian “Bang Bang” sauce. So far, the restaurant’s breakout best seller is its white cheddar crab fries. “It’s all fresh crab meat,” he says. “We put it in a seasoned blend and marinate it in a white cheddar sauce. It’s delicious.”
Maksher got the inspiration for the dish after he and his wife Ayesha visited a restaurant in Virginia Beach while on vacation. “We asked what they recommended and were told, ‘the white cheddar crab fries.’ I mean, how good could it be? Well, I fell in love with it.” He and Ayesha, a big fry fan herself, started to try different ‘loaded” options while on vacation – they discovered truffle fries in Connecticut and were exposed to schwarma-loaded fries when they were in Egypt.
But several of the entrees — and the different dipping sauces, most created by Ayesha — are improvised originals. The BBQ brisket dish was a concoction that Maksher made for himself when he owned Dean’s BBQ in Midlothian. “The fajitas were something that I loved doing a lot, too. I mix jalapeno corn into the queso sauce, and man, it’s so good.”
A lot of people don’t even know loaded fry places exist, says Dino Al-Labod, Die by Fry’s co-manager. “There are D.C. fry shops but that’s two hours away.” So far Brookland Park is responding enthusiastically to the concept, he says. “Most of our customers are locals, most of them live in the area and were attracted by the sign. Although we have a few that have come in from places like Maryland saying they’ve seen our Instagram posts.”
Die by Fry isn’t reinventing the wheel, he admits. People have been mixing french fries with other foodstuffs for years. But a restaurant based around these dishes is still a new idea for some people. “I’ve tried my best to explain to folks. It’s just loaded fries, the toppings come on top, we don’t sell burgers, we don’t have bread here. Just fries.” And appetizers, too, like corn dogs, mozzarella sticks, tater tots and wings. The latter have become a breakout favorite. “There are some days when we sell more wings than fries.”
Inside the kitchen at noon on a Friday, co-manager Jana Kinchen and cooks Jesse and Rebecca Vance, twins, are busy preparing toppings, frying fries and answering questions. “It’s definitely a different idea for the city of Richmond,” says Rebecca, who loves the chicken fajitas. “But it’s like [food from] the carnival or a fair. It’s that concept but on a consistent basis.” Jesse, partial to the crab fries — “we use fresh crab claw every day” — says that the main concern is to ensure quality and keep it all fresh.
There have been a few little bumps in the road, Kinchen admits. “We went through a container change when we opened, to ensure travel quality.” One dish they originally tried was Poutine — a Canadian specialty that mixes fries with cheese curds and gravy — but they discontinued it while they figured out how to keep it fresh in transport. It will return, they say.
Kinchen confirms that the crab is the popular favorite at Die by Fry, but she’s partial to the gyro fries. “The meat is a beef lamb mixture with a house made white sauce. Ed and his wife, their family is from Yamin, and she helped to create that and many of the sauces, and they are influenced by Middle-Eastern recipes… we use a tahini sauce, a sesame-based sauce, that a lot of places don’t use.”
A repeat customer, Veronica, is picking up several orders for lunch. “I’ve never been to a loaded fry place before,” she says. “Nobody puts it all together like this. We’re trying everything.” So far, she’s had the Bang Bang shrimp, the chicken shawarma and the lemon pepper wings, but her favorite is the gyro fries. “It’s a new concept and I like it,” she says of Die by Fry. She first heard about the place from Instagram.
Also picking up an order is Ian, who lives in the neighborhood. “This is my first time. It seems like a good price point for this area, and I love fries. Even if I go to a fancy restaurant, I’ll try the garlic fries or whatever.”
In a divided world, everyone seems to love fried potatoes. Why? “I always think that fries are a good vessel for whatever topping you want to put on them,” he says. “This just makes perfect sense.”
Die By Fry is located at 111 W. Brookland Park Blvd. 804-414-6030. Entrees $13.99-$15.99, cones $5.99-$9.99, appetizers $3.99-$6.99. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11am-10pm and Sundays, noon-6pm. Order for pickup and delivery at https://diebyfry.com/
