Starlite’s New Sidewinder Fries Are My Everything, You Guys
I've lived my whole life not knowing what was missing until I ate the new Sidewinder Fries from Starlite and now everything is different. I am complete.
Flint isn't a place with a very robust food culture. I mean, we do a great job with what we have, but we're not exactly a foodie destination. However, one thing we have always excelled at here in the 810 is diner food.
Because we originated as an automotive boom town, our food culture was built around places that could get you fed fast and back to work before lunch break was over. We're talking coneys, burgers, and fries here, people. There are a number of places in town crushing on the burger and coney front, but nobody around had been doing anything revolutionary in the french fry department. Nearly every place in the county had a slight variation the same old boring spuds... until now.
Starlite, who is arguably the Flint-area's best at the coney/burger game, recently added these things called "Sidewinder Fries" to the menu, which I had never heard of. I worked in restaurants for a long time and thought I had seen every variation of fry, but I was wrong.
Out of sheer curiosity, I ordered these magnificent bastards instead of regular fries for a slight upcharge, I think 50 cents or so. Not a deal breaker. When they brought out my Starlite burger (by the way, if you've never had the pleasure of that Flint classic, get one inside of you right now) I was delighted to see it sidelined by a pile of fried potato-y goodness that looked equal parts curly fry and steak fry. Red Robin's steak fries were previously my favorite in town, but this day we found a new champion. Sidewinder fries.
They were so good I forgot to take a picture before eating them all, even though I immediately knew I would be writing to you guys about this. I also forgot to snap a pic the next time I ordered them, but remembered upon my third order (we eat there a quite a bit), to which I added coney meat and cheese. Hell yeah you can get Coney Cheese Sidewinder Fries! It's even on the menu, so you don't have to get side-eye for ordering some goofy "secret menu" BS. They're amazing.
Starlite on Center Rd in Burton is easily one of my favorites in town. They have great breakfast, great burgers, great coneys, the amazing new Sidewinder Fries I literally just wrote an entire article about, all for affordable prices and they are relatively fast as well. They are easily one of the most consistent places I've ever eaten. Every time I go there, I know exactly how my food is going to be -- great as usual. I guess you get to be pretty good at something when you've been doing it since 1966.
There you have it -- Sidewinder Fries are the truth. Go get you some tonight and thank me later.