Evangeline

All scores are out of 5 (with 5 being the best)

Price – 3.75
A large order is $3.50...that's a fair price considering the quantity.  The menu said $3.00.  I'm not a fan of rink menu's not including taxes.

Quality - 4.25
I can't quite give these a 4.5 like I did with Kensington's straight cuts, but they are very close.  If only they were crinkle cuts.

Quantity - 4.5
Like I mentioned, there is a nice quantity of Fries for your large order....not sure what the small has to offer, but who cares.  Large all the way!

Chamber - 4.5
Fries were served in a medium sized, deep styrofoam dish that folded over to keep the heat of the Fries in, similar to Kensington, Summerside, and Georgetown.  I love these chambers!!!!

Condiments - 4.5
1 large ketchup pump of Heinz was available, plus 2 squirt bottles, this is a first for me, to have both options available.  There was vinegar, napkins, small paper cups (for vinegar or ketchup), salt and pepper. Everything was arranged on a separate table to the side of the counter.  Great job!

Service - 4.0
There were three people working the canteen this weekend, I think it's probably because of the provincials that was being hosted, and that the canteen was probably quite busy.  Nice to see so many people helping out.

Facility - 5.0
I gotta give this facility a perfect 5.0.  It's very large, heated, with 5 tables, lots of windows to look out on to the ice surface, a flat screen TV, and  trophy cabinet. Just a great area to gather with folks before and after the game. Oh, and they also had an enter and exit area for the counter, which helps with crowd control. Really nice job!

PS. Don't get me started on the seafood options the menu has...but this is a Fry blog.


TOTAL SCORE 87%


Overall Comments
Well folks...we have a tie for first place with Kensington!  Two completely different rinks...one that has been around for decades and one that is brand new.  Both are leaders for very similar reasons though...great chambers and facilities.  Prince County is kicking butt.  Congratulations Evangeline!

Belfast

I didn't get a chance to visit Belfast this season (among a few other rinks), but a friend of mine sent me this picture of a small order...for a record low price of $1.50.

I'm not sure if you're all aware of this great little facility "down East", but it's a must see!

Looks as though they've got straight cuts...boat shaped chambers, and ketchup packets.  Not sure if that would have scored well over all, but who cares...this rink is basically a converted potato warehouse and is awesome.

Only a couple of weeks left in the hockey season for me...I'm hoping to visit a few more rinks in the coming weeks...shooting for Evangeline, Cody Banks, and Simmons Arena.

Stay tuned everyone and good luck in the playoffs!

Georgetown

I was able to attend a game in Georgetown recently....but it was a very early game and the  Fries weren't flowing.  I think I missed out on a really good experience.  I visited the canteen and checked out as much as I could...here are some of the scores that it was awarded.

Price - 4.5
Only one size available for $2.50 which is really good...one of the best prices you'll find at a rink that only offerers one size.  Although I'm a fan of having more choices, the scores below make this worthy of a 4.5.

Quality -N/A
I'm really disappointed that I wasn't able to try the Fries out.  I did some investigative reporting, and all I know for sure is that they are serving up straight cuts.

Quantity - N/A
Again, this isn't something that I can throw a score at.  My investigative reporting told me that they are using a very nice sized chamber, so this score would no doubt have been high.

Chamber - 4.5
I checked out the garbage cans in the canteen and I spoke to some people about their chambers...it appears as though they use a take-out, clam shell style that is styrofoam....they looked awesome.  There's no doubt this would be a 4.5.  Well done!

Condiments - 4.0
There is a separate table with a squirt bottle...vinegar...forks, napkins, salt, pepper.  Lots of room to maneuver around.  Great job here.  

Service - N/A
I can't really apply a score here, although it appeared as though there was one canteen attendant...who was serving up the morning coffee with a smile.

Facility - 4.0
This is a great little canteen,  it has enough room for about 15 to 20 people with a couple of tables to sit at.  It also has 2 large windows that overlook the ice surface, which is very important.  It's a really old facility, and I like the fact that they aren't trying to hide that.  It's clean, and very comfortable to be in.

TOTAL SCORE - N/A

Overall Comments
Like I mentioned...I'm very disappointed that I didn't get a chance to try the Fries at the Georgetown arena...they are certainly doing a bunch of things right in this rink....this place has the potential to be in the top 3 rinks on the island actually. Please comment on this if you've tried the Fries, and let me know how they were!

Alberton

Price - 4.0
Only one size available for $3.00 which is a good value...competitive with most rinks.

Quality -4.0
The Fries were cooked quite well, could have been cooked just another minute for my liking. Straight cuts were served, which I don't like as much as crinkle-cuts. Still though, they are tasty.

Quantity - 3.0
Since they only have the one size, they are only satisfying a certain amount of people...leaving the hungry folks like me wanting a little bit more.  Early in the season I was a fan of rinks only having one size, but as the year progressed, I really think that rinks need to offer choices.

Chamber - 3.5
I'm always dissapointed when I see the paper boat-shaped chambers....they just don't function the way I'd like...there's never enough room with them.  Fries always fall on the floor and there's not enough room to put your ketchup in one area if you prefer to dip.

Condiments - 3.0
They have 2 ketchup squirt bottles, which work quite well, no annoying cap to have to deal with. The basics were offered, napkins, salt, pepper.  Also, all of these were on the same counter as the one you order on.  I always like to see the condiments on a separate table, it just helps with the traffic flow.

Service - 4.0
There always seems to be the same lady working there, she works very hard and is always friendly.

Facility - 4.5
I really like the Alberton canteen.  It has 5 tables, is always clean, and has lots of room for people to gather before and after the game.  There are large windows that overlook the ice surface which is key for me.  Overall, it just has a great rink feeling to it. 

TOTAL SCORE 74%

Overall Comments
This is one of my favorite rinks to watch hockey in PEI.  It has lots of character.  The canteen and overall Fry experience is very enjoyable.  My only recommendations would be to offer 2 different sizes and fire up the crinkle cuts!

Pownal Visit #3 - Still fair

I visited Pownal last night...and I must say...the Fries are still just fair.  Under-cooked!  Also, they need to upgrade their chambers for small and large, I'm pretty sure all they do is just pile on more Fries for the large order...it's like playing Jenga when you eat them, trying not to let any fall on the floor.

Their score stays the same, with a quality value of 2.5 out of 5

Kensington

All scores are out of 5 (with 5 being the best)

Price – 4.0
A large order is $5.00...that's the most expensive large order you'll find on PEI. They also have a small and medium orders for $3 and $4.

Quality - 4.5
The only thing holding these beauties from a perfect 5.0 is the fact that they were straight cuts. They were cooked perfectly, and had a nice little crunch. I really enjoyed them. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.

Quantity - 4.5
Even though a large order is expensive, you really get what you pay for..and a really nice load o'Fries for your order.  The medium size they offer would be comparable to most large orders at other rinks.

Chamber - 4.5
Fries were served in a large, deep styrofoam dish that folded over to keep the heat of the Fries in, in case I wanted to take them out to the ice surface.  All rinks need to serve their Fries in this style chamber, it's really the only way to go.  I noticed that their medium order come in a smaller version of this chamber which was great to see, I haven't seen anyone provide this before.

Condiments - 4.0
1 large ketchup pump of Heinz was available, vinegar, napkins, small paper cups for vinegar or ketchup, salt and pepper. Everything was layed out along the end of the counter, lots of room to move around. I would prefer to see this stuff on a separate table, but the layout of the canteen just wouldn't allow that.

Service - 4.0
This is a tough one for me. I'm almost positive that the regular canteen employee wasn't there on the night I visited, because the Zamboni driver served me, which meant that he had to leave a canteen full of hungry people, while he put a flood on.  When he came back in, he was answering the phones and doing his best to serve everyone.  He was doing the work of 2 people, which I strongly doubt is a norm.  Still though, gotta give a 4.0 just on his effort.

Facility - 5.0
Well folks, I really don't think you can find a better canteen on PEI.  It has 5 tables, a flat screen TV on the wall, 3 windows to look out onto the ice surface, and just a whole bunch of character. It is a large room that's bright and clean, and is just an outstanding place to hang out before the game!


TOTAL SCORE 87%


Overall Comments
We've got a new leader for 2013! I really can't see this score being beat.  Kensington is a must-see folks, a must.  Three different sizes of Fries, a fantastic canteen, and just an overall great rink Fry experience for everyone!  Well done K-town!

Summerside - Jumps to 3rd place!

I spent a great deal of time at Credit Union Place this weekend for a hockey tournament in the middle of a snow storm...a big THANK YOU goes out to the CUP staff for keeping the canteen opened, when everything else in town was closed.  I'm sure the folks from out of town really appreciated it.

And with that, I must say, the Fry experience has certainly improved, as the crinkle cuts they were serving up were cooked much much better than my last experience....which leads me to a new score for their Quality...going from a 2.0 to 4.25...and bumps them up to a 76% and a tie for 3rd place.

Well done Summerside!