I'm not sure of 10 places for great fries but I will attest to the specially seasoned fries at Rocket to Venus -
Excellent!

Fries?! No way! I want the beer-battered fried avocado wedges.

I nominate Brewer's Art for their shoestring rosemary garlic fries with mayo. Yummmmm

Garlic frites on the bar menu at Brewer's Art. You know when someone else has ordered them ... and you're instantly jealous.

The Waterfront Hotel in Fells Point has the best fries I've had in a very very long time. They are the skinny, slightly crispy kind, like McDonalds, but less greasy and taste more like real potatoes.

And people consistently rave about the Brewer's Art rosemary fries, which are also the skinny and slightly crispy kind, but personally, I think the rosemary ruins them, and they use too much of it. It overwhelms the taste of the potatoes and tends to get stuck in your teeth, which turns them into high maintenance fries - if you're on a date, you have to check after you eat them before you smile.

Also had really good fries recently from Big Bad Wolf BBQ on Harford Rd. It's mostly carryout (just a few seats at the counter), but they are good about punching holes in the top of the container to ensure the fries don't get soggy on the ride home. These fries are thicker and longer than the Waterfront, and I would swear they are fried in peanut oil, though I can't be sure. Peanut oil does wonders for fries. Anyway, they have a lot of flavor, seasoned well, and not limp, so they hold up as good company to a brisket or pulled pork sandwich.

Rosemary Fries at Brewer's Art!

The place for great sweet potato fries is Miss Shirley's.

One time I reviewed Miss Shirley's sweet potato fries for the takeout column.

Owner Eddie Dopkin was at the hostess stand taking orders, and he told me they would only be five minutes. It took 25 minutes. And they were cold.

Western Fries at any fried chicken stall at Baltimore's public markets (Broadway, Lexington, Hollins, etc.).

My votes are for Brewer's Art rosemary garlic fries, Salt's duck fat french fries, Miss Shirley's sweet potato fries, and Five Guys.

Kirbies, located at Paca and Redwood Streets, makes excellent fries. Perfect size, cooked with Old Bay on them. They're excellent.

Right now my personal favorite is from the Pickled Parrot - hand cut fries with a generous helping of J.O. spice

I personally like the Canopy's French Fries, though I'm not a huge fan of their pit beef. I also like 5 Guys Cajun style, but I suspect that's the simplicity of Idaho potatoes and peanut oil. As to sweet potato fries, in spite of the hit/miss service (already documented elsewhere on this blog) Golden West's are tough to beat.

Definitely the rosemary and garlic fries at Brewer's Art. AND the rosemary and garlic fries at Red Star ... AND the sweet potato fries at Red Star.
And Thrasher's and Boardwalk fries are set apart from the rest by one key ingredient: peanut oil.

Salt's duck-fat fries with a trio of aioli dipping sauces (white truffle!). Truly spectacular. The mere thought triggers copious and unsightly salivation. Consider yourself warned.

HELLO??? The duck fat fries at Salt? OMG!!!!HEAVEN!!!

Thrasher's et al brought the taste of fresh to a generation raised on frozen.

Thanks. I've been amazed that no one has responded to that part of the post till now.

I'm sharing my three "budget" choices---

McDonalds

Ledos- very skinny, just enough salt

Chick-fil-a- waffle fries

As a 58 year old french fries expert(whight in excess of 275) there are two places with excellent fries in NE Baltimore. The Big Bad Wolf and Zorba's. Both of these placed offer excellent fries. The wolf has them with the skin on and Zorba has seasoned salt.

The Pomme Frittes (sp?) at Petit Louis Bistro served with aioli.

In fact, just about ANY take-out fries, served with aioli instead of ketchup.

The sweet potato fries at Annabel Lee are awesome! Chef Mark's spicy sweet sauce of butter, brown sugar and cajun spices makes all the difference. And then the eggplant fries at Jack's Bistro are another twist worth checking out.

Western Fries at any fried chicken stall at Baltimore's public markets (Broadway, Lexington, Hollins, etc.).

There hasn't been a fried chicken stall at Broadway Market for quite awhile now.

Again, duck fat fries at Salt.

Salt's duck fat fries; Helen's Garden's fries; and Annabel Lee's honey, brown sugar coated, yet crispy, sweet potato fries.

The rosemary and garlic fries at Red Star are amazing as are their sweet potato fries. I also second the vote for the sweet potato fries at Annabel Lee, YUM!

Have to join the love for Brewers Art's fries, though Waterfront Hotel's are a close second. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I often crave the Western Fries you can get at Royal Farms (which I describe as "fried chicken fries")

The western fries at the old Cross Keys Deli have a special place in my memory... as does their fried chicken.

Dudley's Fries in Lexington Market. They fry pretty much anything--mushrooms, zucchini, onions--and it's ALL good!

The Western Fries at Park's Fried Chicken in Lexington Market. Mmmm-BOY!

Peanut oil gives a distinctive flavor that can't be beat--whether it's fries, chicken, or what-have-you! YUM!

Elizabeth, have you made the avocado wedges? I have this weird desire to know what they look like. I love avocados. My parents have the trees in they backyard.

Alas, no. But I like to dream about them.

I've had tempura'd potato before at Japanese restaurants. They're a little boring, but I think your twice-fried idea would be a big improvement. And you gotta do tempura sweet potato fries too (maybe taro too, to keep with the Japanese theme).

Checkers.

Birches

I don't mean to call him out if he's not prepared to make these for the masses, but the sushi cook at MaGerks in Federal Hill made us a special order of some tempura battered avocodo wedges that were sublime. He applied the same treatment to pickled ginger and asparagus. It was out of this world.

These aren't on his regular menu. I gather he was testing some concepts on friends. So I don't know if this is something we'll see regularly.

For me, Thrasher's Fries are one of those things that are special because I can only get them in Ocean City. I have a rule that when I am on vacation, I do not dine/eat anywhere I can go at home. Period. So in Ocean City, it's all about the Thrashers fries, Dumser's Ice Cream, and local seafood restaurants. The fact that the McDonald's there has the nerve to sell crab cakes just disguts me. Who would EAT that?

But I do truly love Thrasher's Fries with a Love's Lemonade in the evening after a day on the beach. YUM!

Christine, don't forget a slice of pizza from Ponzetti's when you're in OC :)

The fries at Salt are amazing... and I also like the sweet potato fries at Rub. They are wonderful....

Elizabeth,
Maybe Fuji Fries can also sell tempura artichokes??? I had some regular fried artichokes at Helens Garden a few years ago and I still daydream about them. I've had them at other restaurants once or twice since and they haven't compared.

I second Salt and Brewer's Art. Also, to Sam Sessa - that's too bad that you had a bad experience with the Miss Shirley's fries. I'm not that into their dipping sauces, but the fries themselves are pretty great. My one year old is also a HUGE fan. He'd eat a whole cone of them if I let him.

It's a chain, I know. But Red Robin's fries are awesome, and bottomless.

And for most fries, the best dipping sauce is ranch dressing. Also the best dipping sauce for pizza. And chicken tenders. And a number of other foods.

Canopy (on Rte. 40 in Ellicott City) are my favorites, but the only downside is that when you get them to go and they wrap them up, they get a bit soft by the time I make it home. Eat them fast!

I am late to the topic, but NOBODY beats Five Guys when it comes to fries and I mean NOBODY.