I sat down with Lee Perrone, the owner of Baked or Fried, in Bryan, Texas, in August of 2023. Before I even dreamed of having a website; just a baby, Facebook blogger. Now here it is, over a year later, and I realized I had never added his article to the website. So I thought I would look back, pull up the article, dust it off, and add it among its friends here. Just so you know, this is a place my family visits multiple times a month (my 14 year old can put down an entire one of these potatoes), so I can still vouch for the quality of his food.
I've had a deep-seated love for stuffed baked potatoes for as long as I can remember. There's just something about a pillowy potato with so many delicious options to choose from to add to the top - even though I almost always choose the same one.
Lee, graduated from SFA with a degree in Criminal Justice, but he had a very different idea for his life. He soon moved to Bryan and his Grandma gave him a little start-up money to open his first potato location in 1998. Thanks Grandma! ❤️ That potato business was a staple in B/CS and grew to multiple locations, expanding his territory. After a few years, he sold some of the locations and rebranded the remaining locations; opening as Baked or Fried in 2016 on Boonville Rd, in Bryan, Texas. He later opened another location in College Station. The business barely survived Covid, just to have the College Station location destroyed by a fire that started in the adjacent building.
Lee says he's happier now though, with a slower pace and a good flow of business. So it looks like he probably won't be opening another location anytime soon.
Baked or Fried is a quick and easy lunch or dinner option; order online, call it in, or drive up, order at the window and wait in your car. A few picnic tables are set off to the side, to sit at on a nice day, but Lee keeps his expenses (and prices low) by not having a full restaurant; just a pick-up window on the outside of a Valero gas station.
The name "Baked or Fried" is how you can order your potato; a regular baked potato in the skin, or they will chop it up and fry it on the flat-top grill for a few minutes, before adding the mounds of goodies.
Lee brought out three for me to try, the Texas Cheese Steak, the Texas Smoker, and the Mother Clucker.
The Texas Cheese Steak Spud has long been my favorite, but I'd never had it fried. A giant potato baked to perfection was chopped, smashed a bit, and fried on the flat-top grill to get lightly crisped edges. All the potatoes start with a big dollop of margarine to melt down in the crevices. Then a chopped-up, freshly fried chicken fried steak is piled on, then topped with cheese, and cream gravy.
The Texas Smoker came out next. An enormous baked potato that was stuffed with cheese, smoked brisket, tender rib tips, BBQ sauce, green onions, and sour cream on the side. You better be hungry if you order this delicious classic.
Then came the knock-out punch. The Mother Clucker. This potato had it all; it was spicy, fresh, light, creamy, and crunchy. It quickly became my new obsession. Loaded up with crispy fried chicken, smothered in queso, topped with fresh pico and green onions, and a side of jalapeno ranch to drizzle on top. This was a show-stopper. And that jalapeno ranch, y'all - Y'ALL it was so good.
If you're looking for something quick and hearty, then take the backroads on over to Baked or Fried in Bryan, Texas, and pick up a couple of big 'ol spuds, and tell Lee I said hi! You'll be glad you did.
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📍4301 Boonville Rd Bryan, TX 77802
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