I guess I'm just eccentric (to put it politely): I don't much like fries that have a soft mashed-potato-like center and light yellow skin. I think the best french fries (by far) are the ones that get penetrated by the hot oil and are crispy brown well into the center. Sort of like the crispy part of an order of hash browns.

It's rare to find a place that cooks them that way, and even rarer to find a place that does it consistantly. I suspect most of the time I do get them that way, it is because the cook was busy and left them in the deep fryer "too long".