NEW SNACK HIERARCHY?; BURGER KING COOKS CRISPIER FRY.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

OK, I'm putting the crown on the new Burger King fry.

It was a tough call, but the batter-coated version that Burger King unveiled Wednesday is definitely crisper, and is generally more appealing than McDonald's, long considered the gold standard of fries.

The beloved McDonald's fry is a very close second, and there is some feeling that the new fry doesn't have quite as much taste as McDonald's, is not quite as potato-y.

But bottom line, the Burger King fry has firmness and dryness going for it, and a light coating that keeps it hotter longer.

``They're good and crispy,'' Sergio Martinez, 24, of Valley Village said Wednesday as the fast-food restaurant debuted the food. ``And, they don't seem to be too oily.''

``It's so close, almost a tie,'' said Mark Miceli, 43, of Burbank. The Burger King fry, he said, is ``not overcooked, or undercooked, or hard.'' He decried McDonald's fries as ``too mushy.''

We decided to check Miceli's opinion by following up with the finger-waggle test.

Pick up a Burger King fry in one hand and a McDonald's fry in the other. Grasp them firmly between the thumb and forefinger, and waggle. Do this with several fries and you'll notice that the Burger King fry tends to win in this category, too.

Vive la difference

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Photo: (color) no caption (Burger Kind and McDonald's fries)