Ketchup is solid and dependable, but an extensive use or knowledge of it will never, ever impress a date. And in a food universe with gourmet mustard, high-end pickles, and heavenly varieties of mayonnaise, regular ketchup remains consistently there on my grill-side table. There are gourmet ketchups out there, and in an effort to expand my taste horizons, I conducted a blind taste-test with five willing friends who sampled three high-end brands (Rebecca Bent, World’s Real Basil Ketchup, and Hawkshead Spicy Tomato Ketchup) against three more familiar names (Hunt’s, Heinz, and Heinz Organic). The food of choice for my panelists was french fries from Ruthy’s Bakery in the Chelsea Market.

In our test, the basic brands won, hands-down. By contrast, the elite ketchups received somewhat harsh treatment by panelists. No one enjoyed the flavor of basil on their fries while one judge tartly observed that Hawkshead “tasted like cocktail sauce.” Rebecca Bent’s was “fine, but I can’t think of anything I’d want to put it on,” said one judge. Heinz got an “okay but bland” rating by the group while its organic version was a noticeable improvement. The consensus pick was the Avis of ketchup: Hunt’s. “It tastes how ketchup should taste,” noted one sage judge. Dates be damned, I couldn’t agree more.