Old Fashioned Apple Fritter

Old Fashioned Apple Fritter

Twenty years ago in Southern California I had an encounter with a perfect apple fritter, crisp, lightly sweet, real apple, flavor that did not come from a can, bottle or chemists lab, never, until I was at Old Fashioned, did I have a apple fritter that measured up to The apple fritter, Old Fashioned's apple fritter may even surpass.

Old Fashioned's apple fritter is perfect, crisp, with tender toothsome apples, scattered areas of sweetness, interspersed with caramelized crunchiness, differing textures, tastes, flavor that pops right out at you. In a word, gastroporn at it's finest.

Mere words will never describe the pure unbridled deliciousness of Old Fashioned's apple fritter, neither will a picture, but, hopefully, you will try for yourself. Just be sure to leave one in the case for me.

Enjoy,
Gary

Old Fashioned Donuts Apple Fritter w/Glazed Croissants in background.


Old Fashioned Donut
11248 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60628
773-995-7420

Thanks for the post Gary. These remind me of the apple fritters that my mother used to wait in line for at Amy Joy Donuts on Milwaukee Ave.

Time for me to drive south.

This just reminds me that I've got to get down to Old Fashioned one day soon. Those apple fritters look divine - and the unusual glazed croissants are tantalizing in the background.

The best apple fritter I've had in recent memory was at Roll N' Donut out in Elgin. I have relatives who live in Elgin, so I've been going there since before there was a casino. Mrs. Ro and I stopped at Roll N' Donut one morning at about 10:30 and they were out of most everything. Except for apple fritters. Lucky for us. Crisp, sweet, carmelized, weighty - everything was just right.

If you're ever out west in the morning, try Roll N' Donut. They will not disappoint.

Keep eating,
J. Ro

Roll N' Donut
1315 Dundee Ave
Elgin IL 60120
847-741-1025

Does anyone know if Old Fashioned Donut is closed on Sunday? We wanted to stop on our way to Michigan. I called and got no answer--leaving us wandering very unsuccessfully for a while wandering around Hegwish looking for a decent bakery. So, any Hegwish bakeries either?

Rob

VI -- Yes OFD is closed on Sunday, as is Abundance, and (if memory serves) Dat has limited hours on the Lord's Day as well.

Hegewisch? Well, not quite, but in East Side there's Gerardos, 10125 S Ewing Ave, (773) 375-6099 (don't know about the hours).

Paul, thanks for confirming on OFD. I knew Dat was open, but closes on Sunday night, it just seemed "not in the way" (said as we showed up 2 hours late after stopping for tacos in Hammond IN.)

We did see a Mexican bakery in S.Chicago, but it seem any different than thousands of others around Chicago. No knock on the bakery, just not what we wanted. Anyone else know any "old" bakeries down there?

Rob

Alas, VI, Gerardo's is nothing more or less than a standard panaderia. Given the demographic in that neighborhood (about 40% Mexican), hardly surprising. My guess is that old fashioned (European-style) pastry bakeries that must have once prospered on this side of town have vanished with the immigrant communities they once serviced. If there are any left, I've not encountered them.

J. Ro wrote:This just reminds me that I've got to get down to Old Fashioned one day soon. Those apple fritters look divine - and the unusual glazed croissants are tantalizing in the background.

Yes, well, I finally did - probably a good 6-8 months after first reading about it
on the other board. It really is very inconveniently located from the North
burbs - I get down to Hyde Park more than most in the summer, but this place
is still further way, you keep going another 10-plus miles, then off the
highway and a couple more miles before you finally get there.

Thats why it took me so long to get there, the inconvenience. And because
I found out about Abundance in the meantime - and when youre going to
about 5500 South, Abundance is just so ridiculously convenient, being
as it is just off the highway exit on 47th. Have been to Abundance
repeatedly in the past few weeks, at least a half-dozen trips - usually
arrive about 9-9:30 am on Saturday morning, pick up an Apple Fritter
(famously hub-cap sized) for breakfast, and sometimes even drop by
later in the evening on the way home for some nanner pudding (still
have not made it to Mrs Lee's for their pudding which was rec'd - havent
seen the place yet, despite driving down Garfield all the time. Havent
looked really hard yet but have kept an eye out - is it definitely on Garfield,
does anyone know? Not just off Garfield or anything?)

Anyway. The reason I say all the above - I do have a pretty high standard
for Apple Fritters now, having been exposed to Abundance a few times
(and they are terrifc, probably better than any Id tried before in the city).

So. Finally made it down to Old Fashioned, making that extra haul. Got there,
asked him about a couple of things - were the Blueberry Cake donuts
and/or the Apple Fritter fresh? And he said the Blueberry had been sitting
there for a while, but the Apple Fritter was fresh, "still warm" he said.
I wanted it to stay fresh, so was gonna pick up a couple - was just for
me, and theyre pretty big, but he suggested that if I froze one, I *could*
actually nuke it in the microwave and it wouldnt be too bad, so I took a
third just to experiment with. (Theyre $ 1.75 each, BTW - a similar
price to Abundance, though not quite as huge).

Now, maybe its not a fair comparison - I buy Abundance fritters at 9:00 or just
after (and they are made only once a day, probably at about 6am), while
I got lucky catching Old Fashioned at the perfect time. But still. Bloody
awesome. By far the best Apple Fritters Ive ever had, nothing ever even
close - Ive not been to GWivs California spot obviously. I like Abundance,
nice place, good Apple Fritters, *huge* quantity - but Old Fashioneds on
this day was a *great* fritter, a full level above the 2nd greatest fritter
in the city from Abundance IMHO.

It was really something - I actually went thru the first one while driving
on the highway, and finished it off well before reaching Hyde Park
It was a warmish day and the others stayed in the car for a few hours -
the second one was eaten late in the day, and into the next day. And
it actually stayed good - the Old Fashiioned Fritter also holds its flavour
better than the Abundance fritter IMHO (the owner of Abundance told
me they wouldnt stay great for long, should be eaten by the next
morning if at all possible). The Old Fashioned fritter was just fine the
next day too. And the 3rd experimental one was frozen, and tried
2/3 days later - microwaved for a short while on removing from the
freezer. Also turned out just fine - obviously not as great as a fresh
one, but still pretty damn good, didnt get dried out or anything.

Thanks for the rec of the place in Elgin - havent been able to try it
yet, but maybe I will sometime (am near Hanover Park on occasion -
near about Golf/Barrington Road. How far would that be from this
Elgin spot? About 10-12 miles? Or more?) But as of the moment, I
think Old Fashioned is by far the best around. I will definitely make it
back there again, inconvenient location be damned (maybe its a good
thing its so far away and open only on Saturdays on the weekend,
an everyday breakfast of Apple Fritters surely cant be good for one's
health). I just hope Iam as perfect with my timing the next time around.

c8w

Life is good

6.12.08


Thanks to the ever mobile ever intrepid Cathy2

Just a personal testimony, here, but a couple of months back my parents' neighbors in Indianapolis did a very nice thing for my parents in a pinch, about which coincidentally I learned as I was getting into my car one Saturday morning to drive down for a visit. The answer seemed obvious; I took a short detour to pick up an Old Fashioned Apple Fritter on my way down, which I presented with a smile to the neighbors. Now, I have another dilemma, as my parents' neighbors continue seeking to adopt me.

G Wiv wrote:6.12.08

A ringer there on the upper left.

Top Left = Beer battered lamb brain???

I have to say, my first thought was, "Gary got a dog?"

You've done better by that subject.

Also, is that a clue that the bus full of watermelons is in operation?

MikeG wrote:Also, is that a clue that the bus full of watermelons is in operation?

Watermelon bus was on Stoney Island and 79th last week.

JSM wrote:Watermelon bus was on Stoney Island and 79th last week.

John,

The Baylor Watermelon Bus?

Watermelon in my picture is from Market Place on Oakton, not Baylor. It just happened to be on the table when I took the Apple Fritter pictures.

The "Gary got a dog?" item in the far upper left hand corner of the picture is a piece of unglazed Old Fashioned Apple Fritter, the two bakery items to it's right (upper left hand square of the four) I am not sure about. Cathy, LAZ and ReneG went on an early morning run to parts unknown, that was included in the Apple Fritter bag from Cathy. Though I understand ReneG purchased them.

Enjoy,
Gary 'Never look a gift donut in the mouth' Wiviott

G Wiv wrote:The "Gary got a dog?" item in the far upper left hand corner of the picture is a piece of unglazed Old Fashioned Apple Fritter, the two bakery items to it's right (upper left hand square of the four) I am not sure about.

Here's a picture of the parent fritter.



I'd long been curious to try an unglazed fritter from Old Fashioned Donuts and finally got my chance the other day. I was surprised how different (and how inferior) it was. That glaze is there for a reason.

The fritter and I ended up at the Matchbox where Jackie took a bite and realized all it needed was some freshly-made ginger syrup, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Genius. Without question, the best apple fritter I've ever had and one of the best sweets in recent memory.

Those other things are a fontanella bun (front) and a sausage bun (behind) from Impallaria, an old bakery in Bridgeport.





Impallaria Bakery
2952 S Wallace St
Chicago
312-842-2146

Rene G wrote:I'd long been curious to try an unglazed fritter from Old Fashioned Donuts and finally got my chance the other day. I was surprised how different (and how inferior) it was. That glaze is there for a reason.

The fritter and I ended up at the Matchbox where Jackie took a bite and realized all it needed was some freshly-made ginger syrup, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Genius. Without question, the best apple fritter I've ever had and one of the best sweets in recent memory.

Sounds better than the authentic glazed version! The thick glaze forms a candylike coating.

While the Old Fashioned apple fritter is definitely worth trying and a bargain at the price, my personal preference in apple fritters calls for a higher proportion of apples to dough and a hefty dose of cinnamon.

LAZ wrote:...The thick glaze forms a candylike coating.

While the Old Fashioned apple fritter is definitely worth trying and a bargain at the price, my personal preference in apple fritters calls for a higher proportion of apples to dough and a hefty dose of cinnamon.

I find myself picking off a bit of the glaze to cut down (a little) on the sugar. The (glazed/standard) fritters are outstanding warmed gently (microwave on low power; 20sec) - softened and warm in portions. They freeze well too, which is great.

LAZ, have you tried the apple fritters recently? Just curious since you mention the apple content. My recollection of two years ago was that there was a bit of apple in many bites. It is much much less now - though it is still an outstanding piece of food (can't think of a better term).

I suspect OFD may be the least visited GNR (though I hope not) - and if so that's really a shame. So here's a few words by way of encouragement to those who haven't been...

Two years ago leaving Chicago, a last piece from the freezer was our lembas. A few weeks ago on a quick trip to Chicago, we drove the night (and made much better time than we expected) and our stop before getting to Hyde Park was OFD. Please note that OFD opens at 6 am so if you get there a half hour early, you wait (but not alone) .
We did notice a much reduced apple content. Still it was good enough that we put an order down to pick some up on our drive out of Chicago a couple of days later.

a couple of days later (12 + 1 and some donuts for the road in the bag)

sazerac wrote:LAZ, have you tried the apple fritters recently? Just curious since you mention the apple content. My recollection of two years ago was that there was a bit of apple in many bites. It is much much less now - though it is still an outstanding piece of food (can't think of a better term).

Last week. The apples were cut smaller and more widely distributed than in the photo you posted.

A cost-cutting measure, perhaps. I spoke to the owner, who tells me he's paying more than twice as much for shortening as last year, plus fuel surcharges on deliveries. In his neighborhood, he probably can't get away with raising prices too much, so cutting down on ingredients would be the way to go.

It's still a great, hand-crafted confection. And OFD does very good doughnuts, too.

Sazerac,

We merely had 11 boxes of apple fritters from OFD. We had those fritters plus representative samples from each of the half dozen or more donut shop stops. It became apparent if a 4th person had come along, there would be no room for the donuts. Of course we have our priorities, the 4th person (if there had been one) would have had to hitch hike home!

Regards,

Old fashioned Donuts is closed for vacation until September 2, 2008. This has been a public service announcement.

Thanks Stevez, I was actually going to go tomorrow after a visit to Univ of Chicago Hospital, nuts man.

Those look great, I have to stop for one. If you are ever in the area, try Dunk' Donuts in Melrose Park at 20th and Lake St. Theirs pales in size to that, but is pretty good. Cash only business, but the line stacks up in the morning for the donuts.

Dunk Donuts
1912 W Lake St
Melrose Park, IL 60160
(708) 343-0047

So, yesterday I made the trek down to pick up a fritter for a friend... and a fritter and a couple of donuts for me. I sat in the little dining area and made quick work of the glazed yeast donut and an orange-frosted cake. Both were just fantastic. The basic glazed yeast donut is just about the best I've ever had - so simple, so delicious - I could probably eat a dozen of them in a sitting, especially when they're still warm and fresh as they were yesterday morning.

Unfortunately they were out of crullers - while the fritter is outstanding and all of the donuts delicious, the cruller at Old Fashioned is the best I've ever tasted anywhere.

-Dan

LTH,

A Chocolate dipped Old Fashioned Donuts Apple Fritter may be gilding the Lilly, but fresh dipped and torn in rough crisp edged hunks still warm from the fryer makes for one delicious Lilly.

Chocolate Dipped Old Fashioned Apple Fritter


Texas donuts begin their journey



Enjoy,
Gary

A couple of gratuitous fritter shots from my last visit:



Delicious apple-y interior:


I just need to remind myself not to eat a whole fritter in a single sitting next time.

-Dan

dansch wrote:A couple of gratuitous fritter shots from my last visit:

Dan,

No such thing as a gratuitous fritter shot, each one a work of art.

Enjoy,
Gary

I have to start by saying thank you to The Forum for helping me find OFD! Like many others I am sure, I found many of the GNR's in my little circle of the North/Northwest side myself prior to joining the forum but I would have never found OFD without the assistance of LTH, so Thank you.

With that out of the way, yesterday I picked up:

1 apple fritter-no need to sing its praises any more but I will. It was perfect. I ate about a quarter of it in the car by myself (GF was upset about that). The remainder was eaten at home a little later with a side of Bryer's vanilla ice cream.

1 Hot Glazed-also eaten before I got home but this didn't make it to the car.

1 Blueberry-The best most blueberry-y doughnut I have ever had.

1 Chocolate- GF loved this one, I only got a small bite so I cannot say much about this.

1 Chocolate Frosted- This one was also hogged by the GF. (Thank God GF does not read the forum b/c she wouldn't be happy about me calling her a hog)

I think the single most important factor about a doughnut, other than flavor, is easily texture and OFD has texture perfected. I know that something is really good when I don't even need to ask GF what she thinks; silence can speak the loudest.

Now I am going running!

Everytime this thread comes up and I try to figure out if I have the time to make the public transportation pilgrimage to OFD -- I'm not yet been and the pictures make me crazy. There is nothing as delicious as a good apple fritter and the pictures I see of these pastries look like they are the best in the world.

One question -- how much do the fritters/donuts run? I mean...that piece of apple heaven looks chock filled with fruit and delightful crisp sugar coating - I'm curious to know pricing.

Shan

earthlydesire wrote:One question -- how much do the fritters/donuts run? I mean...that piece of apple heaven looks chock filled with fruit and delightful crisp sugar coating - I'm curious to know pricing.

I'm sure the more analytical among us will know the exact price, but I believe they are just under $2.