I again struck out today in my attempt to try an Old Fashioned Apple Fritter. I drove to Mr B's Old Fashioned Donuts on S Pulaski around 3:30pm (on a Wednesday), only to find the door locked. There was an employee inside, but it appears they were taking down many of the shelves/racks and cleaning inside, and there were no visible donuts - the opening hours were clearly posted as closing at 8pm on Wednesdays, so I'm wondering if they may be closing or going out of business? The phone number found by Google/yelp/other sites for Mr B's seems to be disconnected.

Please post updates if anyone else ventures by Mr B's.

bluepig wrote:I again struck out today in my attempt to try an Old Fashioned Apple Fritter. I drove to Mr B's Old Fashioned Donuts on S Pulaski around 3:30pm (on a Wednesday), only to find the door locked. There was an employee inside, but it appears they were taking down many of the shelves/racks and cleaning inside, and there were no visible donuts - the opening hours were clearly posted as closing at 8pm on Wednesdays, so I'm wondering if they may be closing or going out of business? The phone number found by Google/yelp/other sites for Mr B's seems to be disconnected.

Please post updates if anyone else ventures by Mr B's.

About a month or 2 ago I came across a flyer and called the number to inquire about the location and hours since there was no address on it. I never got a straight answer and got the impression that they were having some sort of difficulty with the business.

It’s just as well since their product was a pale imitation of the Roseland fritter, so people who went there first would be disincentivized from making the trip for the glorious original.

In case anyone was wondering, OFD is still firing on all cylinders. I picked up a an apple fritter + a half dozen (2 glazed, 2 caramel, 2 strawberry). Everything great.

That said, when I turned onto 107th and Michigan, things looked a little grim and I was concerned it might not be open.
It seemed like virtually every storefront was gated or boarded up. Luckily I could see a single cop car in the distance outside OFD, and then I could smell it a couple blocks away... So I knew things would be okay.

I don't think they're doing curbside; But there was strict social distancing inside and everyone was wearing masks.

I was in and out within s few minutes. Business seemed steady, although perhaps not as brisk as normal.

Sorry to report my last batch of fritters were a bit off. Less fruit and an aftertaste that seemed to me to be from the oil. Chalking it up to a one time issue. Too bad we bought 3 dz.

I was also there on Saturday. The fritter was excellent as always, and even the last bites tasted great this morning for breakfast after a few seconds in the microwave.

The french cruellers, not an every day offering, were also excellent; although we didn't happen to get a batch right out of the fryer.

Jazzfood wrote:Sorry to report my last batch of fritters were a bit off. Less fruit and an aftertaste that seemed to me to be from the oil. Chalking it up to a one time issue. Too bad we bought 3 dz.

Yeah, the 3 dozen you bought for the Stevez Memorial Dinner back in February were not tip-top. The oil was off. Anyone who was having one for the first time that night was probably thinking "wtf?!" Oh well.

=R=

jellob1976 wrote:Luckily I could see a single cop car in the distance outside OFD

A police car at a donut shop - who would have thought?

A very kind friend was in the neighborhood and picked one up for me recently. It was my first, and I was extremely impressed. I ate it over a few days (I know, insanity!) and it stayed good to the very end.

They have a half life of @ least that.

They apparently use butter as a preservative.

SOS!

Unfortunately, this glorious GNR could use a bit of help with repairs.

Link to a gofundme after last night.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/20v3z0sk2o

pairs4life wrote:SOS!

Unfortunately, this glorious GNR could use a bit of help with repairs.

Link to a gofundme after last night.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/20v3z0sk2o

From what I just saw, they are fortunate to be over funded.

Regards,
Cathy2

Lately the apple fritters at Bennison's in Evanston have been pretty darn good, not all that different from OFD except in size. Theirs are 5" long (shown in this photo alongside a soft drink can for size comparison). Get them early in the morning for peak freshness; unlike OFD, they don't make them continually all day long.

nsxtasy wrote:Lately the apple fritters at Bennison's in Evanston have been pretty darn good, not all that different from OFD except in size. Theirs are 5" long (shown in this photo alongside a soft drink can for size comparison). Get them early in the morning for peak freshness; unlike OFD, they don't make them continually all day long.

This seems like a fine addition to a dedicated Bennnison's thread.

Intentional or not, what it does here is distracts from the upthread post about the fundraiser to help this damaged GNR - at least, in my opinion.

pairs4life wrote:SOS!

Unfortunately, this glorious GNR could use a bit of help with repairs.

Link to a gofundme after last night.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/20v3z0sk2o

gastro gnome wrote:Intentional or not, what it does here is distracts

Nonsense. Since two of its first three posts, this topic has included comparisons to other places that also serve good apple fritters similar to those at OFD. Like all topics at LTH, anyone can post about the subject at hand, which in this particular case is apple fritters. If you want to create a new topic that is specifically about the fundraiser - which is already oversubscribed many times over - you are welcome to to so.

In the meantime, for fans of OFD apple fritters for whom the north suburbs may be more convenient, consider the ones at Bennison's:

Your post certainly didn't violate any forum rules. You are absolutely free to do what you did.

I suggested a constructive place to add your fritter post. You obviously didn't like my suggestion.

Here is my reply:

pairs4life wrote:SOS!

Unfortunately, this glorious GNR could use a bit of help with repairs.

Link to a gofundme after last night.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/20v3z0sk2o

gastro gnome wrote:
This seems like a fine addition to a dedicated Bennnison's thread.

Intentional or not, what it does here is distracts from the upthread post about the fundraiser to help this damaged GNR - at least, in my opinion.

This is an OFD thread, not an OFD fundraiser thread.
Moreover, with goal of $1000 and a current $17,000 raised, there is no reason to panic and over-police this thread.

gastro gnome wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:Lately the apple fritters at Bennison's in Evanston have been pretty darn good, not all that different from OFD except in size. Theirs are 5" long (shown in this photo alongside a soft drink can for size comparison). Get them early in the morning for peak freshness; unlike OFD, they don't make them continually all day long.

This seems like a fine addition to a dedicated Bennnison's thread.

Intentional or not, what it does here is distracts from the upthread post about the fundraiser to help this damaged GNR - at least, in my opinion.

textbook thread hijack. rulebreaker? not so much. poor form? absolutely. tone deaf? Pretty much.

nsxtasy wrote:Lately the apple fritters at Bennison's in Evanston have been pretty darn good, not all that different from OFD except in size.

Perfect, who wants to drive to the South Side anyway. Its like the Eiffel Tower, why go to Paris and put up with loud cigarette smoking French people when Vegas beckons with all you can eat buffets and its own Eiffel Tower. Plus I just got my Audi buffed and am hesitant to go South of Madison Street.

nsxtasy wrote:Lately the apple fritters at Bennison's in Evanston have been pretty darn good, not all that different from OFD except in size.

I would have to demure. The fritters at Bennison’s are carefully crafted while at OFD they shovel in absurd amounts of butter - which is exactly what we love about them and why they are fabulous even when not fresh out of the hot oil.

Details on what happened and what’s happening.

https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/06/03/after-vandal-smashed-old-fashioned-donuts-window-fans-of-beloved-business-just-keep-giving-money/

Phil Connors wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:Lately the apple fritters at Bennison's in Evanston have been pretty darn good, not all that different from OFD except in size.

In the meantime, for fans of OFD apple fritters for whom the north suburbs may be more convenient, consider the ones at Bennison's.

Perfect, who wants to drive to the South Side anyway. Its like the Eiffel Tower, why go to Paris and put up with loud cigarette smoking French people when Vegas beckons with all you can eat buffets and its own Eiffel Tower. Plus I just got my Audi buffed and am hesitant to go South of Madison Street.

Come on, there was no reference to not wanting to going to the south side, only mentioned conveinence. It's 28 to 32 miles from Benison's to OFD. A long way for a donut.

Is OFD really the original apple fritter? That Eiffel Tower is example is ridiculous.

Nsxtasy's post was informational and polite, didn't deserve the snarkiness.

Indeed.

Sometimes you want the very best hot dog in the Chicago area, and you're willing to drive forty miles to get it. Sometimes you prefer to keep your travel time under ten minutes if you can find a very good hot dog nearby. Fortunately, LTH can serve both these needs, by providing information about some places that may be the very best around, and some that are still very good but in other locations. And readers can then decide where to take their business, based on location, quality, and any other factors they like.

Although my post was about Bennison's, I have also tried those at OFD a few times, on the odd occasion when it's convenient for me to do so. They're both good; if I had to choose only one based solely on quality, it would be OFD. Hope this information is helpful.

nsxtasy wrote:Indeed.

Sometimes you want the very best hot dog in the Chicago area, and you're willing to drive forty miles to get it. Sometimes you prefer to keep your travel time under ten minutes if you can find a very good hot dog nearby. Fortunately, LTH can serve both these needs, by providing information about some places that may be the very best around, and some that are still very good but in other locations. And readers can then decide where to take their business, based on location, quality, and any other factors they like.

Although my post was about Bennison's, I have also tried those at OFD a few times, on the odd occasion when it's convenient for me to do so. They're both good; if I had to choose only one based solely on quality, it would be OFD. Hope this information is helpful.

Is the Bennison's thread updated with this fritter info?

pairs4life wrote:Is the Bennison's thread updated with this fritter info?

The only Bennison's thread is not really about everything at Bennison's, but rather, is about a comparison of Bennison's to other bakeries for one particular item, a maple-bacon longjohn - in the same way that this thread (the one you're reading now) isn't really about OFD but rather is a comparison of OFD to other places for apple fritters.

Maybe I'll start one... Done.