Walk into most any corner donut shop in this town and you'll find the bestests, worstest "donut" of all time. Yes, I mean the apple fritter. Me and the fritter go way back and I have a real love/hate relationship with it. The love--it's deep fried dough with apple bits, cinnamon, occasionally some brown sugar covered in a sugared glaze. And since it is also the size of a baby's head it is a sugar crash come in waiting. I've been eating these for nearly 20 years. There was a time (meaning younger) when I seemed to have one practically every other day. But you know, the body doesn't process these things as well the older we get so these days I will break done and get one if I'm in the mood for a pound of sugar and fried dough. Of course the hate is the calorie count from even just a small bite--it is carb overload. Also, depending on where you get one there are varying degrees of doneness. I like mine a nice golden brown, but sometimes I see ones that are nearly black along the edges and more mahogany than golden. Usually that means it was cooked too long and will taste like burnt sugar or the oil in their fryers hasn't been changed in awhile and god only knows what it is gonna taste like. Sometimes ones you get will be done on the outside but still a little doughy on the inside. Some folks like this, me, not so much. I do like them cooked all the way through. I also wish some places would put more apple in them. Many times I'll come across a clump here and there, but even distribution seems to be elusive. The one seen above and below was mostly all the things I like in a good one, though a little doughy and the apples clumped in the middle a bit. Still, it was a sugar rush and I gluttonly ate the whole thing. You'd think that much greasy dough would upset the stomach but not mine. Though I do throw that out there as something to be aware of for folks--grease, dough, sugar--it's all here. This is not for lightweight dessert eaters, it is for the hardy--like me--so first timers need to be careful. I would like to add that the big surprise for me is how popular they are in this city that can seem a bit health conscious. I guess I can just chalk it up to transplanted folks like me or drunks and pot--yeah, it's probably the drunks and pot.
- Since Charle's Phan has closed some restaurants, seem he's got time on his hands to do pop-ups in Brooklyn. He is planning a restaurant there too.
- Explaining the cost of rising food prices while in the restaurant business.
- More high end chefs are going down the 'fast food' trail. Will the prices also be 'fast foodesque'?
- Taqueria's in the Sunset, if you live there and don't want to journey all the way to the Mission.
- The Infatuation highlights some mostly overlooked North Beach eats.
- Wow. I hadn't even had a chance to go and already it looks like I probably won't be able to.
- Ugh, really, what did we in San Francisco do to deserve this?
- Blue Bottle is now big in Japan, and will soon be joined by Tartine.
- Sandwiches under $8 in San Francisco?!! I don't believe it!
- It's chef changes galore in the city these days.
- I'm sorry but between the photos, the menu, the prices and the chef talk--this is the kind of place that makes me roll my eyes. I mean 5 tiny legs on half a crab and a ramekin of flavored butter for $20?!
- Evidently it's Beer Week in San Francisco. Here's all the shenanigans for you.
- Ever want to make Brenda's Soul Food Kitchen gumbo? Then here's your chance.
