Chicago Eats: D&D's Place | chicago foodie girl

1.02.2019

Chicago Eats: D&D's Place




While once upon a time I was a fan of all donuts (every donut was a good donut, even the ones that were kind of bad), I've turned into a bit of a donut snob. No longer am I satisfied with just anything that's raised and glazed. I need my donuts not only to have a good structure and flavor, but also a filling/glaze that complements the flavor of the donut, isn't overly sweet, doesn't have a fake/chemical taste, and doesn't leave a film in my mouth from too many oils. Based on those criteria alone, there are a lot of mediocre to truly terrible donuts out there in the Chicago-area alone; the ones that are truly awesome have developed a cult-like following, including those at D&D's Place in the Ashburn neighborhood.

When a coworker of Mario's contacted me a few weeks ago to recommend his favorite donut shop/best in Chicago, I was immediately intrigued. As a fellow donut aficionado (and self-proclaimed snob), he mentioned that having traveled extensively and sampled donuts at just about every stop, he firmly believes the donuts at D&D's to be amongst the best in the nation. In fact, he believes in them so much that he does marketing and PR for the shop on a volunteer basis. But he's not the only one with a massive love for D&D's, as the shop took home the coveted 2018 People’s Choice trophy in just its first year at Donut Fest Chicago, beating out numerous other long-established and super popular donut shops. As someone who's always in search of fantastic donuts, how could I possibly resist a visit to this small, family-run South Side spot?!


 Gigi and I stopped by D&D's on a chilly afternoon and immediately gravitated toward their baseball mitt-sized Apple Fritters. Having combed through their photos on Facebook obsessively, these were the beauties that drew us both in... and we were not disappointed in the least! These giant fritters have large chunks of fresh apples threaded throughout the soft and cinnamon-laden dough. While you can get the fritters sans pecans, I highly recommend the pecan version, as they add a gorgeous texture and contrast. Apple fritters can easily slide into the too greasy or too sweet categories, but these fritters are perfect - they're fluffy, flavorful, texturally interesting, and really, just a joy to eat.


Open wide! 😮

The best part about these fritters is the apple-to-donut ratio - you'll get a bit of every component with each bite!

After waxing poetically about their amazing Apple Fritters (and groaning in delight, of course), we moved on to a selection of their specialty raised donuts: Amazing Lemon, Ripe Raspberry, Fresh Strawberry, Homemade Caramel, Blueberry Heaven, and Citrus Orange. As much as we both loved (loved, loved!) the fritter, their light and airy yeast donuts blew us away! Trained by legendary donut king Buritt Bulloch, owners Devell and Lolita Brittmon have taken his original recipe and tweaked it to make it uniquely their own. The result is a donut that is so puffy, chewy, and moist that you'll want to sample every single flavor option!

All of their fruit-based glazes are made with fresh fruit (that makes all the difference!). Gigi's favorite was the Blueberry Heaven - the juicy and slightly tangy topping reminded us of a blueberry compote.


We also particularly loved the super zesty and slightly tart Amazing Lemon, as well as the Citrus Orange. These donuts have just the right amount of sweetness to balance the bitterness from the citrus, while also allowing the fruit flavors to shine through.

I would be hardpressed to pick a favorite, as I truly enjoyed them all, but along with the lemon and citrus donuts, I'd most likely reach for the Fresh Strawberry again.

Speaking of favorites, hands down, their Orginal Glaze donut is the best glazed donut I've ever had. Thanks to my father's influence, classic glazed donuts have been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl; having eaten a ridiculous number of them of the years, I've gotten very, very picky about what makes a good glazed donut. These light-as-air donuts have a melt-in-your-mouth quality that is hard to find. They're lightweight, while still being lofty, and the glaze is the absolute perfect consistency without being sticky sweet. Even Gigi, who's not a massive fan of glazed donuts (as they're usually too sweet), proclaimed them to be phenomenal! It's really no surprise that these simple glazed donuts won the trophy at Donut Fest over other flashier options.

Finally, we couldn't leave without checking out their Texas Size Glaze and Chocolate Donuts (modeled by owners Devell and Lolita Brittmon). Their chocolate glaze is made with real cocoa and has a rich and satisfyingly deep chocolate flavor. These donuts are also massive, so come hungry if you're on the hunt for a Texas Size treat!





Needless to say, we both loved the donuts at D&D's Place - in fact, I loved them so much that I already have plans to head back to try their cake donuts. If you're a fan of delicious donuts (or a donut snob like me!), D&D's should absolutely be on your list of spots to visit again and again!

You can try all of this deliciousness and more at D&D's Place: 8324 S Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL.
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