Atlas Insider
Atlas Insider: Feed Me, Seymour
Happy Sunday, readers! Please welcome Atlas Insider Nathan Chapman—the other half of MDK’s shipping team and angel of the MDK help desk.
—Kay and Ann
There are many reasons to love a Field Guide launch day. We have labored for months to get ready, so the day that a Field Guide leaves Atlas and heads to your mailbox is one of celebration for all of us at MDK HQ.
But I would be remiss if didn’t tell you the actual reason that launch day fills Atlas Insiders with joy: the food.
Nothing brings us together like a company meal.
Allow me to paint you a word picture. It starts with a freshly steamed tortilla, and not some ditzy little tortilla—this tortilla could swaddle a baby. And it does. It swaddles a food baby. A food baby made of scrambied eggs, cheddar cheese, your choice of fried pork belly piled playfully on the crispiest patty of hash brown. These ingredients come together in the magnificent nutrient delivery system that is (in the Atlas Insider lexicon) the breekie burreet.
Chris, our in-house photographer, has the most adventurous palate (and palette), and usually opts for the most curious protein options. I stick to the classics: bacon or sausage. (You can call me cable, I’m so basic.)
The break room descends into silence as we dip our brekkie burreets in queso, secret sauce, Mule Sauce. We have a lot of sauce options.
We don’t always opt for burritos. We also appreciate the down-home Southern cooking of our neighbors at the chicken wing store—a deep-fried smorgasbord of chicky tendies, catfish nuggies, and the most flavorful seasoned frenchies.
Now, for our readers who live outside the South, or maybe just those who don’t choose to poison their bodies with an overabundance of fried treats, I can appreciate your aversion to all this mess.
However. I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t try to get you to visit the Flavor Town destination that is the deep-fried dill picky. Usually seen in chip form, but occasionally spotted in the wild as a spear, the fried picky is a buttermilk-soaked and cornmeal-battered creation. Honestly, you go for the tendies, but you stay for the pickies.
If we ever start a podcast, you can expect at least a portion of every episode to be devoted to food. At MDK HQ, the only thing we like more than eating food is talking about eating food. In fact, as I am writing this, I’m also window shopping at the chicken wing store. And I will be getting pickies …
A Giveaway
This menu needs some roughage. The prize is a Salad Serving Set. (Salad and bowl not included!) We’ll add our fibrous, washable paper Metallic Pouch, but please don’t eat it.
How to enter?
Two steps:
Step 1: Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Snippets, right here. If you’re already subscribed, you’re set.
Step 2: Your favorite fried food? Tell us in the comments. If you like, shout out your local spot to enjoy it too.
Deadline for entries: Sunday, May 8, 11:59 PM Central time. We’ll draw a random winner from the entries. Winner will be notified by email.
Come Shop With Us
Rippers (hot dogs) at Rutts Hut
Oh man, Rutts Hut. That takes me back.
I LOVE fried onion rings!
That’s easy. Fried Chicken.
Beer batter Alaskan halibut is a fave….at Boardwalk Fish & Chips on the Spit in Homer, Ak
Sauerkraut balls…sauerkraut and pork in a light breading and fried (sometimes baked). Possibly dipped in horseradish sauce of one variety or another, or maybe ranch dip, or just plain. YUM! It’s an Akron, Ohio thing.
If you love sauerkraut ball, you need to come to the Sauerkraut Festival in Waynesville, OH. It’s in October. I often joke that my favorite flavor is “fried”.
Fried pickles!
Karaage chicken … One of our favorite spots is a ramen shop at Kyoto Station, 9th?? floor!
Cheese curds at the Minnesota State Fair
Haha, our daughter did an extensive and in-depth survey of karaage chicken during our trip to Japan a couple of years back. The one at the Kyoto station was pretty good TBH!
Our local brewpub does an excellent rendition, complete with fries and gravy.
Fried pickles – from Rail Trail Pizza in Hudson Ma
Fried Fresh Anchovies at Simonis, in Scheveningen, the Netherlands
Halibut!
French fries
Fish tacos…my kitchen!
Calamari!
Fried morel mushrooms with horseradish sauce.
Okra, always. I spent a whole day trying things in college, just to show my roommates that you could definitely fry pickles and Oreos.
Onion Rings!
The ubiquitous French fry can’t be beat!
Fried green tomatoes hands down. My own or from Mama Dip’s
The French fry is absolute – classic perfection!
Schnitzel!
I love a fried pierogie!!!
One day we will realize that eating this way is a major factor in climate change and that animals suffer inhumane conditions during their short lifetimes although they are sentient beings. Pork is a pig is an animal more intelligent than a dog. Please look up how they are treated. Meatless is my food of choice and there is no lack of choice and options today..
Fried oysters!
Classic French fries!
This post resonated deeply with me! I was born in the Midwest but when it was time to eat, the fare was distinctly Southern. A small tub of bacon fat resided on the stove and was in heavy use. As far as I’m concerned, I love fried food. I hate to be trite but my favorite fried food is chicken. Particularly chicken thighs. They’re little and plump and never dry. I could expound more but my kitchen is calling.
Crab cakes from the Flying Goat on Shelter Island.
I really get to have it but I like fried okra.
Funnel cake!
The MDK team sounds like my team at work. We are very food motivated. The empty transactional across from my office is now known as the snack transactional due to the many treats that appear there on a regular basis. We like to share recipes, too, when someone makes something particularly nice.
Is anything better than a classic piece of fried chicken? To be honest, though, I haven’t met a fried food I didn’t like.
Pickle.
At Rhinebeck.
A Sheep and Wool Festival,tradition!
We’ve chosen a whole food plant based diet, so fried foods are very rare (unless you count the air fryer). But on the rare occasion, I crave French fries. The crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside kind of fries. In our area they can be found at Five Guys.
Greek fries – like French fries, only in olive oil. My mother makes the best!
Seasoned french fries. Thin and crispy.
Onion rings
French fries from a seafood food truck that comes to my neighborhood. Is it bad that the food truck guy knows me by name?
Being from Wisconsin, you’d expect me to say Fried Cheese Curds. (and they are delicious!) But really, I love Thor’s Lightning Bolts from our local Norwegian themed brew pub – delicious green beans, batter dipped and deep fried, served with a lingonberry dipping sauce. Mmmmmm
I’m in WI, too! Where is this Norwegian brew pub, and what is its name?
A quick Google makes me think it’s the Viking Brew Pub, in Stoughton. https://www.vikingbrew.pub/food/
Yes! I want to know, too!! A Norwegian-themed brewpub sounds too good to be true!
Chicken wings fried extra crispy and covered in Frank’s Red Hot. This is the Way.
This is the Way.
Oh yes! Must have Franks!!!
Fried Cheese Curds.
I love fried pickles! The sliced chips are preferred, but where a live spear reign supreme.
Apple fritter with lots of apples in it!
Oh yes! Favorited morning food!!
oh yes! favorite morning food for special occasions!
Fried egg. Semi-firm yolk. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Anytime.
Fried meatballs-the way my mother used to make.
Favorite fried food? Hands down, it is a soft-shell crab!
Fried okra is my absolute downfall. My current fav is from Dreamland Barbecue, the lovely, comfort food place right down the road from me. The okra isn’t a side but for an extra dollar you can sub it and they bring you a small basket. Small, of course, is relative. We split it and still have some to reheat in the oven the next day. I can eat fried okra like some people eat popcorn and for this reason I choose to never make it at home.
Eggplant. And with panko, not cornmeal, please.
Peeled cubed eggplant. Rolled in flour. Then in egg. Then in breadcrumb. Then fried. First time stepsons decided they not only would eat eggplant but LIKED it. Yum yum sauce is currently a favorite for dipping.
Hush Puppies.
Fried green tomatoes. Sometimes in a sandwich (with bacon, duh), sometimes with pimiento cheese. But also good on their own.
I agree that fried pickles are a thing of beauty.
Blooming Onion at the NY State Fair, one huge fried onion with your choice of dipping sauces.
I dig fried mushrooms, onion rings, battered catfish nuggets. One of my foodie friends says “you an eat anything you want ~ as long as you make it yourself.” So, the fried foods we eat, we mostly fry ourselves. Not very often, cuz it’s kinda messy. With the exception of bacon. Wait, BACON is my favorite fried food.
Funnel cakes at the Fairs- outdoor, served w powdered sugar that’s sure to get all over! Only in summer!
The all-you-can-eat fish and chips Friday nights at Rick’s Tavern, Newfane, Vermont!! Best anywhere!
I LOVE a Fried Fisherman’s platter….fried clams, fried scallops, fried fish, fried shrimp, fried onion rings and French fries with an ice cold beer to wash it down!
Chicken Fried Steak (CFS). I grew up in Oklahoma. CFS is made in many ways but always best when served with mashed potatoes, white gravy, and green beans.
It’s impossible to pick one favorite, but we have a local place on the boardwalk (NJ, Atlantic Ocean) that serves the best French fries, thick, curly and crispy, I can’t even order them anywhere else. I had fried pickles at Rhinebeck one year, and then the truck never returned, they were amazing. Everyone waits in line for the artichoke hearts, but I was going to get the pickles! Of course the falafel at Rhinebeck is another reason to go and I usually have it for breakfast Sunday morning, no line. Although falafel on the street in NYC is a good alternative. I love the fried oysters at Reading Terminal in Philadelphia. I’m getting hungry.
Fresh cut French Fries from Primanti Bros in Pittsburgh, where they also stuff them in your sandwich along with the coleslaw. It’s an all in one delight!
Bojangles spicy chicken bisbuit sandwich with Bo-rounds!
Fried oysters (preferably with garlic butter hot sauce).
Baby artichoke hearts purchased from Nichols Farm at the Elmhurst, IL Farmers Market and fried in my kitchen.
Park Circle Cafe, Cambridge, OH – best fried pickles ever!!
A churro, but the fried dill pickle is a favorite too.
I also love a good fried pickle. Pickles are probably one of the main food groups I eat, actually…
Fried pickles! Haven’t met any that I did not like!
Fried chicken. Fried chicken. Fried Chicken. When I can get it. At home I virtuously eat lower-calorie oven-baked chicken courtesy of Shake n’ Bake. Will have to try “pickies”. Sound delicious.
Any kind of fresh seafood, but especially soft-shell crab when in season.
Onion rings!
Fried chicken!
Onion rings. Anywhere. Unfortunately they don’t like me as much as I like them!
Fried green beans at the VFW
From a restaurant that no longer exists, fried lobster chunks!
The first thing that came into my mind was a Greek fried dough “cookie” / pastry called diples (“the-pless). The dough (often flavored with orange, Ouzo, or Metaxis brandy) is rolled out very thin, fried, and set on absorbant paper to drain and cool. There are a few ways to shape them, depending on one’s skill. Often they are rolled while frying, or shaped into a bowtie before frying, or just fried flat. Once cooled, they’re topped with a honey syrup (mom used just straight honey, which can first be hested), and sprinkled with chopoed walnuts and cinnamon.
They pile high and you think you have a lot. However, you really Don’t. Ever. Have. Enough!
Forgot about those, they are delicious.
Scotch eggs
Cheddar poppers!!!!
‘Shrooms from Houlihans in KC. Stuffed with cream cheese and horseradish. Delish. I’ll have to start calling them shroomies.
Oh my gosh, please start a podcast. Here in iowa, our state fair is notorious for weird fried foods, along with weird foods on a stick. There are new ones every year and the local TV stations send out news crews to try them and report back to us. In previous years there have been Cheesy Fried Enchilada Funnel Cakes, which are savory. Golden Fried Choco Pockets filled with Nutella. Deep Fried Oreos and Twinkies. Thanksgiving Balls – turkey and vegetables, surrounded in stuffing, fried, with a spot of gravy on top. Deep Fried Bacon Cheese, on a stick. Loaded Crab Bites. We definitely have the fried pickies too.
The breakfast burrito sounds yummy – I love my cheese and eggs. It made my (current bowl) blueberries, Greek yogurt, bran buds and walnuts seem pretty prosaic. Our favourite (sadly, now no longer, due to retirement) fish and chips restaurant had the best fish and delicious fried mushrooms. So great. Secondly, does a grilled cheese sandwich count? Also, I agree with the above comment about fried pierogies, with fried onions.
Fried chicken from Hattie’s Chicken Shack in Saratoga New York!
Favorite fried food…chicken croquettes….
I’ve been obsessed with fried tofu lately. Well seasoned & pan fried. Yum!
I am also pretty Southern basic, FL variety: fried okra from Sonny’s BBQ
Fried stuffed mushrooms. The best of 2 worlds.
Potatoes in any form – fries, hash browns, chips, etc.
Full bellied fried clams dug up right here in the beaches of Massachusetts at least once a year!
French fries, mostly made in the air fryer these days, but still so good.
Fried cauliflower. From Bonnie’s Buffeteria, better known as my house. I think I’m the only vegan in my town.
Fried anything. Why does everthing taste better fried? I started using Panko…does that make it healthy?
You did say favorite? Right?
In my city is the most wonderful seafood restaurant called Paula’s . There you will have the most delicious lobster you have ever tasted!!!!!
We have a great little hole in the wall place in Colorado Springs called Green Line Grill. They do onion burgers and hand cut French fries. The fries are the best I’ve ever had. And you can have them with a side of cheese sauce. Portions are huge and prices are reasonable. You can get 2 meals from one serving.
French fries. Lately the fries at Denver’s Parkburger on South Pearl.
A Friday night fish fry, a Wisconsin staple, preferably at a Northwoods supper club.
Fried Haddock from Shaw’s in New Harbor, Maine. Sadly, we haven’t been able to get there (from Northeast Ohio) for the past two years but have a trip planned for June!
Fried Chicken at Hither in Ashland, Oregon….a little bit of heaven.
Most definitely a giant corn dog from the Iowa State Fair!
Calamari! The pride of Rhodesia Island! Tasty in Massachusetts, too!
My favorite fried food is fried green tomatoes. Yumm
Apple fritters!
Fried shrimp at the Half Shell on St Simons Island, GA!
Refried beans
Onion rings from the now closed 8th Street Grille in Holland, Michigan.
Fried. Belly. Clams. That is all!
fries! skinny, steak, regular fries!
Onion rings-at our favorite Mexican restaurant called El Chicano, in Lafayette, Indiana. The owner is passionate about making good food for people.
Corn Fritters!
Thinly sliced boneless pork chops breaded and fried. With a little Parmesan cheese in the breading- delish
I am a secret cutlet-of-any-sort aficionado. I’m not sure pork chops ever count as cutlets – it sounds so fancy! – but I find them irresistible prepared this way.
Fried clams. They have to be the whole clam. Woodmans in Essex Massachusetts is the best, but I’ll take them wherever I can find them.
Calamari….it was a little out-of-the-way tapas place many years ago in northwestern Spain, just over the border from Portugal. I could not believe how good they tasted!
Schnitzel for the win!
French fried green beans w/dipping sauce
The Breaded Tenderloin, deluxe, an Indiana tradition. there is a tenderloin trail you can go explore and find your favorite. So far, my favorite is right here in my hometown, Plainfield, IN at The Coachman.
French fries from just about anywhere, as long as the oil is fresh and they are cooked properly.
I love crispy fish tacos. Yum!
Fried oysters at Frankie and Johnny’s or Crabby Jacks…piled high on a baguette, smeared with mayo and Tabasco, dusted with lettuce and a slice of perfect tomato. Perfection!
Oh dear. Now I’m hungry.
thanks for the question, because it reminded me of a fried food i had completely forgotten about: fried tomatoes. not fried green tomatoes, although, sure they’re fine, but fried ripe tomatoes. so simple and so delicious with breakfast. the best ones are the ones you make at home: butter, flour, salt and pepper, and a big fat tomato.
corn dogs of course
Boneless chicken wings.
Donuts. Fresh are heaven
Potatoes are my fav. Chris, with onions and fried in bacon grease. Love that
Rhinebeck. Those Cinnamon-Apple donut creations!
Churros. Enough said
Recently we joined a seafood subscription from Alaska. And I’ve learned to make my own halibut or cod crispy fish fingers. Not hard, so delicious.
Cheese curds from Ellsworth Community Creamery!
Arancini without a doubt!
Joe’s okra scrambled with cornbread batter.
French fries forever!
Mac’s Fish Chips Strips on the corner of Larpenteur and Hamline, St Paul, MN, everything fried and ridiculously delish! The entire menu rocks. A fresh salad helps balance, but then if you’re going for fried, just own it, people.
Definitely calamari from a place near our house in New Jersey (the restaurant closed more than 20 years ago, and I no longer live in New Jersey, but what a great memory!). But in the category of feasting at the office, I have to mention Lagaya’s Pancit noodles. More than 40 hears later, they still make my mouth water!!!.
40 YEARS, not HEARS
rosettes, with a lot of powdered sugar
Oh man, deep fried cheese curds, at the Big E! (New England States Exposition)
Fried okra, eggplant, green tomatoe, green beans. Love all the fried veggies. Oh and sweet potato or any potato fried!
Fried pickles – chips only please. And best ones, the ones we do in our family on FryDay – the Friday after Thanksgiving where we fry everything. Pickles, avocados, onion rings, wings, fries for poutine (Canadian niece-in-law), ice cream, oreos, cheesecake balls! It’s our family tradition.
Stuffed mushrooms from The Machine Shed restaurant, Des Moines, Iowa. Makes a meal
My mom’s fried chicken.
Fried cod or halibut
If you posted this on Friday morning I would have easily said it was a toss up between Bettina’s Croquettes from a Franklin Habit post a few years back or my own fried chicken. Both make me ridiculously happy. But we had a team lunch on Friday at a new fish joint in Yonkers and they had hushpuppies on the menu. Yowza! The took me right back to Morrison’s Cafeteria in Savannah, GA circa 1972. They were so good that I went back yesterday and got some to bring to my parents and they took my 91 year old Pop back to sometime in the late 40s when he was out on the road with the carnival. He found a little joint somewhere in the south that smelled amazing. Problem was, this was pre-civil rights and when he went in, the black woman who owned it pointed out his whiteness and said he shouldn’t be there as the local KKK didn’t appreciate white guys from Brooklyn supporting black owned businesses. I guess she saw his appetite and appreciation and put him in a little storage room in the back with a curtain across the door to keep him safe and fed him the whole time the show was up in whatever that little town was. And to me, food that brings back happy memories not just of the food but of the kindness and courage of those who make it, is the very best food of all.
I have really enjoyed reading all these comments, but yours is the one I keep coming back to. Thank you for sharing this, it’s beautiful.
Fried lake perch at Grande Mere Inn, Stevensville, Mi
French fries. Nothing beats a classic!
Fried perch. Love a Friday fish fry.
Here in Montana my favorite fried is Pork Chop Patty for a Pork Chop John sandwich
Fish and chips with a cold beer
Corn Dogs!!!
Hahaha, this cracked me up. I usually steer clear of fried food.
But at the legendary Minnesota State Fair (where knitting blue ribbons are more precious than diamonds), once a year I’ll eat the Tom Thumb mini donuts and the Mouth Trap cheese curds.
Sopaipillas! Served with honey to drizzle inside after biting off the corner. Maybe I need to go visit NM again.
Szechuan green beans from Betelnut in San Francisco. From anywhere they’re great, double fried and spicy, but these were the best ever.
Deep Fried Snickers on a Stick at the Minnesota State Fair. Enough calories to sustain life for a year.
Sweet Potato fries almost everywhere.
Fries. White, sweet potato, doesn’t matter. I adore them.
I have to go with fried chicken, although fried zucchini is a close second!
As a Southerner it’s got to be FRIED OKRA!
Nana Bessie’s clam cakes from Woodman’s if Essex, Massachusetts.
Fried chicken for me!
My favorite fried foods (I can’t decide between them) are my home made egg rolls and crab rangoon aka cheese wontons.
Hush Puppies from Loco Fish!
Let’s hear it for the cheese curds!
Fried food is one of my favorite food groups,.fried pickles are amazing. My son does amazing homemade ones with hot pickle chips. Otherwise I cant pass up onion rings especially a local place called Schooners. Fried mushrooms are also a weakness. A local pizza joint Joe’s station house, slices,batters and fries theirs. Amazing!
FRENCH FRIES!
I used to love the wonderfully crisp fries at Ranch 1, but I don’t know whether they are still around.
Cheese curd
I’m jonesing for Chicken Fried Steak with all the fixings at Babe’s in Roanoke, TX. I live in Cincinnati now but miss Babe’s
Deep fried Camembert if you haven’t tried it you really should. Such ooey, gooey, goodness! I’m not a fried food person but – oh my! Make sure to use Panko in the coating
Deep fried stuffed olives at the Sutton Hotel in Vancouver BC . Melt in your mouth goodness and highly addictive
Oh yes fried pickles are the best, although I think I would eat anything including insects if they were fried.
Won tons
Fried cheese curds with sweet habanero dipping sauce from the Sea Quake brewery in Crescent City, CA. Best ever! It’s over an hour drive form home so I don’t get them very often but when we head north we always make a point of stopping there. The cheese curds with a side of beer and the best fish tacos is the go to favorite.
Hushpuppies
Fragels – cinnamon raisin deep fried bage
We have a Sichuan place that makes a fried fish with scallions, chilis, cilantro and Sichuan peppercorns that is so delicious and unique. But also fried oysters and any version of potatoes.
French fries from (gasp) McDonald’s.
100% Okra fan! I never knew okra until I moved to Georgia, and did not care for fried food in general. Still don’t. Now okra is an un-guilty pleasure!
I love just about any fish deep fried. Battered mushrooms are also a favourite. But the one thing that brings back great memories is going to the Canadian National Exhibition every year and heading striaght for the food building. The first stall inside the door most years was Tiny Tom Donuts. It was an assembly line of deep-fried mini donuts and you got a dozen in a paper bag hot off the line and then you chose your topping. I always went with powdered sugar because it melted as soon as it hit the hot donuts. I’ve tried others and the cinnamon and sugar is a close second but the powdered sugar will always be my favourite.
As a California girl I fell in love with…..fried Okra!! Made by a Texas Momma of a previous boyfriend. I let the boyfriend go but she and I stayed friends for years!
Another California girl here… I fell in love with fried Okra made by our family friends Walt & Judy. Walt was from New Orleans and he did wonders with the okra!
Deep fried hush puppies. With eastern NC barbecue (the noun) and slaw. Originally from NC, I miss them.
French fries. Right now, I’m loving the super crisp on the outside/ soft on the inside fries at Assemble, in Richmond CA.
I’ve been seeing fried Mac n cheese balls on party buffets lately and man o man are they delicious!
85% chocolate enjoyed anywhere and everywhere!
Cheese curds!
Olives stuffed with Asiago cheese, battered and fried. Sadly that restaurant has closed. Also love homemade fresh cut fries.
French fries (but they can’t be soggy), fish cakes (even better if they’re a glorious globe of deep fried fish cake), fried chicken, fish and chips. Also, funnel cake – I’ve only ever had it at fairs but all that sugary fried dough? Yes please!
Fried pickies are delicious! I love love love fried fish and chips. Also love a good kabocha squash tempura, or shrimp tempura. Or fried raviolis!!!
My mom’s fried chicken
fried onions…. a life long necessity
Liver and onions sauted the way my mother cooked liver.
Snickers bar
Gotta stick the the classic – French fries!
My grandmother’s doughnuts. Little circles of heaven freshly made and still warm. I miss you, Granny.
Onion rings!
About fried foods, I lean towards the thought expressed in some episode of “Wings”: “If it’s green, it’s trouble. If it’s fried, get double.”
Hush puppies
Fried Brussels sprouts from The Break Room in North Adams Mass, topped with Kewpie Mayo. DA BEST!
Fried eggplant. From my air fryer.
Catfish–with a cornmeal coating. Fried in a skillet. Yum!
fried calamari with sweet chili sauce and/or hot peppers – never tomato sauce
I had a French uncle by marriage who ran a Michelin starred restaurant in Paris. Once when we were camping in Minnesota for breakfast he made fried eggs – cracked an egg into deep hot oil and spun it around with a spatula for a while. What came out was something the size and shape of an egg, with a brown crispy crust of white and a runny yolk in the center. It’s probably been 60 years since I ate that egg, but I’ll never forget it.
Where is the pic of the Brekkie Burreets?
Onion rings for me!
Fried clam strips, right on the dock, at the Lobsterman’s Coop in Boothbay Harbor, Maine!!
I love fried fresh fish. I used to get it at Sting Rays on Tybee Island but I moved. Now I get it at Iguanas and they have free soft serve ice cream. Sometimes it is an appetizer and a dessert.
Red Robin onion rings.
Favorite Fried? Grouper nuggets at the Seagrove Village Market, Seagrove Beach Fl.
Favorite Pickles? Jonathan’s Pub in Providence marketplace, Mt, Juliet, TN. OR fried pickles at Boondocks Restaurant in Panama City Beach, FL
Really, really good fresh cut french fries, lightly salted, no condiments please!
Fried plantains.
Zagareliai – a LIthuanian fried dough that resembles angel wings
My life changed after my first fried pickle.
Hush puppies! Hot and crispy on the outside and steamy and tender on the inside. Bonus points if it’s served as a side with fried catfish or smoked mullet, a cold, crisp, creamy cup of coleslaw and a giant fountain Coke (aka Co-cola) with a generous squeeze of fresh lemon. This is not an easy meal to find along the Colorado Front Range.
Babe’s Fried Chicken, a local chain in the DFW area.
It’s always gotta be mushrooms for me. Sucker for a deep fried fungus!
Fried clams at Iggy’s Clam Shack or Aunt Carrie’s ( whichever is open) in Rhode Island. Preceded by some South County clear clam chowder….
Fried ice cream – first time at the Topsfield (MA) State Fair, subsequent servings in my kitchen. I am actually salivating when I write about it!
Shrimp and okra fritters from the Classic Cafe in Roanoke, TX. I don’t eat fried food very often, but when I do, I go bit. It’s either those fritters or a smoked fried chicken from Cafe Momentum, which is a non-profit in downtown Dallas that transitions juvenile offenders into restaurant industry jobs.
Fried Okra
Onion rings with ranch dressing, anywhere that still makes them.
Air fryer chicken wings in my kitchen. Amazing
Deep fried Mars bars … so so yummy!!
Okra, with spicy mustard. But if anyone knows where in Kansas I can get some, I would be eternally grateful.
Fried okra!
My Aunt Darla’s Pimento Cheese from Red Truck Bakery… It’s worth the trip!
Mmm. Potatoes. Sliced, layered with sliced onions, salted & peppered. Then fried forever in bacon grease in a cast iron skillet. Turned often with more salt and pepper each time. Or maybe fried apple pies. Or maybe…
Anything fried becomes my favorite fried food while I’m eating it.
Fried salted carbs – any of it.
Kentucky Fried Chicken! Original.
Fried scallops at Lenny & Joe’s
Have you ever had peanut butter on your fried pickies? It’s a must around here. We prefer the spears, btw.
Fried Mussels!
I secretly live fried chicken, but rarely have it because I didn’t learn how to fry food.
This one is easy: fried cheese curds from Jorgie’s in Borth or from The Ruby Owl in Oshkosh, Wisconsin
I also have an affinity for a good fried pickle and try them every chance available.
Fresh waffle fries from chick fil a.
Freshly fried donut holes!
Donuts
My absolute favorite fried food is Khao San Thai’s Crispy Garlic Chicken (Issaquah, WA). Every piece is perfectly coated – not too much breading, not too much sauce, and enough garlic to make your coworkers ask that you not leave leftovers in the mini fridge. I would eat it for every meal if I could. I do want to point out a dish I haven’t eaten myself that I feel everyone should know about (at least anyone living in or visiting the Seattle Metro Area): Bok a Bok’s Bowl O’ Shame. Google it. No regrets.
Onion Rings for the WIN!! The best ones are from Dutch’s on University in Ft. Worth!
Fried shrimp!
Fried fresh haddock in a crumb coating. The very best! Flaking apart when you get a fork near it. LOVE!
How can one pick A SINGLE FRIED FOOD!?! As I have aged, frying and my gut do not agree. I will take a really crispy hash brown any day of the week though and then hit the Tums!
Kung Pao Brussels sprouts!!! Google the recipe, so good!
Fried Lake Erie perch from Brennan’s in Grand River, Ohio
classic fried potatoes with lots of salt. Well Done please.
French fries
Cheese curds at the Wisconsin State Fair.
Fried whole-belly clams from Mac’s on the pier in Wellfleet Harbor, Cape Cod.
One … of my favorite fried foods is vegetable tempura!
Fried Shrimp! I could eat them every single day. Breaded or Tempura. It’s all good! But you lost me a fried pickles. Tried them…..It is a solid NOPE!
just made them recently – very very thin Chrusciki, from my grandmother’s recipe, dough rolled to translucency, quickly fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Thank you Grammy!
Fried green tomatoes of course!! From my Momma’s kitchen
Fish and chips at Sierra Nevada
Chicken fingers all the way!
Breaded perch. Period.
My mother-in-law makes the very best fried asparagus spears (in a fritter batter) – absolutely delicious! And my hubby makes ‘salmon popcorn’ – fried pieces of fish much like the Alligator popcorn I’ve had in New Orleans – but made with fresh-caught Alaskan salmon, it is out of this world!!
Cauliflower dipped in coconut milk, then rolled in cornmeal, cornstarch and Panko, and crisped up in my air fryer!
French Fries!
Definitely fried okra, almost any way a restaurant makes it, but I’ll whip it up myself if I have to.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading through these comments. Around here it’s possible to find just about anything fried, including butter. (Not sure how it doesn’t melt in the process.) My favorite fried food is okra. I’ve never mastered creating it, so I admire those who
Fried onion rings!
The lowly doughnut; cinnamon sugar!!!
fried cheese grits with jalapeño cheese dip from the ok cafe in atlanta
Fried zucchini sticks!
Duck frites at Bull City Burger in Durham, NC – shoestring potatoes fried in duck fat and sprinkled with fresh rosemary and flaky sea salt, eaten by the handful when piping hot!
Bigelows fried clams Rockville centre,NY. Worth the trip
Buffalo-style Chicken Wings for the win!
Fried okra at Bigguns BBQ
Fried okra. But I live in the midwest, so it is a special treat when I visit home
Blue corn onion rings at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center restaurant, Albuquerque NM!
The fried Walla Walla onion rings at Kidd Valley in Seattle
deep fried cheddar cheese curds from a regional gas station chain. Sheetz MTO (made to order) for the win.
Sweet Potato Fries!!!
Fried chicken from LoveBird in Lakeland, Florida. Nomnom.
Fried Chicken, and Hollyhock Hill in Indianapolis has the best around!
Fried oysters. Fried Brussels sprouts. Fried scallops. Donuts. It’s almost a meal.
Funnel cake! Crispy on the outside; light and airy on the inside; and dusted in powdered sugar perfection!
Fried okra, of course! Fresh from your garden, if possible. Rolled in cornmeal, not battered. Fried by your mama. Or however you can get it.
I love fried pickles! And pretty much all things fried…
I have to choose one? There’s so many favorites- from fried catfish to fries, and then there’s what my son calls chinese calamari, and the newly discovered fried pickles!
Chinese salt & pepper fried porkchops, food of many family lunches!
Fish & chips – The Frying Scotsman
Fried Maui onion rings!
My favorite fried food–the cauliflower at Aladdin’s Eatery in Lakewood, Ohio! Aladdin’s has quite a few locations in Ohio and the Midwest now, but the Lakewood restaurant, conveniently four blocks from my house, is the original!
Lasagna includes all the food groups, and is like sex for my sensory organs, so it’s my desert-island food.
Mustard potatoes
Fried food: I would say the appetizers plate at Tru Religion in Orem. A bit of everything minus the kitchen sink.
Fish & chips
Battered Onion rings and shrimp
I loved e crispy sweet potato grird!!
Fried chicken!
Fried chicken!
french fries
Deep fried green beans at the Blue Door Pub
Mac and Cheese. The real stuff, not the nuclear orange instant boxed version. I recently discovered a recipe for Jalapeno Popper Mac & Cheese. Food of the Gods.
Tempura shrimp!
Tots!
Real Southern fried chicken!
Onion rings! My memories include the Pickwick Restaurant in Duluth, MN. Every onion ring tries to compare to those, but fails. So far. I keep looking.
oysters
Oh, my, definitely corn dogs, with catsup AND mustard!
It’s a tie between fried morel mushrooms and onion straws. Both are delish and somewhat challenging to find.
Fried clams New England style
My favorite fried food if okra!
Fish and chips!
Buñuelos! Haven’t had them in years but loved making them as a kid.
OMG I love fried pickles with ranch dressing!
Sweet potato fries!
French fries
sweet potato fries!
My favorite fried food is Fried Fish. Any fish fried in butter and cracker crumbs is great but Dads fresh caught catfish fillets made in a cast iron skillet is superb!
I would love to have that dish again.❣️
Thin onion rings. No contest.
Favorite fried food? Oh cruel fate! O.K. out of about a hundred I’m going with my grandmother’s chili rellenos, long missed but a wonderful taste memory
French fries and fried chicken are probably at the top of my list, but there are always other foods to consider like tempura and donuts and…
Favorite fried food: Shanghai-style spring rolls!
I’m a donut fan year round but at the state fair I loveeee a fried Oreo!
Seasoned waffle fries!!
Lee’s Fried Chicken in Plymouth Michigan.
Deep fried Mars bars!! They are delicious and we get them from the Christmas market in Kitchener Ont
OK, really, you may think I’m crazy but my fav fried food is fried eggplant!! It bears no resemblance to that purple veg in the produce aisle. Mary in cincinnati
Not crazy at all! I love the fried eggplant Bento Box served at the Wok and Roll Asian Kitchen in little Pine Grove, Calif, in the Sierra foothills.
You haven’t had tater tots, until you’ve had them at The Buena Viking in Buena Vista, CO. (Get a burger, too).
Fried zucchini strips. With a little fresh lemon squeezed on top…
Proper, twice fried Belgian pommes frites.
I got hungry reading all these great entries! Sharing some of the highlights with my hubby, he nominates the halibut burgers from the Burger Queen in Ketchikan – ordered ‘to go’ and delivered across the street to the Arctic Bar in Ketchikan, Alaska – our favorite fishing vacation watering hole. I second the nomination.
PS – there’s a great yarn shop in Ketchikan, too. Used to be called ‘The Hive’, now Fabulous Fiber Arts and More, right by Creek Street. I haven’t been there since the name change, but look forward to my next visit!
Homemade fried doughnuts. Yum!
Crispy Fried Green Beans at PF Changs in Lynnwood, Washington
right now? it’s fried pickles!
There are so many things that are good fried, but at the end of the day I will always want fried chicken.
i had fried (halved) brussels sprouts yesterday. They were a revelation!
Deep fried Twinkies. A once a year treat at the Franklin County Fair in Malone. Oh that creamy middle with the fried outside!
Love a fried chicken sammie!
Favorite fried food is probably onion rings, but gluten free onion rings are hard to come by so I haven’t had them in YEARS. 🙁
well done skinny French Fries!
Donuts!
Sweet potato fries
Currently, the fries that come with the Impossible Five Beer Burger at Tennessee Brew Works. My pre-vegetarian faves were the green chile corn dogs at the New Mexico state fair.
Miso soup
Fried green tomatoes and now’s the season!