Bill Broderick

Battle Creek Enquirer

I'm not a food critic, and I don't even play one on TV. So don't confuse me with those food show guys (although my classic car is cooler than the one that other guy on Food Network has) but I do like to eat.

I'm just the sports editor at the Enquirer and that means I've eaten at a lot of different places while on the road covering games. So getting to sample some of the best food in the Battle Creek area seems like a good idea. I was able to trick the Enquirer's WOW editor Annie Kelley into letting me do it, so here is Bill's Bites.

In the short time Bill's Bites has been around, we have had our share of deep-fried food and we have had our share of desserts. So why not combine the two. We found a place to help us out with that and the timing couldn't have been better with Thanksgiving right around the corner.

A classic Battle Creek restaurant, Mr. Don's came up with a new twist on a classic Thanksgiving dessert with something they call deep-fried pumpkin pie.

Deep-fried pie — three words Bill's Bites would never turn down.

This isn't a fried tube with pumpkin filling, like you might find at one of Mr. Don's burger competitors with the golden arches. This is a real piece of pie that has been fried.

Rightly so, Mr. Don's decided fall was a good time to feature the pumpkin in some of its specialties — with pumpkin shakes and even pumpkin cappuccino. So as we hit November and turn our thoughts from all those Halloween pumpkins to some Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, a trip to Mr. Don's was on our list.

Best time to eat this ispre-Thanksgiving

I say pre-Thanksgiving because on Nov. 27, you are probably going to be enjoying the real thing — some warm pumpkin pie just brought out of the oven at grandma's house. But any time leading up to Thanksgiving is a good time to enjoy some pumpkin pie — and if you can dip it in some batter and fry it up, all the better. Some Bill's Bites fans out there saw deep-fried pumpkin pie on the menu at Mr. Don's and said we had to put it on our list of things to try (and we love suggestions, so keep them coming). But at first thought, you wonder if frying a piece of pie can actually work. It does. A first bite gives you a crunchy outside, but then the warm middle is all pumpkin pie. Nothing is lost in the translation and it's good enough to treat grandma to, if you can get her out of the kitchen before she starts making the goodies for the family at the end of the month.

If you like that kind of thing, these treats arecrunchy

The crunch is the thing that makes this treat worth the try. Mr. Don's has a list of things it deep fries, including your classic county fair food like Twinkies and Oreos. Plus, if you want some of the best onion rings in town, Mr. Don's has a homemade version of those that won't take a backseat to anyone else in the area (and don't get me started on those crinkle cut fries — so good). So one of Battle Creek's homegrown fast food restaurants knows what it's doing when it comes to fried food. The deep-fried pumpkin pie takes this art form to another level. After it comes out of the fryer, they put some powdered sugar on top and it's the perfect size to pick up by hand and take a bite out of the point — in classic pie tradition. The snap of the outside crust is fun, and the flavor inside is intact for a special dessert.

As a sports guy, these treats remind me ofthe Detroit Lions

My whole life, almost every time I have pumpkin pie in front of me, I am also sitting in a near-turkey coma on my couch, watching the Detroit Lions on TV on Thanksgiving Day. But Mr. Don's has shown us that pumpkin pie isn't only for the fourth Thursday in November. If you fry it, pumpkin pie can be had anytime — as is the case with most fried foods for us here at Bill's Bites. The good thing about this version is that the Mr. Don's deep-fried pumpkin pie won't give you a stomach ache, like the Detroit Lions often have throughout the years (not this year, though, right guys?).

I'm not a food critic, but if you asked me I'd describe this by sayingThanks!

We give thanks every year on Thanksgiving and in the days leading up to the holiday this year, I want to give thanks for the person who decided it would be a good idea to fry desserts. Whoever that was, who decided we could take something like a Twinkie and fry it, leading others, like Mr. Don's, to say we can also take a piece of pie and fry it — we say, thanks.

Bill's Bites

• This week's restaurant: Mr. Don's Restaurant, 341 North 20th St.

• Item: Deep fried pumpkin pie.

• Cost: $3.99.

• Online: See video of visit by Bill's Bites to Mr. Don's at battlecreekenquir­er.com.

May I have your order?

Tell us about a favorite or unique food item at a local restaurant and Bill's Bites may make a visit. Send tips to bbroderi@battlec­reek­enquirer.com.