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Archive for October, 2016

4 Mile Bakery (& General Store & Furniture Store), Jackson, (Ohio Donut Trail)

Posted by CMH Gourmand on October 18, 2016

Initially, I was skeptical that Jackson Ohio could offer two candidates to the Ohio Donut Trail. My journey to 4 Mile Bakery (et. al) was much longer that four miles. It took me over the freeway, through the woods, past some large houses, horse pastures and more. As a place far from home and only open a few days a week, it was a long time for the stars to align in such a manner as to allow me to visit and take care of the rest of my “business” in Jackson.

My first thought was the business might not be focused enough to deliver a good donut. In addition to 4 Mile Bakery, I saw references to a general store, fireplaces and a furniture store. Sometimes all were listed together or just a combination of two were spelled out…..or alluded to.

When I pulled up, these were the two things that caught my eye.

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Walking down the wooden porch, passing by rockers for sale, I walked through the door to see the set up of a typical general store. Then I saw an aisle of almost any candy I have encountered in my life, then another of the Amish store du jour staples of pickled vegetables, jerkies and whatnot. Then I spied row after row of self service donut cases filed to the brim with styles of donuts I have never encountered…..ever. Among these new discoveries: maple pecan apple fritters, fritter toes, apple fritters shaped like feet (with the toes still attached), donut pillows (small square donuts filled with cream / creme which I would not mind falling asleep on), pretzel shaped donuts covering in maple and giant yeast donuts that are two times bigger than any previously sighted / cited donut in my life experience. Those are just some of the styles I saw displayed.

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Mrs. Gourmand believes the maple covered pretzel donut may be her favorite item I have dragged home from my donut trail expeditions. The blueberry rated highly with her as well. In order to continue researching the donut trail it is important that certain people of influence are occasionally not disgruntled in spite of my being absent from home. A third saving grace for 4 Mile Bakery and _______ is that Mrs. Gourmand believes their custard may be as good as the current custard champion front-runner Family Donut Shoppe. This bodes well since the wife of my occasional research assistant, the Grumpy Old Man, whom we refer to as the Queen, has only been pleased by one trophy from the donut trail, (and perhaps never pleased by anything else….ever) a custard donut from Family Donut Shoppe. If a place can offer a custard donut fit for a Queen, then then is hope for the Grumpy old man and a continuation of the Ohio Donut Trail.

4 Mile Bakery (on Facebook)
6005 4 Mile Rd, Jackson, OH 45640

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Posted in bakery, donuts, Ohio, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »

Tender Fluff, Jackson (CLOSED)

Posted by CMH Gourmand on October 17, 2016

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REPORTED CLOSED JANUARY 2019

My quest to wrap up the southern leg of the Ohio Donut Trail took me to Jackson Ohio to try not one but two donuteries. My first stop was in Jackson proper to visit Tender Fluff Donuts. The name has a decades old history in Jackson with the original location on Broadway. In 2012, Tender Fluff drifted away from the town center to slightly off the beaten railroad tracks on Harding Ave. The present location is three times larger than Tender Fluff 1.0 and it needs to be. By report the space creates 200 – 300 dozen donuts a day. In addition to customers frequenting the shop the business delivers to over 30 locations in the region.

The place does not make an impression which makes one want to “come hither”. It is a nondescript cinder block building with minimal signage and limited frontage and windows. Just a short hop away from the railroad tracks and while not at a major intersection, the area seems to be a high volume thoroughfare for the whole county – countless cars streamed past me as I was circling Tender Fluff to get a lay of the land and figure out where to park, it lacks ambiance. However the first rule of donut exploration is “don’t judge a donut by its building”.

When I walked through the door, I had the feeling of being the greenhorn walking into an old western bar. The ladies gathered around the table knew me for the outsider I was. After watching me gaze around the space and looking dejectedly at the dozens of empty plastic tubs lining the counters and tables one of the donut slingers directed me to the main counter. She guided the greenhorn to the last creme horns and random remaining donuts. The place is open until 1 pm but often sells out well before that. I came through the door just after high noon. I could tell from my clinical style observations that hours ago there had been at least fifty varieties of donuts in this space. Even the bins labeled day old donuts were bare to the bottom.

The display case had maybe thirty donuts left and since it looked like the ladies were getting ready to call it a day I was offered a deal – a dozen of any type, even the “specials” for $8. That is a good deal, especially when I was given a true bakers dozen. Among my assortment was a cannoli. I am always wary of any cannoli in Ohio. Over 95% of what I have tried in the Buckeye state have been a dismal disappointment (since my cannoli baseline is based on the Italian bakeries of old Boston, it is a high bar). Because of my past cannoli experiences, I did not bother to try the one I picked up until the next day…..and it was SUPERIOR! The key to Tender Fluff is to get to the doors early (5:30 or 6:00 am).

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The other donuts and “specials” I tried were all of high quality. In particular, the simple, long thin stick donuts were melt in your mouth light and featured a thin, sweet glaze which helped these tubes of dough slight right down into my belly. The icing used as filling in two of the donuts was also among some of the best I have tried in my dough fueled travels. Another interesting feature, Tender Fluff offers both soft and hard creme horns. I have never been a creme horn advocate but in this case the soft creme horn was a game changer for me and a perfect platform for delivering large volumes of creme.

A few other tasting notes. My next destination for the day was 4 Mile Bakery a few miles away. Located at the mid-point between these two donut purveyors is a local favorite Rowdy’s Smokehouse . I, of course picked up an order of BBQ to go (to eat on my way to McArthur). Even though Rowdy’s messed up my order, I was impressed with what I consumed (over several days).

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Tender Fluff on Facebook
91 Harding Ave.
Jackson
740 286 6619
Monday to Friday 5:30 am to 1 pm
Saturday 6 am until all is gone

Tender Fluff Donuts Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Posted in CLOSED, Ohio Donut Trail | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Main Eatery, McArthur

Posted by CMH Gourmand on October 4, 2016

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Discovery of Main Eatery is linked to three important things: donuts, hot dogs and an itch to roam. Readers have read much about my explorations on SR 56 this year. What started as an alternate and much longer way to get to O’Betty’s in Athens, with a tacked on excuse to try out what turned out to be one of the best donut spots in the state turned out to be a journey of discovery. On my first trip through McArthur I drove right by Main Eatery without taking note of it. This is an easy thing to do. Fortunately, the Grumpy Old Man was with me on the first drive-by and he happened to spy a sign for a 21 piece shrimp basket. Our next trip through town, resulted in a very brief drop in which gave me enough information to want to block out time to explore this cinder block treasure trove of comfort foods again.

As alluded to before, the Main Eatery is easy to bypass. It is a small block building that is ubiquitous to many rural and suburban areas of Ohio. Typically these shacks push out soft serve ice cream and some secondary or ever afterthought items like hot dogs and a few generic sandwiches. They get the job done and tend to be seasonal businesses. From a distance Main Eatery could easily blend into this category. The eatery is easy to miss and dismiss due to minimal, generic signage and a bland exterior. There is nothing outside to suggest what the menu has to offer within.

Main Eatery is definitely a shake shack (so to say) offering well over 100 combinations of milkshake flavors. I’m not sure what type of ice cream they scoop but I can vouch that the sum of all the shaken and stirred parts is exceptional. I sipped on the best Pumpkin milkshake of my life while driving back to Columbus from McArthur. The flavor was great and the thickness perfectly balanced. I expected good from Main Eatery but not incredible that was my experience.

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The extensive assortment of dairy delights is just a preview of coming attractions on the main menu. Over six pages long, it is packed with an assortment of sandwiches, entrees, snack foods, subs, wraps, baked potatoes, a Cuban sandwich, all types of pork dishes and a lot more. I’m not sure how they pack so many ingredients into such a small place. Even more surprising, how can so much, be done so well, in such minimal square footage. Much of the menu is made from scratch. The pork is slow roasted. A fair amount of ingredients are locally sourced when possible. I would have never guessed or expected this. I am glad I sleuthed it out.

Main Eatery does have a disadvantage, it is always the fourth, fifth or sixth spot on one of my journeys of discovery so I have not been able to do in-depth investigation. I am certain, beyond reasonable doubt the eatery has the best Cole slaw south of 70. I sampled it twice now and was beyond pleased both times. The texture of the shaved cabbage, the balance of sauce and spice and just the right amount of carrot shavings make this mixture hard to beat. On this scouting mission, I ordered the “Hop Slop” to go. Included in this dish: homemade (made to order) potato chips, slow roasted pulled pork BBQ, cheese sauce, cheddar cheese, sour cream, a side of Cole slaw and a pickle spears. I had a few of the chips before the wheels hit the road and I ate the rest of the dish three hours later. I was very happy with my selection.

Although my research time and subjects at Main Eatery have been constrained I’m still confident in my endorsement. Service has been friendly and informative on each of my trips. If you have time to linger you do have options. The space is simple. There is an eating area on the porch. A few tables dot a small eat in space inside. The walls are decorated with a mix of old milk bottles for various Ohio dairy operations from days of yore, an assortment of pop bottles and various knick knacks. Their next door neighbor is a service center for at risk youth in Vinton County. Main Eatery is an unlikely diamond in the rough inside a small town that is easy to breeze by on your way to the Hocking Hills but it is well worth dropping in to visit. Based on the potato chips here as well as those just down the street at Mama Renie’s Pizza it is fair to say McArthur is the homemade potato chip capital of the Buckeye state.

Main Eatery Menu

Main Eatery Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Posted in desserts, ice cream, Ohio, restaurants, Road Trip | Tagged: , | Leave a Comment »