Blink’s Fry Doe

New Hampshire stays buoyant about its fifteen mile corner of coast through the summer, when the boardwalk stays packed. The town of Hampton,with gritty glitz reminiscent of Atlantic City, is a nexus of revelry with casinos and sand castle competitions. Along its busy strip of seedy bars and lively taverns sits the conspicuous bright orange storefront of Blink’s Fry Doe. Don’t be seduced by hawkers of inferior doughs down the beach, Blink’s is the original and the best. However, do note that there are two Blink’s stands, just a few blocks from each other. Both serve the same “doe.” 

So-called “fry doe” is like fry bread, or fried dough, but the difference is more than just a daft misspelling. Fry doe puffs at its ends but stays mostly flat in the middle, something like an elephant ear pastry or a flat slice of pizza. Blink’s oblong can oes of dough actually eat a lot like large pizza slices. You balance them on little paper plates and eat while you walk. And if you do want to turn it into something like pizza, marinara sauce and cheese are optional toppings.

We ordered one with cinnamon sugar, and were persuaded by our doughsmith to finish with powdered sugar as well. The powdered sugar finish transforms what could have been a flat churro into something more like a donut. Our favorite topping is peanut butter and jelly; the doe’s oil harmonizes well with natural oils of peanut butter.

Turtle topping is a local favorite: a schmear of fudge, a drizzle of caramel, and plenty of chopped walnuts. However, this glutinous package makes us crave ice cream to go with it. Maybe whipped cream would suffice. Blink’s encourages topping play.

Blink’s operates long hours. It opens in the morning like a donut shop and stays open until late evening when it soaks up the boardwalk’s bar crowd. Some get a virgin piña colada or lemonade with their fry doe. We’d prefer coffee, but that must be arranged elsewhere.

One fry doe is plenty for a hearty snack, but the tempting topping options make it tough to commit to just one choice. When we met a Blink’s enthusiast down the road, she told us that maple sugar was her favorite topping, and we felt foolish not having considered it. It should have been the obvious choice, this being the syrup belt and all.