Superlative doughnuts, fine dining and super breakfast food are all found in Manhattan, Kansas, located in the midst of the Flint Hills, home to a grassland sea. Here is the largest remaining tract of tallgrass prairie in North America. Learn about the geologic formations of the grasslands, the diverse flora and fauna, and the unseen ecosystem below the prairie at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in downtown Manhattan. Drive the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway and hike the trails of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Horseback ride while listening to the prairie birds sing, and stargaze the night skies. Before and after your explorations, indulge in good food in The Little Apple.

The Chef, a breakfast café which has been featured in the Food Network Magazine, will get your day off to a grand start. In addition to a classic breakfast, choices include a BELT (BLT with egg), PB & J pancakes, frittatas, homemade corned beef hash, and pancakes banana foster – two cakes topped with dark rum banana pecan sauce served with two slices of bacon! Early Edition, another breakfast spot, offers specialties like Potato Eggs Benedict, a Cajun skillet, breakfast burrito or quesadilla.

After a busy day of activities in the out of doors, wind down at the Little Apple Brewing Company where they offer food as good as their craft beer, even growing their own herbs on site. For fine dining, try Harry’s in the historic 1920’s Wareham Hotel. It has been rated by Open Table as one of the top American cuisine restaurants several years in a row, and is winner of the Best Chefs America Award, a chef’s guide to chefs. Specialties include Harry’s Meatloaf and Harry’s “Kobe” Wagyu Burger, made with Nebraska raised beef. The 4 Olives Restaurant and Wine Bar, winner of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, serves ultra-fresh fish, wild game, artisan cheeses, local ingredients as much as possible, with every item made in-house.

A few miles out of town, the Flint Hills Flying W Ranch, a working cattle ranch and guest ranch, offers an authentic cowboy experience with trail rides, cattle drives, campfire cooking, even gourmet dining. Owner/chef Josh Hoy has trained at the Culinary Institute of America and will cater meals to complement your ranch stay!

For snacks it’s definitely Varsity Doughnuts in Aggieville near Kansas State University. In addition to a choice of a myriad of fat and fluffy doughnuts, you can rent vintage bikes, buy Frisbees, play board games or the piano. Eat some doughnuts here and buy more to take on your outing. Will it be a pistachio doughnut, maple bar, or the super popular long john with bacon?

S’mores fans have a doughnut filled with marshmallow fluff, topped with chocolate frosting and graham cracker crumbs! And for those who get a craving in the middle of the night, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Varsity Doughnuts has a truck out back serving hot doughnuts to the crowd from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Doughnuts aren’t just for special occasions, boardwalks, or carnivals. Inspiring and influencing cultures and regions around the world for centuries, there’s nothing more satisfying than a doughnut. Now there’s no reason to limit yourself to the bakery counter! Chef Kamal Grant of Atlanta’s Sublime Doughnuts shows you how to make creative, delicious doughnuts in your home kitchen in his cookbook, Homemade Doughnuts (Quarry Books). In addition to basic techniques, there are mouth-watering glazes, delicious icings, and bourbon-inspired fillings. Try the no-fuss Canned Biscuit Doughnuts.

Canned Biscuit Doughnuts

(Courtesy of Homemade Doughnuts, Quarry Books). Makes about 16 doughnuts.

4 cups peanut oil, for frying

2 cans (16.3 ounces) large, ready-to-cook buttermilk biscuits

Pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches into a Dutch oven and heat to 370 degrees F on the stove top.

Lay out the biscuits on a cutting board and with a 1 & ½ -inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out a hole from the middle of each biscuit. Fry three or four biscuits at a time in the oil until golden and then flip with tongs to fry the other side, about 3 minutes total. You can also fry the doughnut holes, a handful at a time, until golden, about 2 minutes. You don’t need to flip them, but make sure they are submerged in the oil. Transfer to paper towels to drain.   

Lemon-Thyme Glaze

(Courtesy of Homemade Doughnuts, Quarry Books) Yield: Makes 2 cups.

Lemon and thyme pair well together. Lemon is always refreshing, but the addition of thyme gives it an increased depth of flavor.

Zest of 1 lemon

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

¾ cup fresh lemon juice

Add the lemon zest, confectioners’ sugar, and thyme to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Slowly add the lemon juice and stir until the desired consistency is reached.

After the doughnuts are cool, submerge half of the doughnut in the glaze, turn over and repeat on the other side. Allow to drip dry.

Candied Bacon

(Courtesy of Homemade Doughnuts, Quarry Books). Yield: Makes 3 cups.

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

¼ cup packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pound thick-sliced bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (or gas mark 4)

Place the maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the bacon to the bowl and toss gently with your hands. Make sure that all of the slices are evenly coated. Place the bacon in a single layer on a wire rack on a baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven until mahogany brown in color, about 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool, then chop as desired.

Ann Hattes has over 25 years experience writing about both travel and food for publications both in the US and internationally. A senior living in Wisconsin, she’s a member of the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association and the Midwest Travel Writers Association.

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