Posted on Fri, Oct. 11, 2002 story:PUB_DESC Trendy treats

Stephanie Finucane The Tribune

ARROYO GRANDE - Every time Vic Bellotti unwraps a Snickers bar, dips it in gooey batter and gently coaxes it into a vat of boiling oil, you can almost feel nutritionists collectively cringe.

That doesn't faze Bellotti, who has also added deep-fried Twinkies to his menu at Vic's Hamburger Haven in Arroyo Grande.

His small hamburger stand -- an institution in the South County -- is one of the first Central Coast eateries to latch onto the latest fast-food fad of deep frying junk foods such as candy bars and Twinkies.

"I want to call it a traffic builder," said Bellotti, who has a reputation for exotic foods.

He also sells ostrich and buffalo burgers and at one time offered frog and alligator legs until he decided they took up too much space in the cooler.

The fried Twinkie and candy bar craze reportedly started at a fish and chips shop in New York. Helped along by a small article in The New York Times, word quickly spread, and now the super-sweet treats are offered at county fairs and mom-and-pop burger bars across America.

Bellotti heard about them from his daughter, who lives in the Bay Area.

"I said, 'OK, it's time to jump on the bandwagon,'" said Bellotti, who experimented for a couple of weeks before he added the items to his menu.

Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach also deep fries the Twinkie.

"It's been a hit," said Splash Cafe manager Trisha Anderson. The small restaurant sells between 30 and 50 a day, she said.

Roman Denny of Arroyo Grande was game to give Vic's $1.34 Snickers a try.

"It looks messy," was his first impression, as he coaxed the concoction from its plain yellow wrapper.

But after a few bites, he was a convert.

"I like it," he said. "It's all the way melted. It's really sweet. The breading's sweet too."

His wife, Kristi, wasn't quite so enthusiastic.

"It's all right," she said. "If they had Milky Way, I'd be all for it. I'm just not a Snickers fan."

To be sure, some folks see fried candy bars as blasphemy. Some customers have asked Bellotti why he is "defacing" the snacks.

And it should come as no shock that nutritionists find nothing redeeming in the trend.

"It obviously is not nutritionally beneficial at all," said Mary Pedersen, a professor of food science and nutrition at Cal Poly. "You're adding more calories without nutrients."

Still, an occasional Twinkie -- even a fried one -- is OK as a special treat.

"It goes back to the old adage," said Pedersen. "Everything in moderation is fine."

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2002