Clean Plate Club

Blognut would like to invite its readers to check out our new sister-site, Clean Plate Club. CPC is a collection of writers chattering about NYC eating, drinking, and snacking (and occasionaly eating like a child) while occasionally sending foodie frou frou back to the kitchen.

http://www.cleanplateclubnyc.com/

LA Times has no time for Dunkin

A recent LA Times piece praising Peet's Coffee as being the predecessor to Starbucks in bringing gourmet coffee to Folger's-sipping Americans (the chain started in Berkeley, CA 40 years ago) neglected to credit the second biggest joe-hawker in the world - Dunkin Donuts. As DD-devoted blog, Dunkin Donuts Talk, keenly points out, Dunkin sells their roast in a whopping 5,550 stores, second only to Starbuck's 8,000 locations. However, in what must be an omission based on a technicality (as DD's focus stems from boiling oil rather than roasted beans), the Times gave the second spot to Caribou Coffee with their meager 322 stores. While Blognut is not one to defend a major cooperate force such as Dunkin, in this case we are obligated to stand up for the object of our obsession. If you're out there LA Times, we would appreciate a correction to this glaring bite of misinformation you fed to the donut-loving public.

Largest coffeehouse chains in the United States by number of stores, first quarter 2006:

1) Starbucks: 8,000
2) Caribou Coffee: 322
3) Tim Horton's: 292
4) Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf : 213
5) Coffee Beanery: 200
6) Seattle's Best*: 160
7) Peet's Coffee: 112
8) Tully's: 100
9) Dunn Bros. Coffee: 85
10) Port City Java: 55

*Subsidiary of Starbucks

1.6 Donuts per flush

While there is no longer a Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Charlotte-Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, there is in fact a well-hidden mural of classic KK images celebrating the store's origins in nearby Winston-Salem. In a disappointing display of disrespect, the mural is located in the main terminal food court in a custodial hallway right across from the bathrooms.

Banbury Cross
705 S 700 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84102


For reasons we will not get in to, earlier this week Blognut ended up in Salt Lake City, Utah. After successfully avoiding theological conversion while touring the Morman Temple and Tabernacle, we decided it was time for a donut. A quick Google search later and we knew exactly where we had to go.

In 2001, Banbury Cross Donuts was voted best donut shop in Salt Lake City by Citysearch, which, surprisingly, is filled to the brim with local donut dealers (a finding which once again brings out our frustration with New York City and its unacceptable lack of donut shops). We blow $10 on a cab to Banbury which is located on a mostly residential road a few miles from downtown Salt Lake. I comment to my Slovenian cab driver on the magnificence of the Wasatch Mountains (the portion of the Rockies in which SLC resides) to which he responds “I hate the mountains” – (having grown up near the Slovenian/Austrian Alps he apparently has no respect for our second-rate American counterpart).


I arrive at Banbury Cross at 2:30 in the afternoon. I stand at the counter with a local mail woman taking a break from her deliveries to take in one of Banbury’s critically-decorated Nuts. After a few minutes of waiting for an employee to make an appearance, the mail-lady says to me confidently “They’re on break.” “Really,” I reply, to which she hits me with “No, just messing with you – they’re just lazy.” Then she starts laughing hysterically at her own joke, which I couldn’t help but think wasn’t actually a joke, but really just a lie.

Finally, an unenthusiastic Donut-Lady arrives at the counter and takes our order. The mail woman gets two glazed and retreats to her USPS van to enjoy her purchase. We order three donuts – a Cinnamon, a Strawberry-frosted, and a Maple Bar (while Banbury is supposedly known for their double blueberry variety, consisting of a blueberry cake donut topped with blueberry frosting, we don’t spot any behind the counter – the Donut-Lady looks at us like we’re crazy when we inquire about them and says “Maybe we don’t make them anymore” - so we’re not exactly sure what the Blueberry situation is).


The best thing about Banbury’s donuts is their tremendous size – their ringed varieties are nearly twice the height of a DD or KK offering. But their quality doesn’t end with just stature, their flavor is super-good as well. The Cinnamon is a yeast-raised ring topped with a cinnamon/sugar crumb mixture which we think comes from Aunt Jemima coffee-cake mix (remember the ones in the little rectangular paper tray?) – if not, it’s a near perfect knock-off. This Nut was truly amazing. In addition to the sure fire delicousness of the crumbs, the dough was soft and stretchy, almost like a fresh, hot bagel, but much easier to chew. The Strawberry had a similar consistency and the perfect amount of berry-flavor. The maple bar, though tasty, was hard and dry – mainly because we accidentally left it on the air conditioner vent in our hotel room all night. We decided it wouldn’t be fair to judge this Nut.

We left SLC happy to have discovered this Donut-Temple, tucked away in a salty valley and nestled between rocky mountains.

Donut Scores:

Cinnamon - 9.3
Strawberry Frosted - 8.8
Maple Bar - NA

Morman temple, Temple Square

Renegade Craft Nut

This past Saturday, Blognut hit the Renegade Craft Fair in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Despite the fair billing itself as "renegade," the general indie-craft asthetic seemed to consist only of things made out of fabric and stamped with one of the following images:

1) sparrow
2) whale
3) owl
4) squirrel
5) deer

Breaking from the mold was arts and crafts seamstress My Paper Crane (Heidi Kenney), who sews up plush edibles such as cupcakes, burnt toast, and many donut varieties. We went home with what we can only assume is a chocolate-frosted cake Nut.

By the way, our crafty pal Petite Pomme could definitely have kicked everyone's ass at the Renegade Fair.

Sammy's Donut Corner

461 6th Avenue
New York, NY

A few months ago Blognut took our friend Dr. Rod to Sammy's Noodle Shop in the Village for a bite. The place was hectic and stressful but operated with assembly line efficiency. After dinner we walked up 6th Avenue past the seemingly endless string of dining rooms, take out windows, and kitchens that comprise the majority of Sammy's space and were met with a nice surprise - a small donut and coffee counter sitting quietly at the end of this half-block long noodle-factory.

Sammy's Donut Corner is subtle - a miniscule store-front easily overlooked by those passing by. Despite the name, most of their rack space is filled with cakes, muffins, and bagels, but looming behind the counter is a small shelf of Sammy's freshly made donuts.

The menu is pretty standard, with jelly-filled and glazed varieties topping the list. But what Sammy's lacks in store size and donut selection, they more than make up for in taste. Today Blognut arrives at Sammy's at 6 PM for a pre-dinner donut. They only have three left, two jelly-filled and a whole wheat glazed. We order the glazed, and, to the cashier's dismay, pay in all nickels and pennies (sorry Donut-Lady, we were out of paper money). Unfortunately, due to a prior engagement, we were forced to enjoy our purchase on the go (but nothing compliments a brisk walk to the F train like a hearty glazed donut!).

The whole wheat glazed was super-thick, moist, and delicous. While most glazed cake Nuts rely on the sweetness of the glaze itself to provide much of the flavor, Sammy's offering was packed with cinnamon goodness - so much so that we almost forgot about the glaze. The whole wheat dough held the flavors together nicely and helped create a complex taste not usually found in standard cake-donut issue. Sammy's definitely proved themselves worthy competition to their equally delicous neighbor The Donut Pub.

For the full Sammy's-Experience, try a side of noodles with your donut.

Donut Score - 9.5

Blognut Like Spudnuts

Once a national franchise, Spudnuts doughnut and coffee shop (often called the Spudnut Shop) now exists as a handful of west coast locations and one eastern-rep in Charlottesville, Virginia - which, incidently, is our favorite doughnut dealer. Spudnuts take their name from the potato flour in their dough and helped keep Blognut satisfied for the four years we spent in Charlottesville. You could imagine our elation when we scored this vintage Spudnuts coffee mug on Ebay last month. For a more extensive Spudnut exploration, see Blognut's previous write-up on this magnificant establishment.

Shaking Hands with Mister Donut

This will be the first post in a two-part series discussing culturally significant donut chains from years past – an idea inspired by our recent acquisition of two vintage, donut-themed coffee mugs. The first installment will focus on the rise and fall of one of the greatest donut empires in American history – Mister Donut.

Primed by years of experience running Industrial Luncheon Services, a Boston-based company providing lunch and snacks to local factory workers, William Rosenberg founded the Open Kettle donut shop in 1948. Two years later he changed the name of his Quincy, Massachusetts-based store to Dunkin Donuts.

In 1955, after much Donut-Success, Rosenberg signed his first DD franchise contract – a move not supported by his partner/brother-in-law Harry Winokur. Rosenberg ended up buying Winokur out, and, as you know, went on to build the most successful Donut-Retailer in history. Not long after the family feud, in what was most likely a jealous bid in response to his brother-in-law’s success, Winokur founded his own donut chain, Mister Donut. Apparently his aversion to franchising was fleeting, since over the next 15 years Mister Donut became the second largest donut franchise in America, second to you-know-who. In 1970 Winokur sold his life’s work to the Minnesota-based food giant International Multifoods.


By the 1980’s MD had over 550 stores in the US and Canada and was still enjoying their second place position – but not for long. In 1990, the English corporate giant Allied-Lyons plc purchased Dunkin Donuts from Rosenberg for a reported £196 million. In some sort of beautiful, corporate, familial-closure, immediately after becoming a subsidiary of Allied-Lyons, DD exercised even more capitalist greed and put in a bid to acquire Mister Donut from International Multifoods. Mister Donut stores were then offered the option of taking on a Dunkin-Identity if they wished, which a majority did given the wider recognition of the DD brand.


Today, Mister Donut survives mostly in Asia, with a heavy presence in Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines (the Japanese company Duskin Co. Ltd. acquired franchising rights to MD in 1983). With the exception of a handful of stores in Ontario, North America has become completely Dunkinized.

Blognut would like to raise our coffee mug in honor of the legendary Mister Donut.

Blognut Book Club

Recommended reading:

Donuts: An American Passion

by John T. Edge

As the fourth installment in food/travel writer John T. Edge's series on American food icons, Donuts: An American Passion takes a deeper look at the fried obsession that inspired the creation of Blognut. Sharing the stage with such legendary American staples as the hamburger, apple pie, and fried chicken, the donut has finally recieved the cultural admiration it deserves. While Donuts has not found a spot on the New York Times Bestsellers List (an oversight which Blognut feels is a result of the American public's guilt toward their uncontrollable love of the donut, and the refusal to indulge in any sort of intellectual discourse on the subject), it has helped elevate the donut's status as a significant piece of edible American history.

Blognut's comprehensive review of Donuts: An American Passion is forthcoming.

Happy Doughnut Day!

In honor of National Doughnut Day (June 2nd), participating Krispy Kremes will be doling out free doughnuts!

In case you didn’t already know, National Doughnut Day is always celebrated on the first Friday in June. The holiday was originally meant to honor the Salvation Army “Lassies” who were sent to the front lines during WWI to provide soldiers with doughnuts (among other home-cooked comfort foods). Other than military personal, the Lassies were the only women allowed to visit the front lines during the war. Rather than lug deep fryers with them, they would often cook the doughnuts inside soldier’s helmets – simply genius!

There is even a song honoring these brave Salvation Army volunteers. So join Blognut in a round of “Don’t Forget the Salvation Army (My Doughnut Girl).”

My big fat greek donut

Having had our fill of chicken schnitzel, koblihys, and full-bodied Pilsner at the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, we hit the streets of Astoria in search of another local delicacy – the loukoumas (plural = loukoumades). Loukoumades are sweet, ball-shaped fritters made from yeast dough and dipped in warm honey. They are considered the Greek equivalent of a donut.

Loukoumades recently gained recognition (and a hefty helping of indie-cred) after a New York Times piece followed Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger of Brooklyn duo The Fiery Furnaces to Telly’s Tavern in Astoria, where they dined on loukoumades. After leaving the Beer Garden, Blognut heads over to Telly’s to see what all the fuss is about. Now comes the bad news - the hostess informs us that they don’t serve our desired dish on Saturdays. Not willing to except rejection, we make our way down the street to Lefkos Pyrgos, who thankfully are ready to meet our donut-needs.


We order a plate of loukoumades ($5) and 2 black coffees. They arrive swimming in a shallow pool of glistening honey resembling a school of drowning Muchkins. Compared with the Czech donuts we had earlier in the day, these were packed with flavor and loaded with sweetness – a perfect blend of cinnamon and honey goodness not so dissimilar from the Mexican variation on the fried dough and honey combo, the sopapilla. But be careful, their bite-size stature makes it easy to overindulge – Blognut was left feeling rather defeated.

With the exception of being slightly over ambitious with our honey application (which, at times, led to nearly unbearable sweetness), this was our favorite international donut-experience to date.

As an aside - apparently there is a derogatory Greek expression based on the loukoumas used to imply that someone is stupid. Eisai megalos loukoumas! literally translates as “You are a big donut!”

Donut Score - 9.5

Bohemian Donuts

Feeling the need to stay in touch with our Czech heritage, Blognut makes the long subway ride to the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens for the 24th Annual Czech and Slovak Festival (or, as it's called on the Garden's Web site, The 24nd Annual Czech and Slovak Festival).

We arrive in the early afternoon to beat the crowds and score a seat immediately. We share a table with an old Czech man that resembles my grandfather. He makes a joke about how he plans to steal our camera while we're at the bar - everyone laughs.

We start our day with 2 pints of Czechvar and more than enough traditional Bohemian folk dancing. With our stomachs adequately primed on delicious Czech froth, we make our way to the food tables where, as we had hoped, we encounter a women selling authentic Czech donuts (known as Koblihys).

Before moving foward with any Donut-Commentary, we feel some clarification is in order:

Many people are under the impression that the traditional Czech donut is the Kolache (also known as Kolach or Kolacky). While this may be splitting hairs, the general Czech-Consensus is that Kolaches are more akin to pastries then they are to typical American/European donuts, with filling resting in a small depression on the top surface. Koblihys, on the other hand, resemble jelly donuts. They are large and round, with their filling completely encased in dough. Both Kolaches and Koblihys are typically filled with cheese, cream, poppy seeds, or fruit. Savory, meat-filled Kolaches have become popular with Czech populations in the United States, with cities such as Montgomery, Minnesota and Caldwell, Texas holding annual Kolache festivals. But I digress.

After speaking with the Czech-Donut-Lady, and confirming that her offerings were in fact Koblihys, we order two - one filled with prune and one filled with cream. The thin layer of powdered sugar on the prune-filled was unable to redeem its lack of taste. As was the case with the Polish pączek we dined on a few weeks back, this Koblihy reminded us of a semi-stale dinner roll. However, once again, due to vastly different cultural expectations, we don't fault the Koblihy for not meeting our sugary, American-Donut-Needs. The cream-filled, on the other hand, was delicious. Stuffed with smooth, Boston-y creme and covered in a rich chocolate frosting, this Koblihy left us with a satisfied stomach and chocolate-covered fingers - definitely worth "Czeching" out. We washed down our donut with a pint of Staropramen and the sweet sounds of the Pilsner Brass Band.

Koblihys.

Dancing Czech men.

Thanks to Dad for speaking with us on behalf of his grandmother's homemade Kolaches and to our friend Slim for accompanying us to the Beer Garden.

The Cupcake Cafe (Flatiron location)
18 West 18th Street
New York, NY

Blognut's last visit to The Cupcake Cafe (Hell's Kitchen location) was met with a limited, yet satisfying selection - the only donuts they had left were the Buttermilk Plain Cakes. We return today in hopes of trying some of their more eclectic flavors, in particular, their monstrous Sweet Potato Glazed.

6:15 PM - Blognut steps into The Cupcake Cafe taking refuge from the dusty, construction-laden mess that is 18th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. The scene brings immediate disappoinment - the glass cake plate normally housing the Sweet Potato donuts sits empty. We confirm with the Donut/Cupcake Man that he isn't hiding any in the back - "Sorry sir, we didn't make any today," he says, with what I think is a Scottish accent. Despite the bad news, this trip to the Cafe is still a success. We score two old fashioned cake donuts - a pumpkin spice and a chocolate. As we leave, we get a hearty "Cheers" from the Scottish Donut Man.

The best part about The Cupcake Cafe's donuts is their subtleness. These dense, great-for-dunking cake creations have only a hint of sweetness, which can come as quite a shock to sugar-seeking donut eaters. The Pumpkin Spice tasted more like a scone than a donut while the chocolate resembled cocoa powder in flavor (this is a good thing - we promise). In this era of overly sweetened Pop-Nuts drowned in glistening glaze, both of our donuts were a refreshing change.

Blognut ate only half of each donut, setting aside the rest for tomorrow morning's dunking.

Donut Scores: non-dunked/dunked

Pumpkin Spice - 7.5/8.0
Chocolate - 7.5/8.0

More Pop-Nuts on Smith?

A Brooklyn Life reports today on their suspicion that a new Dunkin Donuts may be opening soon on the corner of Bergen and Smith in Boerum Hill.

Blognut is fairly certain that this may be the next step in Donut-Entrepreneur Peter Ungaro's quest to eliminate what little mom-and-pop donut influence Brooklyn has left.

Donuts From the North Country

Saturday morning – In Toronto, and, after a long discussion with our cab driver about the Buffalo Sabres and the future of hockey in America, I arrive at my hotel and immediately hit the streets in search of a donut.

While the Toronto metropolitan area has over 500 donut shops to choose from (see previous post), the downtown location where I'm staying is dominated by Tim Horton’s – there were 6 within a few blocks of the hotel, further proving that Canadians love donuts.

I stop in the first Tim Horton’s I see and order their newly-released Carrot Cake Donut and a small black coffee. The counterman looks at my $20 bill graced with Andrew Jackson's head and says, “Where do you think you are?" – then he turns to his co-worker to share a laugh. I leave to look for an ATM, all the while questioning the cab driver’s assertion that every place in downtown Toronto takes American dollars. Luckily this Horton’s is attached to a bank – I withdraw $40 Canadian and return for our donut.With our order in hand, I hit the streets looking for another donut shop – all I find is another Tim Horton’s. This time a Canadian Maple frosted is in order. I withdraw the Carrot Cake from the first TH and set it next to the Canadian maple. A Horton's employee walks by, commenting, “Didn’t you only order one donut?” “Yes,” I respond – “This one is from the Tim Horton’s down the street.” He looks perplexed but returns to his station behind the counter while I eat.

The Canadian Maple is the perfect welcome to Canada – not only a great tasting donut, but a symbolic representation of the nation’s most widely recognized icon, the maple leaf. It was filled with a Boston-esque crème and frosted with Maple Intensity – far more potent than its Dunkin Donuts counter part here in America. The Carrot Cake tasts almost exactly like its namesake, but due to its fried exterior and the inherit perfect-ness of the donut’s ring shape, it's more suited to be eaten with hands than its wedged cousin. While Tim Horton’s may be a major chain, it was a nice diversion from the pop-donut monotony in the States.

While going through US customs prior to my flight home, I'm asked to declare any purchases made in Canada – I declared two donuts at a total cost of $1.50.

Donut Scores:

Carrot Cake - 7.5
Canadian Maple - 8.8

Hockey, Beer, and Apparently, Donuts

So Blognut's going away this weekend to Toronto. In planning our trip we naturally investigated the donut shops in the area - we came to the conclusion that Canadians must love donuts.

A search on Toronto.com for "donuts" turns up a whopping 514 results in and around Toronto! Now we know what you're thinking - most of the hits must be Pop-Nuts, right? Nope. While the most common findings on the list are, as expected, the three major donut chains in Ontario - Coffee Time, Country Style, and Tim Horton's (the Dunkin Donuts of Canada, named after the famed Toronto Maple Leaf) - nearly half the listings are independents. Blognut was left feeling a little overwhelmed. Unsure of where to even begin - but reassured of our decision to focus Blognut's coverage on US-based donuts - we've decided not to plan on hitting any specific Donut-Locations. Odds are we'll find some.

Back on Monday.

Saveur All Up In Blognut's Business

This month's edition of the international food rag Saveur has a piece by food writer John T. Edge reviewing 7 US-doughnut shops worth visiting. We were happy to see our local favorite The Doughnut Plant on the list, and even happier when Edge referred to Plant-founder Mark Isreal as a "doughnut Don Quixote."
Also on the list:

Butler's Colonial Donut House - Westport, Massachusetts
Started by a former Dunkin employee and his wife, Butler's is best known for its Long Johns - yeast-raised rectangles filled with black raspberry jelly and covered in real whipped cream.

The Donut Man - Glendora, California
This roadside stand run by Donut Man Jim Nakano churns out raspberry and peach varieties made with freshly picked fruit.

Shipley Do-Nuts - Oxford, Mississippi (although a Texas-based chain)
Simple yeast-raised doughnuts which Edge feels have the consistency of Wonderbread - Blognut visited their store in downtown San Antonio last year.

Tex Drive-In - Honokaa, Big Island, Hawaii
Hawaiian drive-in specializing in malasadas - holeless Portuguese doughnuts.

Top Pot Doughnuts - Seattle, Washington
Started by two Seattle brothers who have acquired trademark rights to the classic Doughnut Corporation of America, Top Pot serves glamorous doughnuts like the Valley Girl (lemon-filled with lemon icing) and the Pink Feather Boa (rose-colored, vanilla-iced with flaked coconut).

Zingerman's Roadshow - Ann Arbor, Michigan
This trailer-based operation serves lemon zest and nutmeg-spiced doughnuts based on a traditional Dutch recipe.

John T. Edge's book Donuts: An American Passion comes out this month (published by Putnam) as part of a 4-part series "celebrating American food icons." Blognut can't wait.

Thanks to Dr. Rod for letting us know about the Donut piece in Saveur.

The Donut Man

Netflix movie recommendation from our friend Vogelish:

Donut Man: On Tour/Resurrection Celebration

Join that crazy Donut Man (Rob Evans) on tour for a sing-along adventure. Donut Man, Duncan the talking donut and the kids from the Donut Repair Club travel around fixing donut holes, teaching kids about God's love and performing songs ("King of Kings," "Praise Him") from the Integrity Music Just-For-Kids series. In Resurrection Celebration, Donut Man and the kids help a friend deal with a tragedy while they rehearse for an Easter play.

Min's Donuts

Min's Donuts
337 9th Street
Brooklyn, NY

Saturday morning: Feeling as though we’ve been neglecting the numerous doughnut offerings right here in Brooklyn, Blognut heads deep into Park Slope for our inaugural visit to Min's.

Anticipating the friendly, donut-munching patrons and formica counter tops we now expect from local Brooklyn donut shops, Blognut was disappointed to find Min's Donuts a cold, unwelcoming establishment. With not even a hint of neighborhood charm, Min's definitely has the “we were at one time a Dunkin Donuts” feel (although we were unable to confirm our suspicion with the Donut Lady).

As is the case with many Dunkin-wannabees (see HoneyDip Donuts and the Donut Connection), the donuts at Min's taste like watered-down versions of their Pop-Nut predecessor's.

Blognut orders a plain glazed (the true test of a Nut-Purveyor) and a chocolate glazed cake. The plain glazed was a little on the dry side, falling far short of its Dunkin rival in both flavor and consistency. The chocolate however, was moist and relatively flavorful – a much better DD rip-off.

Next time we’re craving a donut on 9^th Street in Park Slope, Blognut will probably just hit the Dunkin Donuts down the street.

Lame donuts.

One Course Dinner