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NYC Doughnut Crawl (Manhattan Ed.) #GoNuts4Donuts
Last crawl of the year was a Doughnut Crawl in Manhattan! Seven stops and many sweets, many highly recommended.
Hot dang! Another crawl happened the weekend before Thanksgiving. I knew I could squeeze one in as there had been much interest. The weather remained chill and steady. The skies were gray all day. It was somewhat perfect for warm libation and carbo-loading. Plus, Sundays feel made for doughnuts so taking a full day to enjoy them was simply common sense. There were several places on the agenda and on a nicer day or with more will power I feel we could've done more. But seven stops in total seems pretty badass to me in hindsight.
I am saddened to report that we did not partake in Korean style doughnuts aka hodduk. While Grace Street cafe opens at 11am on Sunday they do not in fact serve their doughnuts until 1pm that day. They do have pre-purchased pastries but who wants that when you know they have made-on-site donuts with cinnamon?! Alas, while doughnuts were not had at the first stop on the Doughnut Crawl. It provided us a meeting spot and moment to warm up/caffeine it up with coffee or tea and walk over to....
While I had called Sullivan earlier in the week to see if they would have their bombolinis all day I called again from Grace Street to make extra sure. We got that last three of a batch and saw more deliciousness come out as we split a jelly filled bombolini and vanilla and chocolate creme filled bombolinis.
Bombolinis are basically doughnuts the "Italian way" which is round, yeasty, covered in sugar (powdered or granulated depending on where you go), and filled with something gooey. Levain Bakery and others also make bombolinis in the city but Sullivan's are smaller in comparison to Levain's. And pricey at $3.75. They were none-too-sweet but I had the jelly which had a lot of jelly in it. It was hemorrhaging raspberry jelly folks. Would I get these again? Yeah, as a treat. But still for the size that price tag irks me when I get get somethng twice as big at Levain for twenty to fifty cents more.
For any sweets crawl you have to factor in time and a need for savory. While some can indulge in sweets for many hours many can't. And since several people on this crawl were newbies to the food crawl we had to break. Which is just a good idea in general. After walking from the Herald Square starting point Chelsea Market (even on a weekend) was a good spot to hit because of the array of food, shopping, and an opportunity to use el bano. Though the seating has been all but eradicated in their food court area leaving lots of room for standing but not so much sitting.
I've seen Doughnuttery at several pop-ups in the city particularly Madison Square Eats and considered it but didn't go through with it. So, it was time. Doughnuttery's fame is mini deep fried doughnuts on site with glaze or a variety of sugar toppings. There's only one type of doughnut which is where the array of sugars come in. We tried Paris Time which was a lavendar sugar, glaze, strawberry sugar, and apple cider sugar. I have to say the sugar is overwhelming. They put a heaping lot on it and it can overpower the doughnut itself. So the glaze may be your best bet in this case because it adds a slight sweetness to it and a good balance. Also, with Doughnuttery doughnuts you have to have them warm/hot. All impact of flavor is lost if they get cold so that means they may not hold us as well next day. We even saw a woman named Katherine purchase $20 worth of Doughnuttery doughnuts and leave them there! Blasphemy! Even when we returned from eating savory goods the doughnuts remained! And by that time it'd been 40 minutes so they were cold and lonely doughnuts. Sadness.
An NYC Doughnut crawl would not be complete without Doughnut Plant, which as it turns out celebrated 20 years in NYC in 2014! All seven of us were able to sit down and get an add-on to the group and really mangia. Since Doughnut Plant's doughnuts come in various sizes and densities it is a commitment, especially after having a couple doughnuts already. So people went from minis or half of smaller doughnuts to full size this time around.
Go big or go home y'all!
As my buddy Daisy noted there's an inconsistency of texture for Doughnut Plant's yeast dougnuts. I like how light they can be and am a fan of indulging in the doughseeds because of their smaller size and the mastery with which DP does the creams of never being too sweet on a doughseed when the icing on top usually seals that deal. I had the pumpkin pie doughseed and it did indeed taste like a delicious pumpkin pie. Loved it.
Thankfully, Dough is now also in Manhattan in the Flatiron district. It made it a lot easier to do a Manhattan edition since so many people seem fond of Dough or curious if they're unable to try it in Brooklyn. The Manhattan location is a lot more welcoming for parties to stay yet pretty small and readily packed with families at brunch hour in the city.
All the faves are at this Dough location and seem to be made on site. Like Doughnuttery Dough is really a one trick pony which relies on the toppings. You can get hibiscus glaze, coconut glaze with toasted coconut flakes, pumpkin glaze, salted chocolate glaze, and (my fave) cinnamon sugar. But it's all the same yeast doughnut that has a more bread-like consistency to it than the fluffiness of the Doughnut Plant yeast doughnuts. Dough also has doughnut holes but nothing with filling. Huge doughnuts for a solid price.
By now we lost a couple of people due to an impending sugar-induced coma. The remainder of us walked to Donut Pub, an old-school haunt in the Village with an interior that will remind you of Happy Days. Everyone else was tapped out on doughnuts but I persevered, y'all. I got their version of the Cronut (a croissant and doughnut mix) with maple glaze. It was delicious. Was it like a Cronut? No, nothing can really match the perfection that Ansel has created there. But was it soft? Yes. Was the glaze good? Yes it was the right balance of maple and sugar. It even had the layers of what a croissant/doughnut mix would look like and held it's texture until the next day when I finished it. For the ambiance and variety of cake and yeast doughnuts they had available I would return especially in lieu of something like Dunkin' Donuts. Which is also blasphemous to speak of during a Doughnut crawl.
Dominique Ansel Kitchen (The Village)
Daisy suggested that the new Ansel location may have doughnuts. So she, Beth, and I were the remaining crew that indulged in more carbs. While doughnuts were not available--this location does not serve the Cronut--they did have match beignets which are doughnut-like. We went for it.
Beignets are made to order and we ate them outside--inside is way too claustrophobic when full--and had them piping hot. Sadly these were not the best. Mainly because the beignet itself was flavorless, warm and soft, but flavorless, and matcha/green tea is super bitter and did not have any sugar that I could detect in it. It definitely needed that balance to make it enjoyable. Plus the powder goes everywhere as you attempt to eat it making this something not to eat when wearing clothing you are fond of or that is white in color.
Side note: The spiced apple cider at DA is phenomenal! As is the brown sugar Kouign Amann.
And that's it! Could we have done more? Potentially? Could I have done more? Most definitely. I ate my leftover doughnuts with pride the next morning.
What were the faves? Dough was a resounding favorite from many and people also did like DP. But it seemed Dough was the winner for what was eaten. I liked everything I had (except the beignets but I do like beignets and Ansel in general). I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Doughnuttery because of the warmth of the doughnuts and that they weren't dripping with oil when I bit into them right out the fryer. I've also had Peter Pan Doughnuts (in Brooklyn) and think they have a good thing going though they remind me of Dough in many ways in terms of their texture, size, and options of yeast doughnuts with toppings mainly.
Some other places I would like to hit up include Underwest Doughnuts in Hell's Kitchen and Erin McKenna's in LES. And, yes, I'll be going to Grace Street when doughnuts are available. Some of us were thinking of a Koreatown crawl come spring. So yeah, more crawls are percolating in my mind and I still have two more to review that took place in summer/early fall (Sunset Taco Crawl and Bay Ridge Food Crawl respectively). And since we're nearing December it's also time for some wrap-up posts! Which means more judgment of food and various eateries from a name you can trust. Good times, y'all!
2010 Year in Review of NYC’s baked good offerings.
Another year has passed and with that comes the NYC dessert round up! This year was an especially busy year with lots of tasty treats to try and a root canal to cap off the year. Could it be from all the sweets? Nah.
I became addicted (and I mean New Jack City type addicted) to the freshly made doughnuts here. And not only was I addicted, I managed to get other people into it also. The thing about Doughnut Plant is that they have both yeast and cake doughnuts. So if you like Krispy Kreme style get a yeast doughnut, if you like Dunkin Donuts then the cake is for you. Not only do they have staples--my favorite by far is the tres leches doughnut--but they also have seasonal doughnuts. This past summer they had a sunflower doughnut in both yeast and cake form. Also available was strawberry. Currently they have a Panettone doughnut as well as a Meyer lemon one.
As much as I love the yeast doughnuts for their fluffiness and delicacy, the cake ones are phenomenal. The carrot cake doughnut was the perfect texture and had all the wonderful elements of a carrot cake complete with nuts, raisins (not so great), and a cream cheese icing filling! Yes, they got filling in the doughnut and the doughnut is round with a hole in the middle. How do they do it? I don't ask, I just gorge.
BBM's specialty is mini (and I mean mini) cupcakes. These things are decadent and flavorful and have nice fillings and icings. How do they get fillings in something so tiny? Again, I don't ask, I just mangia.
The cake is moist and I like the variety of flavors that BBM offers. I've tried all their staples. But my favorites are the cookie dough with a cookie or blondie-ish brown sugar cake with cookie dough in the middle and chocolate icing and a dab of cookie dough on top, and the peanut butter cup which, as you guessed it, is a chocolate cake with peanut butter filling some chocolate icing and a dab of peanut butter on top.
Something new BBM initiated was the ability to create your own cupcake for online orders and a cupcake of the month. I tried their pumpkin cupcake (of course) and while I liked the cake it was too light and the cinnamon filling too dense making a mess of a tasty cupcake. Otherwise, I have no complaints about BBM. If you follow them on Facebook you can learn of new deals and participate in their annual golden ticket competition during the 31 days of December.
My boss introduced me to Billy's Bakery when she went to get some items for a friend. I didn't realize there was a bakery that close to our office and had to see for myself.
Their cupcakes are tasty and moist and not too sugary. One cupcake I had, a plain vanilla with vanilla cream frosting, was a sore disappointment though. It was kind of dry and tasteless. But other cupcakes I've had--banana, pumpkin, carrot cake--did not disappoint. I also like their cookies at the cheap price of seventy-five cents, which may have gone up slightly. Their chocolate cake with chocolate icing is also a staple in our office for birthdays so I become very excited when I see a large chocolate cake and an empty box with Billy's teal label on it.
Babycakes isn't that far from Doughnut Plant so why not hit this place up? Babycakes is known for being a vegan-friendly bakery. And since I know more vegans or vegetarians who are lactose intolerant I figured I should see what the hype is about. Especially since this place has been featured in many NYC mags (TimeOut New York, NYTimes, etc.).
Well, I was slightly surprised and disappointed. I had the lemon spelt cupcake and the carrot cake cupcake. The lemon spelt was delicious and moist and lemony and sweet. I adored it. The texture didn't differ too much from your run-of-the-mill cupcake with eggs and butter and such so I was a happy camper. On the other end of the spectrum I detested the carrot cake cupcake. It had a strong clove or molasses taste that caused me to be unable to finish it. I loathe molasses with the very beings of my soul and was not keen on this taste.
I'd definitely go back and try more of their offerings, especially in regards to muffins and cookies to get a better sense of the variety they attain when making baked goods and to learn a few tricks of my own.
Amy's Bread is a hot spot for lunch time crowds. If you go during the lunch time rush (between 12-1:30) then expect a long line and to be rushed for an order. Know what you want and keep the line moving. I didn't partake in their sandwiches or soups, I spotted bars and cupcakes and was on a mission. I tried their lemon bar and coconut dream bar. The coconut dream bar was in fact a dream. It had chocolate and coconuts and brown sugar and bits of heaven as far as I'm concerned. I loved this bar and it was a large portion for the price.
Unfortunately, I was not as fond of the lemon bar. It was too tart for my taste and the crust was soggy. Too much lemon not enough bar to balance out the taste. But, for lemon bar standards I guess it suited most.
I heard about One Girl Cookies from The New York Times. It was featured because of the rise in variety of whoopie pies. And don't you know once I read that they do a pumpkin whoopie pie year-round I was sold!
It was a quick trip to Brooklyn from my office and back and it was worth it. Their whoopie pie is moist and delicious and more pie than whoopie or whichever is which in the title. I'm not a huge icing fan so the fact that this had a thick moist and cakey cookie on either end and less icing was a big bonus for me. I loved it and found eating two within a 20 minute period was a bit much. These things are pretty big. A few friends have told me they had bad experiences at One Girl Cookies with a stale cookie, but I say try this place again. You won't be disappointed and make sure they give you the fresh made stuff in the back. No display cookies, new cookies.
Their claim to fame is that they deliver cookies late night to college campuses. So if you're an NYU student I really envy you right now. Cookies & late night, man that's a great idea.
I went there during their "happy hour" which is after the lunch time rush around 2pm to 6pm or so when you can get 3 cookies for $2.50. Since this was the case when I went I took advantage. I had a sugar cookie, peanut butter cookie, and white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. All were delicious and they serve them to you out of an oven or heater of sorts so you get cookies warm. Warm, I tell you!
I also got a brownie which was okay, it was more cakey than dense and pretty chocolatey. Since they're named for cookies I definitely say try that and get a bunch because eating a warm cookie is the best feeling in the world. Don't argue with me on this one, just don't.
While breakfast for dinner is nothing new the blueberry pancakes and scones and pretty much everything I've tried (chicken and waffles, biscuits, scrambled eggs, cheese grits) from Clinton Street have been amazing! Of course there's no beating the blueberry pancakes.
Some friends and I went one evening and shared a batch of the pancakes while also partaking in the special that Wednesday of chicken and waffles. I had just come from Book Expo with an aching back and don't you know the food from Clinton Street cheered me right up!
The pancakes are wonderfully fluffy with a unique taste from the method of how they're whipped to perfection. The blueberry compote and maple butter (more a syrupy texture than solid) combined make this the best pancake I have ever tasted. And I love me some IHOP but Clinton Street (muah!)
When dining in the evening they give away the day's scones that didn't sell in paper bags. So you get a treat to take home! I've tried the chocolate chip and berry scones which are wonderfully crisp on the outside and moist (not too moist) on the inside. Just as a scone should be. The buttermilk biscuit (your pre-dining treat) is a wonderful homemade biscuit that reminds me of the ones my aunt made when I was younger. It has the same consistency of the scone, which is perfect!
The service at Clinton Street is great and unfortunately when the sun is up this place is always packed. So I'd encourage you to go in the evening when it may be easier to get a table and plus, remember, free scones!
After Ramen&Friends posted about Dessert Club having bread pudding I had to try it! I bought a friend a salted caramel cupcake which she said was very tasty.
Their customer service leaves something to be desired at the smaller location (they have a dessert bar directly across the street from them in the E. Village) but I liked the bread pudding okay. It wasn't sweet and reminded me of milk and the texture was on point but a bit more liquidy than solid.
For Anna's macaron crawl we stopped by there for macarons! I loved the salted caramel one it tasted exactly like it's name, so consider me sufficiently satisfied. I'll definitely stop by there to try those cupcakes though.
I have the Bubby's cookbook and was introduced to this place at Book Expo of America a few years back when they toyed with having a cookbook station that also provided samples from the recipe.
Well, I was in heavy pie mode this past summer and fall and just wanted pie. I had tried bites of two of Four and Twenty's molasses pie (hated) and lemon pie (didn't like either) so they aren't worth noting for 2010. I knew Bubby's was near my office and figured why not see what they have to offer.
Well, I was pleasantly surprised at their peach crumble pie. I love fresh peaches and summer is the best time for them. The pie wasn't overly sweet but a crumble (crumb) topping is one of the best. I love dutch apple pies and so on and so forth so I was pleased with the delicate sweetness of fresh peaches in their own syrup and a lovely crust with a nice brown sugar crumble.
Okay, so this place isn't in New York City but it is worth mentioning. Believe me. If you saw my August post on the grandiose maple bun then you know I hold a special place in my heart for Red Hen Baking Co. as I do for Vermont in general.
My post from August 2010 pretty much sums up my undying love for the maple bun. But there were other really good and healthy treats at Red Hen as well. I had a wonderful turkey sandwich with avocado mayo on wheat grain bread and an apple to boot! They have maple beer and carbonated drinks and fresh maple...everything! I would urge anyone going to or passing through Vermont to stop through Middlesex and visit this wonderful place of wonder and tastiness.
Just keep in mind if you want a maple bun to get there early.
In September BravoTV's new show Top Chef Just Desserts premiered and as part of the promotion they sponsored a Dessert Day throughout the U.S. For a New Yorker this was particularly pleasing because there are a vast amount of bakeries, in particularly in Manhattan.
The catch was that the bakeries were giving out samples for two hours (from 12pm-2pm). So, some co-workers and I made a trip around Tribeca. Little Pie Company was the last place we hit and I was introduced to their sour cream apple pie with walnut topping. Like the crumble topping at Bubby's it was amazing! Brown sugar type praline topping. Very delicious. And the sour cream adds to the apple filling.
When next I visited this place I tasted their sour cream apple coffee cake. Just as delicious! Except instead of pie crust you have buttery cake! Go to this place, run! They also offer to heat the goodies for you so you can have a nice warm piece of pie with your coffee, tea, or what-have-you.
My husband was the one to introduce me to Whole Foods about five or six years ago. At the time the main one was in Columbus Circle and now there are probably at least a half dozen or more locations in NYC alone.
Whole Foods is a bit pricey but not the most expensive supermarket you'll find, trust me. You get great produce and nice healthy and vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free friendly goods and they have quite the culinary stations. I like their dinners and my husband salivates over their mac n' cheese. But something else to love beyond the salad bar and soups and such is their dessert bar. Yes, dessert bar.
I've always been a fan of their bread pudding, simple, moist and topped with caramel! Can't beat it. But in 2010 I was introduced to their pumpkin whoopie pie which did not disappoint. It's large and only $1.49! I never really care for the icing inside the whoopie pie, but the 'pie' aspect albeit the cookie was moist like a cake and I find I love most pumpkin treats that are more cakey than dense or bar-like. When I last went to Whole Foods they still had the pumpkin whoopie pie so I urge you to snatch one up before spring.
All hail deep-fried pie! Chef Julian Plyter has created a wonderful, wonderful thing. At the Grub Street Fair I was caught by the words 'deep fried pie' as my buddy LPink and I were making our way out of the festival.
They offered deep fried apple pie with cinnamon sugar and deep fried pumpkin pie with ginger sugar. Also available were their ice cream cookie sandwiches that have been featured in Time Out NY and such.
Melt doesn't have a storefront or much of an online presence at the moment but I loved what I tasted. I bought my husband the deep fried apple and enjoyed the deep fried pumpkin for myself. The pumpkin was made with wheat flour and had a nice crumbly and not too sweet crust. With the sugar sprinkled all over it you couldn't have too much. The pie was like an empanada with the filling inside, a triangle of dough! I loved it, the ginger sugar wasn't ginger heavy and I got to taste every element of this wonderful dessert. Mr. Plyter please get a store soon and try to come to Queens while you're at it. Thanks, Jenn!
From my post on the Grub Street Food Fair I was introduced to Hot Blondies. They don't have a store front in NYC either, but they are very well established online so order away!
My friend LPink and I shared a peanut butter chocolate chip blondie which blew my mind! The more peanut butter the better, I say! Bring it, Hot Blondies! But the blondie was moist with the chewy texture known to blondies/brownies and had the right amount of mini chocolate chips (bittersweet, I believe) and was a decent size to split between two people.
A couple days later I indulged in the classic blondie which was good, not overly sugary pretty plain in taste. When I make blondies the brown sugar taste usually jumps at you not too much but enough that you know you're eating a blondie. While the confection was good I'd say I enjoyed the peanut butter one more.
Hot Blondies also inspired me for my latest b-day theme 'Blondies vs. Brunettes (aka Brownies)' so I look forward to trying more of their treats online and also posting about my latest b-day challenge.
And Grub Street pops up again! I could not sing Wafles and Dinges praises enough. The owner is amazingly friendly and his offerings are tasty as heck.
A fresh belgian wafle with spekuloos and strawberries and what not. What more can I say that I didn't already say in October? Nothing? Well, there you go.
Well, the holidays came and went and for Thanksgiving my mom purchased a boat load of sweets! She bought two pies (sweet potato and apple) and a red and white cake (red velvet one layer and butter cake for another) from Make My Cake.
This is a go-to spot for my mom and she often gets the pies and such from their. How the pies and cake handled a 15+ hour drive to South Carolina I will never know, but it did and they tasted good. The cake doesn't stay as well as you'd like so make sure to seal it up tight or eat it immediately. The red velvet isn't that heavy, it tastes like an overall butter cake. If you like red velvet I suggest continuing your search. For me, Grandma's red velvet was always the best!
As for pies I preferred the sweet potato. Apple pies I like with a crumb topping (as you may already know) so a basic dough top was 'eh.' It wasn't bad, just not as tasty a crust (not flaky or buttery) as I would've liked. But it definitely sufficed for the holidays.
Before Oprah, there was Food Network. Well not really, but before I knew Oprah claimed the key lime bundt from We Take The Cake as one of her favorite things I saw this place on Food Network's Road Tasted with the Deen Brothers.
I don't really order food online for the main fact that I am impatient and like my goods now. Plus, I wonder how fresh one can really keep baked goods as it travels all over the U.S. (I had ordered breads from Breadwinner after seeing a 'Papa Don't Peach' bread and others also featured on Road Tasted and was delighted by that though.)
So, I took a chance and in May I ordered the famous key lime bundt from We Take The Cake in Florida and waited a whole 3 days. (They automatically do 2-day shipping to make sure you get the cake at supreme freshness, plus I ordered on a Sunday.) Wow, one of the longest waits of my life!
When I received my package it was labeled as precious cargo. I opened it to see a bundt cake vacuum sealed with a nice cup of icing tucked in the middle for me to nuke and slather on. As soon as I got home I tore that thing open and by God I was in heaven! The cake was as moist as if it just came out of the oven. I took chunk after chunk barely leaving any for my husband and others. The cake didn't need the icing, but it was a nice touch. And readers, that bundt--which wasn't extremely large, but fairly sized for a party of four I'd estimate--was gone within 2 days.
I don't dare order another one because I know I wouldn't be able to resist devouring the whole thing. And the fact that you pay to have it shipped means you worship it even more. It's not as though I can simply take the subway and head over to this magical place that makes amazing key lime bundts. Oh no, I have to order and wait patiently for this order to be confirmed, shipped, and delivered. Oprah you and I have something in common.
Another year gone, more goods devoured, and a new year to appreciate what we do have and reach some goals. How many bakeries will I pursue and successfully conquer this year? Who knows, but I'll keep on trucking. Now, for exercise.