Donut Farm - Oakland, CA

My enthusiasm for vegan doughnuts is blossoming!  On my regular commute down San Pablo Ave to the shop this morning I saw a storefront with "Donut Farm" stenciled on the window.  Had I been missing something?!  No (of course not!), it's the new Pepple's Donuts cafe, only been there a couple weeks.

Salt Caramel organic vegan cake doughnut, $3.  More than Team Bloughnut likes to spend on its treats, but what can I say I was feeling generous.  I gotta say it was good.  I couldn't taste the salt (it wasn't Bi-Rite creamery, after all) but the cake wasn't stale, so it was an improvement on my other Pepple's encounters.  The caramel was creamy (apparently it has coconut milk in it), the dough was springy.  Not sure what kind of coffee they serve as I had brought my own.

The gentleman behind the counter also answered a question Team Bloughnut associate Hillary K. "raised" on this blog nearly 2 months ago: "Can they even make a vegan raised?"  Well, faithful readers, check back at the Donut Farm in a week or two.  They have the special oven needed (a "Proofer" it's called, it's airtight) and they will be making raised doughnuts and fritters for sale in-store only (they go stale in only 5 hours!).  Sadly, but luckily, these won't be organic, so they won't cost an arm and a leg.  Estimate is $3.  I'll definitely be back to check them out.  According to their website, they also have a kiosk at the SF Ferry Building (a dozen dough-doughs will set you back $26!!  Yes you read that right: dollar sign twenty-six).

'Til next time, keep it maple 4-eva.

Cyrus - Healdsburg, CA

This interesting creation at the end of a very long menu is titled "Orange Blossom Fritter with Apricot, Basil and Pine Nuts" (paired with Vouvray Moelleux, Huet "Clos du Bourg - Iere Trie", Loire Valley, France 2008).

I wish I could remember more about this sublime little fried gift from the gods, but after 7 courses it was too much; like everything at Cyrus, over-the-top.  Taken on its own, in the morning, with a fresh 4 Barrel Gibraltar, this reviewer surely would have been ready to tackle a long day of design/build. 

I appreciate what they do at Cyrus, with their compressed fruits and dishes that stimulate the 5 elements of taste perception (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, savory----guess which is my favorite?!), and this doughnut didn't disappoint, but after such sensory overload, at the end of a 3 hour meal even this most dedicated doughnut blogger couldn't jot such informative mental notes!  And if you are dining at Cyrus, dear reader, you probably aren't there for the doughnuts anyways.  Cyrus: "Go for the lobster and fois gras, stay for the orange blossom fritter."