Can I make a recommendation to make your next visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium even more enjoyable? RED'S CINNAMON ROLL HEATED UP IN A MICROWAVE WITH A PAT OF BUTTER!
09 November, 2010
Red's Donuts - Monterey, CA
Visited Ma n' Pa this weekend so I made 2 special trips to the mothership, Red's Donuts in Monterey. Frequent visitors to this blog know how deep my affections run for this small joint on Alvarado Street. If you haven't yet experienced a maple bar from Red's you can't really call yourself a doughnut enthusiast.
Can I make a recommendation to make your next visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium even more enjoyable? RED'S CINNAMON ROLL HEATED UP IN A MICROWAVE WITH A PAT OF BUTTER!
Can I make a recommendation to make your next visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium even more enjoyable? RED'S CINNAMON ROLL HEATED UP IN A MICROWAVE WITH A PAT OF BUTTER!
03 October, 2010
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.
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.
01 October, 2010
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).
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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."
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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."
26 September, 2010
Rainbow Donuts - Berkeley, CA
On the way to an install at William Stout Bookstore on Solano Avenue, Matt wanted a fancy coffee. Next door was Rainbow Donuts (San Pablo @ University), what a pleasant surprise! Unfortunately, the best part of this maple bar was the name of the establishment.
Just your standard plab doughnut fare, nothing special. The glaze was crispy and sweet, the dough was too heavy for my liking. But it did give me the juice to get the install done. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, you are better off heading up to the UC Berkeley campus to Kingpin. Which reminds me, that place is due for another visit from Team Bloughnut.
Just your standard plab doughnut fare, nothing special. The glaze was crispy and sweet, the dough was too heavy for my liking. But it did give me the juice to get the install done. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, you are better off heading up to the UC Berkeley campus to Kingpin. Which reminds me, that place is due for another visit from Team Bloughnut.
23 August, 2010
Fleur de Lis at Hollywood Farmer's Market - Portland, OR
Team Bloughnut has been hibernating in the Bay Area, but our INTERNATIONAL correspondents have been busy. Here's the latest from our British Columbia Bureau, which had to cross a border to research this posting:
Down in Portland for a wedding, I swung by the Hollywood Farmer's Market this morning. I was surprised to see a stack of gorgeous doughnuts at the Fleur de Lis bakery stand. They specialize in French pastries of all stripes, but I took a chance on a cinnamon sugar doughnut. The yeast is the star here: this was a fluffy and flavorful raised doughnut with an appropriately spicy sugary coating. I don't know if there's anything French about it, but it's definitely tasty.
Thanks to Bloughnut contributor Kelly Mc. for the review. Have a wondoughful day.
Down in Portland for a wedding, I swung by the Hollywood Farmer's Market this morning. I was surprised to see a stack of gorgeous doughnuts at the Fleur de Lis bakery stand. They specialize in French pastries of all stripes, but I took a chance on a cinnamon sugar doughnut. The yeast is the star here: this was a fluffy and flavorful raised doughnut with an appropriately spicy sugary coating. I don't know if there's anything French about it, but it's definitely tasty.
Thanks to Bloughnut contributor Kelly Mc. for the review. Have a wondoughful day.
08 August, 2010
Mighty O at Stumptown Coffee - Seattle, WA
Team Bloughnut took a trip on an aeroplane to the Northwest, home of Filson, Boeing, and Seattle's Best Coffee (as if!). We hoped to hit Top Pot as required by most Seattle sources but didn't make it. What we could accomplish was stop for some of Portland's finest coffee in one of their Seattle cafes, where we were (sort of) pleased to find Seattle's vegan doughnut option, Mighty O.
These tasted a lot like a vegan doughnut I have sampled here in the Bay Area: just alright. The flavors were a yawn (vanilla chocolate and a blueberry mini--75 cents a bite). "Can they even make a vegan raised?" queries Team Bloughnut associate Hillary K. That's a good question, with my limited vegan doughnut experience they are always cake.
Here's another question: Do blueberries and yellow cake doughnuts make green?
The final question I will pose to you is a territorial one: Do you think, based on this neon sign (I love all the neon in the Northwest, by the way), that the Portland-based micro-roasting behemoth Stumptown is trying to represent a little bit of P-Town pride among their neighbors to the north?
These vegan cake doughnuts just don't do it for me. If someone has found a vegan maple bar, vegan chocolate old-fashioned, or a vegan apple fritter, please let me know!
These tasted a lot like a vegan doughnut I have sampled here in the Bay Area: just alright. The flavors were a yawn (vanilla chocolate and a blueberry mini--75 cents a bite). "Can they even make a vegan raised?" queries Team Bloughnut associate Hillary K. That's a good question, with my limited vegan doughnut experience they are always cake.
Here's another question: Do blueberries and yellow cake doughnuts make green?
The final question I will pose to you is a territorial one: Do you think, based on this neon sign (I love all the neon in the Northwest, by the way), that the Portland-based micro-roasting behemoth Stumptown is trying to represent a little bit of P-Town pride among their neighbors to the north?
These vegan cake doughnuts just don't do it for me. If someone has found a vegan maple bar, vegan chocolate old-fashioned, or a vegan apple fritter, please let me know!
27 July, 2010
Without coffee, doughnuts just aren't very appealing to be honest
Team Bloughnut gave up coffee for 2 weeks to reset the body and give the Team some time to relax, and we found doughnuts just weren't really on the radar (it's like Mickey without Minnie). But thanks to a certain team member bringing back some Stumptown all the way from NYC's Ace Hotel, Team Bloughnut decided 2 weeks was long enough without the black gold. We're back!
We were quiet, but still busy. Here are a few photos from a small doughnut adventure at the beginning of my coffee fast. The first two are from The Jelly Donut in Pleasanton: never trust a doughnut shop next to a Little Caesar's Pizza Pizza, especially if it's spelled 'donut' -- though they do have decent Yelp reviews, and though they did serve up a pretty half-decent maple cinnamon roll, which I have never seen before!
This next pic is from the Pleasanton Fair Grounds, cleaning up after the Alameda County Fair. Apparently the new rage is competitive tweener sheep riding?! "The Toughest Sport on Wool" --- maybe the only sport on wool?!
The last shot is another bit of an interlude, paying homage to the King of Bad, bigger than life, Mr. Eastwood himself. Spotted on 3rd Street in the Dogpatch, San Francisco.
'Til next time, keep it doughy.
We were quiet, but still busy. Here are a few photos from a small doughnut adventure at the beginning of my coffee fast. The first two are from The Jelly Donut in Pleasanton: never trust a doughnut shop next to a Little Caesar's Pizza Pizza, especially if it's spelled 'donut' -- though they do have decent Yelp reviews, and though they did serve up a pretty half-decent maple cinnamon roll, which I have never seen before!
This next pic is from the Pleasanton Fair Grounds, cleaning up after the Alameda County Fair. Apparently the new rage is competitive tweener sheep riding?! "The Toughest Sport on Wool" --- maybe the only sport on wool?!
The last shot is another bit of an interlude, paying homage to the King of Bad, bigger than life, Mr. Eastwood himself. Spotted on 3rd Street in the Dogpatch, San Francisco.
'Til next time, keep it doughy.
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