In Philly ’til Saturday. Lots of Donuts and hopefully lots of cheesesteaks. Plus weird medical stuff at the Mütter.

Finally made it to The Little Owl last night. The place is super quaint, holds about six people and keeps it real with a framed shot of Rick James in the john. I went mainly for the gravy meatball sliders (a heavenly blend of beef, pork, veal topped with pecorino and squished between two tiny buns) but how sweet was it spotting Raspberry Beignets on the dessert menu?! Unexpected Donut encounter!

One thing about the small space is that it’s really easy to hear the business-looking dude next to you make inappropriate comments about Jersey Shore Italians. Kind of awkward. But that didn’t stop me from tackling four fat Beignets and getting a crappy candle-lit picture.

Texturally they reminded me of that Chinese Donut ball I had in San Francisco a few months ago – crispy fried on the outside with a sub-layer of chewy. And below the dough was a serious feat of conceptual baking prowess: whole raspberries inside the hollow Beignet! For reals. And as if that wasn’t enough, Little Owl’s Donuts come with a swab of Nutella for dipping. It’s like just in case you’re about to criticize the restaurant for having a prissy name involving a small bird, or being too quaint and candle-y, they bust out a jar of the Nute and get back any lost cred. In the same vein of unpretensiousness, the first two items on LO’s beer list are Bud and PBR which is simultaneously as awesome as the Nutella, and also a definitive sign that the watery American beer hipster Pabst/Schlitz/OM fad has officially jumped the shark.

So the bottom line is The Little Owl is really good at cooking ball-shaped foods. The sliders might be my favorite NYC appetizer and for sit-down Donuts, the Beignets are tops.

The Little Owl
90 Bedford St.
New York, NY 10014
212-741-4695

Today Mrs. B and I walked around Brooklyn and tried to feed Donuts to pigeons.

This small bird ate a crumb but we got totally snubbed by the pigeons.

Donut and Smith Street in Carroll Gardens.

As many of you probably already know, as of Oct. 15th the largest Donut dealer in the world has gone trans fat-free. Obviously responding to growing public health concern regarding these hydrogenated and delicious little craps - and hopefully at least partially due to genuine concern about the well being of the Donut-eating population - Dunkin’ Donuts has ousted their previous cooking oil in favor of a healthier palm-cottonseed-soybean oil blend. But before we taste, let’s go right to the source for the low-down on the switch. Michelle King, Manager of Communication for Dunkin’ Donuts, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me:

1) I’m curious about how you arrived at the recipe for Dunkin’ Donuts new trans fat free, palm-cottonseed-soybean oil blend. Were other recipes tried, and if so what kinds?

Our R&D team has been working on a trans fat solution for nearly four years, during which time we have tested more than 28 custom blends of oil.

2) Can you comment on the new oil blend in terms of nutritional improvement and its effect on how the donuts taste? Does it affect various donut varieties differently?

The customer response to the new donut has been positive. The new donut meets the quality, flavor and taste profile our customers have come to expect from Dunkin’ Donuts. The total fat content falls within the same range. This has been a seamless transition.

3) Does this switch affect all Dunkin’ Donut domestic and international
store locations?

The zero grams trans fat donut is in all US stores only. (5,400 U.S. restaurants in 34 states)

4) What’s your favorite Dunkin’ Donut?

Jelly Stick

5) Who’s got better coffee, Dunkin’ or Starbucks?

Blognut did not receive response

And I’d have to agree, they’ve done a pretty good job recreating their orginial fatty flavor. The cakes hold up better than the raised. My chocolate glazed was every bit as cakey as it used to be and had the same chocolately flavor. There may have been a slightly askew and oilier aftertaste which wasn’t necessarily bad, just different. I was more concerned for my raised glazed and jelly filled. The yeast dough was definitely denser and breadier than old-school DD and didn’t have quite the lighter-than-air sensation that Dunkin’ used to pull off pretty well. But overall the flavors were there - the yeasty pop, the sugary glaze, and the mild tartness of the raspberry filling. Oh yeah, and I think the raised glazed might be a little bit smaller than it used to be. Or I might be crazy - it’s been a while since I’ve been to Dunkin’.

Off to Virginia for a great friend’s hitching on a farm. Back early next week with a thorough tasting of Dunkin’s new trans-fat-free menu. Can the new palm-soybean-cottonseed oil blend stand up to the real, artery clogging thing?

What better way to welcome fall than with a Doughnut. Especially one caked in season-appropriate ingredients. And right now the Doughnut Plant has three fall offerings we should all be eating lots of before winter arrives: the pumpkin, the apple cinnamon and the sunflower seed.

Just like the DP pumpkin cake I had last year, this year’s model - pictured above with our cat Dominic - is fat and rich pumpkin pie-like perfection; only now I’ve gone for the raised variety. The pumpkin-ness is mild but noticeable and there’s a perfectly balanced cinnamon, nutmet and clove spice. And since I’ve talked way too much about the Plant’s yeast dough on this site, I’ll link you to a previous description instead of going any further on that.

The apple cinnamon raised is the same in terms of dough. But the glaze is slopped on thicker and chunkier and infused with lots of cinnamon spice - so much so that it’s brown – and shards of green and red apple. The fruit is fresh, subtle and a little crunchy. Perfect for fall.

The sunflower seed’s almost as good, but mainly because it just tastes like a plain glazed. Save the occasional burst of crunchy texture most of the grain is lost behind gobs of sugary glaze and almost no flavor gets through. Note to Mark Israel: Add more seeds. And now that I think about it, I really hope sunflower seeds actually have something to do with fall. I’m pretty sure they’re harvested in September and October but if not, please disregard this paragraph.

I know, it’s been awhile. It sucks that life and jobs and stuff have to interfere with Donuts. But thankfully Reverend Dick has stepped in with a fine piece of field correspondance from my favorite of all Donut shops, Spudnuts, in Charlottesville, VA. Plus he eats a Grillswith. Enjoy.

The other weekend, my associate and I sojourned out into the wild world of Charlottesville nightlife. We had every honorable intention of taking it easy. Just the week prior, we had ripped it up at the Jamestown Settlement as well as along the slimy streets of Colonial Williamsburg. Understandably, we were tired. Though intrepid adventurers, we are like reverse-vampires, sucking blood and life by day and tucking away from the world by night. But every now and again, the call of Pals is heard, and we soldier up to be graced by friends.

And, boy, we weren’t disappointed. Meeting K and politico-scientist-extraordinaire (and soon to be one-time assistant coach of the Wahoos!) P at the Blue Moon Diner, we were greeted with these fine words – “You can order the most expensive beer on the menu - You guys aren’t paying.” The former grad student in me, and the current grad student in my associate, took this and ran, ordering the finest lagers brewed by the oldest brewery in these fine states.

K and I being pals with Mr. and Mrs. Blognut, the conversation eventually turned to these very bits and bytes. Somewhere along the line, I let it slip that we had never enjoyed one of Cville’s finest offerings: The Grillsworth. This admission was met with shock. K said, “Holey brown word! You’re getting one. Tonight!”

Now, the Grillsworth has already been written about here, so I will spare too much discussion. But for those not yet familiar with that post, the GW consists of two Krispy Kreme plain glazed that are grilled and stuffed with vanilla ice-cream, sandwich style. [Interesting note: my associate is also named with a K. Two Ks! The same as Krispy Kreme! It was in the stars. Or at least the names.] The idea alone is worth a prize. Someone should call the Nobel committee. Now.

A few minutes later, our plate arrived. We stared at the dish full of magic in front of us and then looked each other in the eyes. I said to my associate, “It was nice knowing you, but I’m leaving you for desert.” She said, between bites, “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Luckily, we worked things out.
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The next morning, being blissfully sated and not at all groggy (an obvious side-effect of the previous night’s gustatory delight), I took it upon myself to continue the donut-logged theme already established for the weekend. I stole myself out of bed nice and early, leaving my associate to dream about Daniel Craig, and hustled over to Spudnuts (another local landmark, rightfully praised by the Blognut). Once inside, I was greeted by the warm smell of fresh dough. Wearing my favorite denim cut-offs, a shirt that read Wow, and my favorite kicks, I pranced up to the counter and ordered two plain glazed and two chocolate glazed. Doughnuts in tow, I shimmied out the door and back to my car to head home.

My drive back was filled with two of my three favorite things, Bruce Springsteen’s “No Surrender” turned up loud and a bag full of heaven. It took every nerve not to pull over and eat all the doughnuts. I knew, however, that my third favorite thing was waiting for me at home, waiting for breakfast. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I let my associate down. As the Boss says, “No retreat, baby, no surrender!” When I arrived back at my apartment, I found my associate wide awake and reading. I asked her how Daniel Craig was going and she just stared at me. I said, “Spudnuts,” before finally tearing into the still-warm bag. [Again, I will spare the details, as Blognut has already done such a good job. I will, however, pass on the words of my green-eyed partner: “Spudnuts are so light that I think they might be nutritious!”] Needless to say, it was a GREAT morning.

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If I learned anything from my weekend of raised dough, it’s that 1) Doughnuts are delicious, 2) Grilled doughnuts with ice-cream and pals are a little bit better, and 3) Pre-breakfast doughnuts with associates (and an E-Street soundtrack) are ace! Yow!

Rev. Donutz