For lack of a better post, check out my round-up of New York’s high class Donuts. I’ve covered most of these before but thanks to Gridskipper they’re all nice and organized on a Google map.

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

It feels weird to be writing about New York Donuts again after all those exhausting California posts. But let’s jump right back into it…Ronnybrook Dairy is now serving Donut Pub Donuts! I’ve been meaning to report this epic event in NYC Donutage for a few months now, mainly because it’s nice to see a shop besides the Doughnut Plant get some distribution around this city. I’m not sure exactly what varieties the Chelsea Market milk bar is peddling but stay tuned for an extensive investigation in the coming weeks - most likely with a chaser at the new 9th Street Espresso across the way.

Next up, Morandi. Overall, Keith McNally’s knack for cultural co-option is better focused on the Parisian brasserie than rustic Italian. The overly accented lady on Morandi’s answering machine seems contrived, and like Bruni, I wasn’t buying the rows and rows of thatched Chianti bottles. But in general, like at Balthazar and Pastis, I thought the food was straightforward and almost worth the price. The fried artichokes with lemon were flavorful with a delicate tempura-like crispy-ness, while my dinosau…I mean pork chop with roasted figs and vinegar was rich and tasty. But as is often the case with me, the Donuts were the highlight.

Morandi actually has two Donuts on the menu – the bomboloni (Italian sugar Donuts), which I didn’t try because they’re only available at breakfast – and the ricotta fritters with cinnamon and sugar, which I ate lots of. They were kind of cube shaped – or actually more like that big die in Scattergories – and had a thin, super-crisp outer layer covered in mounds of cinnamon-sugar. Deeper down was soft and creamy ricotta-tinged dough interspersed with crunch thanks to the secret ingredient – don’t even try and guess: PINE NUTS! Really a great touch giving a bit of texture and a slight nutty aftertaste to cut the sugar. And much like a Beignet, the whole thing was completely hollow and weighed almost nothing.

As I was sneaking a fritter picture the overly attentive Italian waiter – who I’m pretty sure thought Mrs. B was Julia Stiles – came running over and joked, “You trying to steal our secrets, ehhh?!!!” Embarrassed to admit I was yet another NYC food blogger snapping pics for my stupid Donut blog I said, “No no no. They’re just so good I want to remember them, you know?” Which they were, so it wasn’t even like I was lying.

Morandi
211 Waverly Place
New York, NY
212-627-7575

Top photo courtesy of NYMag