Archive for the ‘donuts’ Category

Ohio Donut Trail (Seasonal) Circle S Farms

Posted by CMH Gourmand on October 21, 2015

Fatherhood and my stewardship of CMH Griffin took me south of I 70 to what turned out to be a mainstay of greater Grove City, Darbydale, Groveport and points beyond – Circle S. Farm.

The farm opens for seasonal events including Fall Fun Days, so it was decided by a power greater than me (Mrs. Gourmand) that we would be having fun.

Before I forget, here are two critical tips to better enjoy your trip.

1) Go early to beat the swarms – plans on lots of bees at Circle S. and plans for their numbers to rise as more people come and spill sweet things that attract more bees. And come early to beat the swarms of people and the long lines they bring because this place fills up fast. On a Sunday go before the church crowd gets out so you can have a pretty fun time to explore the farm on your own without having to dodge all the city and trailerslickers.

2) Buy a couple packages of the day old donuts, they are a great value and you will need supplies for the drive home.

When we arrived, I saw the sign below and opted to treat my next step as one of the choose your own adventure books of my youth. I decided my adventure would start with food by turning right towards food instead for left to the hay barn.

My vision of food options was a paper plate with some donuts from a box on an old card table…that was very much not the case. There are two food areas at the farm located side by side. One section is set up like a concession stand at a high school football game – you can choose from bean soup, chicken and noodles, chili, hot dogs and cold apple cider. All except the cider are homemade. The chili was OK, the chicken and noodles were bland but featured very fresh and well cooked chicken.

Next door, there was a small store and full service bakery with an array of goodies, mostly donuts. The bakery space is a pretty tightly run operation with more commercial equipment that I have seen in many year round bakeries. I sampled several of the items avalable but the must try are the donuts, they were all exceptional. In fact so exceptional as to warrant a listing in the Ohio Donut Trail. There were eight to ten varieties of donuts including the ubiquitous Ohio Fall flavor of pumpkin, a maple glazed donut, coconut, a powered sugar donut, several with nuts sprinkled on top and a few with chocolate glaze. Each version sampled was good while the pumpkin and maple were exceptional. The good news here is that you can go to the farm store directly and avoid admission fees so it is an option to limit your fun to just buying donuts from the shop and you can stock up by buying the day old donuts by the dozen at $4 per pop.

Circle S Farm
Circle S Farms
9015 London Groveport Rd. (St. Rt. 665)
Grove City, OH 43123
United States
614-878-7980

Posted in bakery, donuts, Ohio, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | Tagged: Circle S Farms | Leave a Comment »

DK Diner: Kind of Dynamic

Posted by CMH Gourmand on January 22, 2015

My primary and secondary references to DK Diner have focused on their donuts. There are three reasons for that: 1) These donuts are among the finest ~~in the state~~ anywhere and I have the research to prove it 2) DK stands for Donut Kitchen – the previous name of this former Lawson’s location 3) As has been established before, Breakfast is my fifth favorite meal behind Second Lunch and Midnight Snack but I do make an exception for Breakfast – donuts. (Writer Note: I ordered 200 DK Diner donut for my wedding and there was only one box left the next day mainly because I hid it).

DK Diner originally established themselves as a breakfast destination (which can be confirmed any Saturday or Sunday Morning). I had forgotten I had breakfast there – once – I had to go through my notes to confirm such but I did indeed have breakfast there and it was good. I’m sure I had donuts. But there is more to dining life other than donuts and breakfast so DK Diner has continually been tweaking their approach to dining after Noon. (Writers Note: This post is dedicated to The Dining Duder who is the least favorite fan of the Ohio Donut Trail).

All of this came about then I was picking up some donuts for Mrs. Gourmand. I noticed some specials listed near the cash register including a coney special. I love a classic hot dog snadwich but Columbus does not support a hot dog or coney culture so I felt a need, well actually mission, maybe even an obligation to support a coney special. So I made note to come back on a Monday so I could belly up my support.

The coney special includes two coneys with cheese and onions with a hearty serving of hand cut fries. My coney cliff notes: Good combo and a great price. While consuming a coney I noticed another weekly special, Meatloaf. Meatloaf is the litmus test or the canary in a coal mine of any true Diner, so I planned on coming in during my next open Wednesday for more research. This special includes a fist sized serving of meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans (that are cooked not poured out of a can then reheated) and one half of a bun grilled to toast level crispness with a bit of butter. The meatloaf was cooked to perfection with just the right amount of ketchup baked in to the meat. This dish is all DK Diner needs for official diner status.

Another item that caught my eye in the side dish category was potato chips. Well actually this caught my eye and kept it, so I ordered these as my appetizer for my meatloaf main course. Wow, these chips are great, they are spindle cut and deep-fried to order coming out fresh with plenty of crispness with just enough slightly chewy pieces intermixed in the mess of potatoes piled into a basket. Other than OH! Chips, you will not find a better fresh potato chip in Ohio.

While masticating meatloaf I spied this on the regular menu: “Schlamager Bratwurst – DK’s special recipe, served on a grilled torpedo bun with sauerkraut, grilled pepper and onions”. So I looked for a day to come back and tried this. Verdict: Sehr gut. I asked my server if she knew anything about the name of the bratwurst or the special recipe, clearly she knew I was trying to get some “intel” so she feigned ignorance. Heading back home, I did some internet research to “crack the Schlamager code” and while I found lots of references to DK Diner I could not find a Schlamager on my screen. What ever Schlamager subterfuge is going on here, the end result is that it is an exceptional bratwurst sandwich experience served with a side of chips (and during my meal, a free donut at check out). What could be better than that? Well. While I was doing research I discovered DK Diner did offer a special featuring this brat with baked beans and pierogis, that would be slightly better than what I had and I would like to see that as a daily special.

So what is the key to success at this dynamic diner? They adapt to the times. Over the years the business has added patio space, focused on building up their bar business with local craft beers and some locally sourced spirits from Watershed Distillery. Another cool thing in the beer offerings, each beer is displayed in a baseball card style format to help guide your drinking decision and to help DK avoid constantly printing new beer menus. While all of this is being crammed into a small amount of space, DK Diner does not challenge guest with complicating anything. Booths feature instructions on how to interact with the diner: Drinks are self-serve, when it is time to leave, go to the counter with your table number and they will ring you out. Want the wi-fi password? It is listed on the information sheet. Another handy feature is the donut menu so you can see what they have to offer. This simple approach to diner satisfaction because most old school diners cater to their regulars that already know “the rules” while DK Diner wants to make you an “insider” on your first trip.

Posted in bar, beer, Diners, donuts | Tagged: DK Diner, Schlamager Bratwurst | 3 Comments »

Ohio Donut Trail: Jack Frost Donuts – Cleveland

Posted by CMH Gourmand on November 27, 2014

After extensive south of 70 research of Ohio’s bountiful selection of donuteries I finally had an opportunity to start exploring what Northeast Ohio has to offer. What I describe for you next may sound like a fantasy – but it did indeed happen. On my way to the Ohio Craft Brewers conference in Ohio City I had a little downtime and decided to check Jack Frost off of my list. The place had come in as a reader suggestion and in several online searches. I’m glad I made time for donuts. Well let’s be honest, I’m almost always glad to make time for (good) donuts.

The first thing that Jack Frost has going for it is how conveniently located it is to Ohio City (which is the best square mile of food and beer in Cleveland). Located on Pearl Road, it only took a few zigs and zags through neighborhood streets to get back on track on Pearl Road and more tasty treats after I left the parking lot. The next plus, was close proximity to a windmill. Yes, nothing panics me more when looking for a new place than not having some easy to find landmark as a reference point in case I decide to drop in on a whim in the future. A windmill is an easy thing to remember. The next thing that made me feel warm and fuzzy before I pulled in to the parking lot was the exterior. A bit beat up, weathered and industrial, this was no foo-foo donut shop, Jack Frost was clearly an old school neighborhood hangout. Confidence was high for scoring a classic donut before I walked through the door.

I was worried as well. It was past 3:30 pm on a Tuesday and I was concerned that the cupboard might be close to bare (they frequently sell out). Fortunately, the shelves were packed with too many choices (Jack Frost was conveniently open to 8 pm) and ready to fill boxes for people heading to 2nd shift jobs or heading home. In fact, there were so many choices I was overwhelmed.

Also adding to the pressure, this was my first trip into Northeast Ohio Donut research and I had just found out the place was voted best of Northeast Ohio (competing against more than a baker’s dozen other donuteries) the desire to get one of each was squelched by the fact that they had 35 – 40 different varieties ready to serve and I still had three breweries, Mitchell’s Ice Cream and a Mansfield Pizza place to visit (as well as some possible random stops) before I was call the day done. So I opted for eight different donuts to try. This was quite a Sophie’s choice – trying to decide on which donuts would go home with me, knowing it may be months or years before I would be back. I opted to go with: Salty Carmel, Maple Bacon, German Chocolate, Blueberry, glazed, Raspberry, Maple with peanuts and Peanut Butter cream. Oh, My, Goodness they were good. The kind store clerk also threw in a couple of complimentary donut holes as well, she mentioned they were a fan favorite and based on my (many, many) questions, she figured I might appreciate them.

The first thing I noted about the donuts is that they are just a bit smaller than the typical donut. However based how the massive amount of toppings and extras piled on to each, I felt no reduction of value, if anything the smaller donut may be a public service, in theory, less bulk could mean more consumption. Their cake donuts (my preferred style) were light and fluffy but sturdy enough to bear the weight of the toppings.

I picked up two blueberry donuts for Mrs. Gourmand since it is her favorite donut variety and her litmus test for donut quality. She liked the blueberry flavor in them but still gives DK Diner the nod for best in (Blueberry) show.

The absolute best of what I sampled was the German Chocolate donut. It was full of rich flavors in both the donut, the German Chocolate base and the regular chocolate intermixed in the frosting. This was exceptional. A close second was a tie between the peanut butter donut and the salty caramel. Jack Frost has been in the business since 1937. I do not think the business has had the same family of owners for the entire history but whatever has been handed down during the decades is impressive. The base donuts are old school good – simple and true to style. The flavor combinations are much more modern, riffing off of what gourmet cupcake places wanted to be but typically did not deliver on during the cupcake crave bubble of the early 21st century. If cupcake places had the flavors of Jack Frost with the prices to match – they would be as ubiquitous as Starbucks. If you are heading to Cleveland or nearby, this place is well worth a small detour. Note: By report their Paczki are legendary resulting in the need for a tent and pre ordering during Easter time.

Posted in bakery, CLEGourmand, donuts, Ohio, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | Tagged: Jack Frost Donuts | 3 Comments »

Donut Trail: Holtman’s Donuts, Over the Rhine, Cincinnati

Posted by CMH Gourmand on June 24, 2014

I made an accidental discovery on the donut trail. And those are often the best scenarios for finding good donuts. I was in Cincinnati to explore four breweries: Rhinegeist, MadTree, Listermann’s and 50 West. I had an elaborate plan of visiting the new Jungle Jim’s, Aglamesis Brothers Ice Cream and the Senate before meeting my contact in Cincinnati for brewery exploration. However, there was a snag in the plan. I was driving to Cincinnati, on a Friday, in the rain. That was a recipe for inefficiency. I had forgotten what a shitstorm the freeways of Cincinnati are. En route I-71 was stalled due to a semi accident and then the rain started and then Mrs. Gourmand and I hit the 275 belt right at rush hour. As the duder would say, “Suck It.” It became clear that the plan was not going to work and I might be lucky to make it just in time to start the brewery tour.

While looking for a parking garage in The Over The Rhine I spied what looked like a promising donut shop but donutery research was not on the plan…or the timeline. As luck would have it, we got to the Senate minutes before it opened, so we had just enough time to head back in the opposite direction to Holtman’s Donuts. I’m glad we made that detour.

Looking at the outside of Holtman’s, I had a good feeling that they would deliver. It was a simple storefront with the hours posted in the door. Holtman’s is open seven days per week which is always a good sign. Another good indicator was that they are open to 9 pm Tuesday to Saturday…so they recognize that people NEED donuts past noon. Another good sign was the donut with a bite taken out of it logo as the iconic image over the threshold. I was excited the moment my hand touched the door.

Just to the left of the entrance you can see the enclosed bakery area. Most donut shops block the line of sight from the counter to the production area. Letting customers see what happens in the art of donut making is a sign of pride in their craft. So at this point, not even 4 steps past the door, my donutry confidence rating scale (D.C.R.S) was registering off of the charts. Then I saw the two super comfy chairs for extended donut eating and the wooden communal table. The table has four stools attached to it with old hardware that allows the seats to swing out in many directions. Cool, retro, comfortable and practical…yep, I was simpatico with this place and I had not even made eye contact with the donuts themselves.

So now, over 400 words in to this story…on to the donuts. There was not an overwhelming selection available which is my mind is a good thing. At places like Bill’s and Donut World I have sometimes been perplexed by having too many choices. Also since it was late in the day, a good amount of the inventory had been decimated by roaming herds of Over the Rhine hipsters. I spent a long time staring at the donuts trying to make the best selections. Exhibiting more contemplation than would be considered normal or socially acceptable I finally decided on the following: Blueberry (cake) glazed, Blueberry Cream Cheese, Cherry Fritter and Maple Bacon Blueberry Cake.

Hot Dog (read this with the tone and inflection of George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life)! Using Mrs. Gourmand as an assistant sampler, we evaluated and deconstructed each donut in great detail. We found the best elements of all of the donuts were the glazes and icing. The Cream Cheese icing was the best I’ve encountered in my adventures in donut hunting. The regular glaze featured on the other donuts we sampled was equally impressive. The standout was the fritter. And while I only tried one, I can say with some degree of confidence, that Holtman’s has the best fritters in Ohio. They make what I call the Goldilocks Fritter which balances all of the critical elements a fritter needs to knock it out of the park. The fritter is neither too thick or too thin. It is crunchy on the outside yet incredibly soft, moist and fluffy in the inside. Each bite was a taste of perfection with the proper balance of everything an old school fritter should constitute. That alone, warrants a trip to Holtman’s. Welcome to The Ohio Donut Trail Holtman’s, I look forward to another visit.

Posted in bakery, donuts, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | Tagged: Holtman's, Holtman's Donuts, ohio donut trail | 2 Comments »

Back on the Donut Trail: McHappy’s, Athens Ohio

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 2, 2014

While this is bad news for the Dining Duder, the donut trail is back. And this was as unexpected for me as you. I was minding my own business with no intention of consuming a donut when I noticed that McHappy’s offered donuts. I was visiting a new Athens favorite, Purple Chopstix (suggested by Dr. Balbo, Medicine Woman) when I noticed that McHappy’s was open via a sign advertising donuts. While I have driven this stretch of Richland Ave. many times, I never noticed McHappy’s nor did I have an inclination to look – I was always on my way to somewhere else. I’m glad I dropped in.

Dropping in was a pure whim. In fact my passenger tried to dissuade me from doing so because we had just filled up on a buffet. The place does not look like much from the outside and we had a challenge finding the door since is largely a drive through business. However, I was focused on finding out what this bakery was all about and I needed to stockpile provisions for our next several days at Lake Hope State Park. The moment I waked through the door, I was glad I did so. The first doughnut my eye spied was an Ohio classic – maple glazed cake donut. It was at this point I decided a full dozen was in order. In addition to two maples, I added several other varieties including a new one for me – Applesauce. I also picked up a cinnamon roll, a apple fritter and a peanut butter egg. This mass of sugar was a good value. If you are even more value oriented, McHappy’s sells bags of day old doughnuts for $1.99.

To cut to the chase, in comparison of all of the other Ohio Donut Trail entries, McHappy’s rates a solid B. None of the regular donuts stood out or where craveable. I expected a lot, perhaps too much from the Applesauce donut since that style was new to me. It was good but what I think I liked the most was it’s star like shape. The winner of everything we tried was the apple fritter. It may place in the top five in the fritter category to date. I should note a few disclaimers about McHappy’s. We purchased the donuts around 1 pm and we did not try any until about 5 pm so they were not at their peak freshness. McHappy’s is a five location chain operating in Athens, Belpre, Marietta and Parkersburg. And for some reason, which no longer makes sense we nicknamed the lady that served us Biscuits McGillacutty.

Posted in desserts, donuts, Ohio, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | 2 Comments »

Time to Make the Donuts – Part II: OH! Nuts from OH! Burgers

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 10, 2013

The donut scene is heating up. We mentioned Destination Donuts last time. A few local restaurants including Deepwood and Latitude 41 have dabbled in donuts on occasion and we have a few other folks in the research and development stages…..or so they say.

The pathway to donut pioneerdom is not always intentional, it sometimes the mother of invention. But before we go down that rabbit hole, let’s profile the man behind the donut. First thing you should know about Brian Thornton from OH! Burgers he is a classic food trucker. He epitomizes and balances the qualities of a pirate, handy man, entrepreneur and kitchen rat. He went to culinary school but his undergrad was not so culinary and he thinks as much as a chef as he does an engineer. He worked on the line at the Refectory and worked in an office in a factory. There are some polarities involved for sure. Oh, did I also mention, he is known as Thor.

When I first met Brian he said he was going to do a food truck. I lot of people tell me that (as I told myself as well). He was not sure how it would pay for it, but he would figure it out. Shortly thereafter he bought the defunct Hot Pita Truck (I did not think anyone would do so on more than a few occasions) and transformed it into OH! Burgers. If you have ever seen the old movie PT 109, where the ragtag crew first sees the beat up old patrol boat and then works on it to get it shipshape then you can understand my observations of Brian and his food truck. He tinkered and rebuilt, reconfigured and tweaked and eventually got it on the streets. His approach towards mechanics and the culinary arts are about the same: 1/2 mad scientist and 1/2 wizard.

His menu is simple, burgers and sweet potato chips. I experienced his scientific approach to chips over the winter of 2012. He kept at them. Changing one thing, then another, trying multiple variations until every aspect of the chips were what he wanted and then he stopped. Then he worked on sauces for the chips. The weird science of OH! Burgers continued when the concept of pickles crossed his mind. He learns, tests, tweaks, tests and refines. In a couple of weeks we had a wide variety of pickles.

Then one day we were discussing other things he could do with sweet potatoes (he had a lot of them) and thought fritters might be a good offshoot. The fritters (they were good) became sweet potato donuts after short time. Then sweet potato donuts became more traditional donuts with flour instead of sweet potatoes as a base. The exploration continues. “What if I try this………”, “Today I found a really good flour so I changed up recipe” X to X+1…. Alton Brown and Galileo would be equally proud of this approach to culinary investigation. However, OH Nut donuts in one form or another or both are here to stay on OH! Burgers.

When can you find the latest refinement to mobile donuts? Brian often serves a three donut combo (one of each flavor) from the OH! Burgers food truck. On occasion, he takes over the back section and one fryer in the Ajumama Food Truck to pair his donuts with Ajumama’s Korean comfort street food.

What types of donuts can you expect to sample? Bacon, Fruity Pebbles and mini M & M’s are frequent toppings. Krema Spicy Peanut Butter has appeared a few times. The current “money” donut has Tequila in the dough, a vanilla glaze on top and lime zest for flavor and fun. That is a winner. Watch for more “research and development” in donuts and more from OH! Burgers and the mighty Thor.

As as side note, the infamous CMH Tobias has assisted in the donut review process. See below.

Photo 1: OH Nut sighted

Photo 2: OH Nut requested

Posted in culinary knowledge, donuts | Tagged: OH! Burgers, OH! Nuts, Thor | Leave a Comment »

Time To Make The Donuts – Part 1: Destination Donuts

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 9, 2013

With all of my hubris about the death of the cupcake and my pontificating about the merits of the classic donut, one might think I was building up to something. That is correct. Readers of CMH Gourmand are bright, astute go-getters who can see a preamble from long across a long counter. Time for the ballyhoo!

It is high time for the donut to go gourmet. The right gal for the job is Heather Morris. She is not some fly by night money grabber, this donut dame had her sights set on donut dominance for quite some time. She loved donuts as a kid. She saw a hole in the local donut market: independent shops making the treat by hand. And she knew she needed to find a niche, grocery stores and large chains sell donuts cheap. There are incalculable costs we pay for a lower price tag on a donut: less flavor, more preservatives and a loss of creativity among them. Heather wondered if people would “get it”. Would they pay more for a mere donut? She knew she needed to make her products different and memorable, so she named them Destination Donuts.

But if you fry them, will they come? Heather had faith that the common man in Columbus would pay a little more for a much better product. But she need she needed to get her donuts in row first. Heather did her homework. She dusted off some lesser used culinary skills and training before she got started. Spent a lot of time perfecting her recipes and craft at home – testing, retesting, tweaking, tasting, etc. She even shadowed a place called Dynamo Donuts in the city by the bay to get a sense of how to make a good donut better. And, like me, she read about, studied and stalked donuts shops and trends around the country.

Instead of going out of the frying pan and into the fryer, she decided to start slow. She secured commercial kitchen space she could rent by the hour. She set her sights on the North Market and arranged to be a guest vendor there on alternating weekends. She launched in November of 2012. She kept her day job while staying up late and getting up early to make the donuts then transporting them to sell at the market. In spite of sleep deprivation and little word of mouth other than social media, she kept a smile on her face, asked customers and others for feedback and kept tweaking the art of donutery. She sold out. And then she almost sold out again. Then she started leaving no donut behind consistently. After that she added more slots at the North Market while forging a relationship with the Hills Market (prime or uptown) and Hills Market Downtown. She recently added Luck Brothers Coffee…because coffee goes well with donuts and everyone can use a little luck in a new business. She is now crafting her treats over 100 hours a month and looking for more places to sell her doughy love bombs.

What gets people interested and keeps them coming back? Her flavors combinations are inventive, some combine complimentary tastes while others compare and contrast ingredients. Examples include: Blood Orange and Dark Chocolate, Butterscotch Sea Salt, Pink Grapefruit, Lemon Blueberry, Strawberry & Rose Water……. You get the idea. The flavors vary from occasionally bold to mostly subtle but never unbalanced.

So with the concept proven and the sell outs persisting what is next? More flavors…of course. More locations to sell at… yes? But what am I waiting for the most? More cake donuts. So far most of the cake donuts have been holes. I waiting for the full size, deluxe cake donuts. And maybe some type of apple, bacon, sausage and something fritter. If things go well, maybe Heather will get her own donut bakery some day soon. If she does, what part of town do you think would be the best fit?

Find out more:
Destination Donuts
HeatherDonut on Twitter

Posted in bakery, culinary knowledge, desserts, donuts | Tagged: Destination Donuts, Donut Queen, Gourmet Donuts, Heather Morris | 7 Comments »

Donuts – The New Black: A Dialogue on Donuts

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 7, 2013

“__________ is the new Black”. Consider the phrase, if you will. You know bacon is/was the new black. We know this is true because it was on a T-Shirt (at Surly Girl Saloon, suggestion to place it on a t-shirt attributed to this writer) and because bacon has become ubiquitous to over the toppedness. Let me ask for your permission to have you to add another phrase to the lexicon and then strip it down and throw it away.

Donuts are the new black. Yes, yes they are. But like the color black, donuts are and were: timeless, never out of style, available and accessible to the common man and understood to joe average. Black and donuts were never new in our lifetime or those of our forefathers. They are always with us but sometimes we see them in a new light.

There has been an ongoing dialogue on donuts in this blog. I think I may have accidentally discovered a trend or renaissance or rebirth just before it hit its stride. Looking back on previous commentaries on donuts, I think my sentiments and mindset was established back in 2011. There is a small segment from an older post I have copied below for review.

There seem to be a lot of special memories connected with donuts as well as special connections to people and place. College and donuts seem to pair well. Late night dining and early morning road trips line up nicely with these doughy treats. There is always a certain camaraderie connected to donuts. Maybe because donut counters are the great equalizer of the masses just like diners are. Maybe it is because the lowly donut is cheap and fast and easy to share. There is a reason boxes of donuts pop up at any office. A box of donuts offers diversity and democracy to everyone – grab a donut and pass the box on. There seem to be a lot of reasons that donuts do us right.

Maybe the tightening of belts with a faltering economy or the death of the cupcake or just the desire to for a simpler treat is why we are starting to see a revisitation of the donut, but with a twist. Just like home-town gal Jeni, asked what if, and started to pair untraditional flavors with ice cream so too are we starting to see a new spin in donuts. I have been looking for like-minded donuteries in my travels and I have found quite a few, most notably Glazed in Charleston, South Carolina and Federal Donuts in Philadelphia (skip the intro if you click on the link). Now, if it was just what I have rambled about so far, I might be inclined to side with you and think this is just me being obsessive and siloing my personal quirks into a paradigm shift, but I am not the only one zeroing in on the rise of donuts. Saveur, the only food magazine I make an effort to purchase and read devoted a whole issue to donuts (see the photo at the top). The issue covered the best places, recipes, donut gear and etc. Jane and Michael Stern listed some of their favorite places and were kind enough to mention Bill’s Donuts. There are many great places in the nation and lot of history to support the donut as an American Icon. The rise of donuts was concurrent with the rise of fast food. While we did see some donut chains rise (Dunkin’ Donuts, Tim Horton’s, Krispy Kreme) and fall (Spudnuts), donuts have largely remained a local, regionalized food in mom and pop shops with a few signature items and recipes that distinguished them from others.

A person can buy a couple donuts on the run for less than a scoop of ice cream, or the cost of one cupcake or the price of a slice of cake. They can eat one on the go without slowing down their day. No fork of knife is needed. And what pairs best with the coffee culture that has perked up in the capital city. Another thing to love or hate about a donut….you need to eat them soon after you buy them. Sure, a few donuts hold up and hold out to the next day, but most are best within a few hours out of the fryer, so it you want the best, you need to eat it soon. Instant gratification….there could be worse things.

I have heard of several new and exciting donuts ventures coming our way. While we wait for those businesses to bloom, I will soon be profiling two donut pioneers who are out now, spreading the gospel of a good donut. I think it will be easy to bring you on as donut disciples. In the meantime, I have a question for you to ponder and answer (I asked this before but received no response). Is it donut or doughnut? Take a surf on the internet, you will see quite a bit on the subject. I picked my side long ago. I go with donut. Donut is more economical, the spelling saves space and ink. The ugh….do we really need that? Sure, dough vs, do is supported by the fact that dough is used in the construction of donuts, but doesn’t that seem a little high falutin, like saying hamburg steak. Again, I want to hear your opinion, but in my mind, a donut is more than the dough, it is the end result of what is added to it. So it deserves a different name, and a donut by any other name, is just not the same.

Posted in donuts | 5 Comments »

Quickbyte: Buckeye Donuts Revisited

Posted by CMH Gourmand on April 3, 2013

I wrote about Buckeye Donuts, briefly, over 5 years ago, as an entry on this blog. The post was long before the Ohio Donut Trail adventures. I can’t say I look for a reason to go to Buckeye Donuts but the place deserves more attention that I gave it years ago. Two things brought Buckeye Donuts back on my radar.

Several months ago, I was contacted by a researcher looking for a food to represent the Ohio State University. They pitched me several dishes they found via web research but none of them seemed like a good fit to me based on the criteria they gave me. Try to think of any iconic food for Columbus or The Ohio State University and you are likely to be stumped. I love Adriaticos but there are pizza places on every college campus. I was looking for something that had staying power that did not suck and had at least some history. Looking at OSU today, most of the places I would have eaten at are long gone. Then I thought of Buckeye Donuts. It has been on campus since 1969 with the same owners. What could be more Buckeyecentric than Buckeye Donuts? How about a Buckeye Donut at Buckeye Donuts. Yep – a chocolate frosted yeast donut with a giant dollop of peanut butter in the center to mirror the candy of the same name. That became my suggested pick for the contest. Just as the Buckeyes did not survive March Madness, so too did the Buckeye Donut find defeat in its bracket as well. Drat.

The other inspiration that has Buckeye Donuts on my mind is my upcoming exploration of the new wave of donuteries popping up in Columbus.

A final note. When I visited Buckeye Donuts to get a photo of a Buckeye Donut (which I had never tried), I did have to pause for a moment. This little donut shop has survived over forty years on campus. It has seen nearly every small family business around it closed and it has watched the colossus of Campus Partners take the soul from High Street. It is still standing. It has added gyros, and breakfast and a 24 hour menu to the offerings and it has survived and thrived in a tiny space. Buckeye Donuts defeated the odds and it deserves respect for that alone – whether serving donuts or not.

Posted in donuts, Ohio Donut Trail | Tagged: Buckeye Donuts | Leave a Comment »

Stan The Donut Man, Dayton: The Ohio Donut Trail Continues

Posted by CMH Gourmand on March 31, 2013

Those of you coming late to the Ohio Donut Trail series would be well advised to backtrack to get caught up on where we are to date, the sixteen donuteries worth a mention as of March 2013 will be found in this link -> Ohio Donut Trail.

For those loyalists who have followed this series, I offer a brief update. I still feel firmly that DK Diner has the best overall donuts of all of those sampled so far. As for second place, I struggle a bit. Perhaps it is Bill’s in Centerville, Auddino’s near my home or Donald’s Donuts in Zanesville. There is much work left to be done. While I have covered most of the better donuteries south of I-70, I have yet to sample any of note in Northern Ohio. I do have list of at least four more donut shops to try before I make a far-reaching, final decision on what is the best of the bunch. On a related note, there is a change in the culture of donuts that has occurred over the last few years, and I will be writing about that in great detail soon so the donut trail series will serve as a fine primer for you.

I found Stan the Donut Man on a fluke. I was making my annual Dayton Daytrip to visit a few of my favorite places there: El Meson, Ester Price Candies, Bill’s Donuts and Dorothy Lane Market. While making an itinerary change to head to Bill’s, I caught Stan the Donut Man out of the corner of my eye. I hit the brakes and glided into the parking lot like I had planned it. I could tell by looking at the exterior that this place had a enough character to make it likely to be good donut destination.

What are the signs of a potentially good donut spot? It looks old, maybe a bit run down (check). It looks like it was built sometime between 1930 and 1960 (check). It says donut not doughnut (check). When you walk in there is an older gentleman sitting at the counter with the appearance of sitting there most of the day, everyday, for last least a decade (check). Yep, things were looking promising as I approached the door. On the downside, it was late on a Saturday afternoon and there was just one small tray of miscellaneous donuts leftover from the customer orders of the morning. I thought I may have missed the donut bus.

Among the few donuts left, I spied a glazed croissant. For those of you familiar with my study of the donut sciences, a glazed croissant, sometimes known as a dosant or cronut, is a prime indicator of the practice of advanced donut production. I was a bit wary of the place and had planned just to pop in to get one donut to sample for consideration of future in-depth study but once the glazed croissant was sighted and acquired, I went into full investigatory mode. Unfortunately for my designated diner, this meant some significant sampling sandwiched in between Esther Price Candies and Bills donuts. The man behind the counter sensed my passion for his trade and he had empathy for the fact that there was little left for me to try. To help with my decision-making, he gave me a free sour cream stick and a few donut holes to try out while I plotted out which donuts to try among the survivors of the day.

The long narrow sour cream sticks were something I had not encountered before. The donut holes were yeast donuts and had clearly been out for a few hours but they tasted great. In the cake vs. yeast donut debate, I am firmly a cake donut man, but I would drive a few extra miles for these yeast donut holes. The glazed croissant was very good. The other donuts sampled, which transpired 3/4’s of a day later, were still fresh and tasty. I did not get a chance to sample enough of their line up to place Stan’s in the top seven donut spots to date, but with a few more exhibits for consideration, I think it would be a contender.

There were a few other observations indicating Stan’s stands tall among it’s Dayton area donut peers. The small selection of specialty donuts features regional classics: Davey Crockett’s, Bow Ties and the very rare Pineapple Fritter. As an aside, the presence of a few wooden stools, well-worn by time, is always a prime indicator of potential donut greatness.

Stan’s is about 2 miles away from Esther Price Candies on Wayne Ave. With a quick cut over to Far Hills Ave, you are near Dorothy Lane Market and a quick crossing of 675 over to Centerville, Bill’s Donuts. If you are so inclined there is a LaRosa’s pizza near Bill’s creating a regional iconic eatery tour all within a short distance of each stop. I suggest you take a cooler, some bottled water and take a few breaks to stretch your stomach muscles in between. There is another Stan The Donut Man in West Chester, Ohio (I found this in a Google search, but I do not know if the two locations are connected).

1441 Wilmington Ave
Dayton, OH 45420
937.293.1080
Hours: 5 am to Midnight

Posted in donuts, Ohio, Ohio Donut Trail, Road Trip | Tagged: Donutery, ohio donut trail, Stan the Donut Man | 6 Comments »

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