Anyway, preface to today's real topic: donuts. Or doughnuts, depending on where you are from. Mmm. These rings of fried deliciousness are all over the city, but vary widely in style, price, and flavor. We set out to conquer as many as we could!
The facts:
Tour Guide: We joined Redeemer Presbyterian's NYC Re-Imagined Donut Tour - kindly let by a (volunteer) donut afficianado
Stops: 6
Locations: Lower East Side to Brooklyn
Hours: 4
Level of post-tour Sugar Sickness: Moderate
The stops:
Stop 1: Locanda Verde (377 Greenwich St)
Locanda Verde is actually a popular brunch/general restaurant in TriBeCa, but nestled to the right side inside the restaurant is a 'to go' counter featuring a variety of espresso and pastry products. Donuts are made in small batches throughout the day (we actually bought the last 4 donuts for the group and shared) - so they are fresh and tasty. The cake-based style was a bit crunchy on the outside and covered in granulated sugar - ours were a soft lemon cake inside (though I believe the flavor sometimes varies).
Stop 2: Balthazar (80 Spring Street)
Like Locanda Verde, Balthazar is a full restaurant with a take-out pastry option. This one is actually a separate door beside the restaurant, and upon first going in seems to be full of breads, with a few muffins and other pastries. Visible donuts: none. Do not be deceived! Ask what donut flavors are available - there were 3 during our stop, including a banana pecan (which we got) - a cake-style, but with a thick top frosting (unlike Locanda Verde's simpler sugar coating). I found the icing a bit sweet, but my husband was a definite fan.
Stop 3: Babycakes (248 Broome Street)
Babycakes is most known for being vegan - no small feat, then, to create fluffy desserts, which they still manage to do. We enjoyed a toasted coconut donut. The style was cake, though it was a denser, moister inside than most cake donuts (perhaps due to the vegan ingredient substitutes). I preferred some of our fluffier donut stops, but for those cruising for vegan treats, this is a great choice.
Stop 4: Donut Plant (379 Grand Street)
Donut Plant is one of our go-to donut shops in the city - though we typically visit the Chelsea location. The shop has a mix of cake and yeast donuts, topped with flavored glazes. Donut Plant had by far the largest flavor collection of our NYC stops (bested only by Peter Pan in Brooklyn - Stop 6). Seasonal flavor options included coconut lime, green tea, and more. (My personal favorite: the Tres Leche cake donut.)
Stop 5: Brindle Room (227 E. 10th Street)
This was a "hidden" gem - at least in the sense that the restaurant in no way appears to be donut-related at first sight. It's a "normal" sit-down restaurant, but offers donuts on the dessert menu, which can be ordered to go. This was my favorite stop of the day, though the fact that they make the donuts to order meant that fresh-fried crispy deliciousness went a long way towards winning my heart. We selected the chocolate hazelnut donuts, a cake donut topped with Nutella and sliced almonds.
Peter Pan takes the cake (or at least cake donut) for being the "old tyme," classic donut shop. Offerings were equally broad and delicious, from gigantic cinnamon buns to myriad yeast and flavored donuts. This was one of my husband's favorite stops - in fairness, it might have been one of mine as well if I wasn't already feeling a bit ill from so many donuts! I don't know how frequently we'll return, since it's a bit of a trek from our midtown abode, but definitely worth checking out.
After 4 hours of walking in the heat and subsisting on sugar (at 36 weeks pregnant, no less), I was seriously ready for air conditioning and vegetables by the end of the tour. But we had a great time, both enjoying donut delicacies and meeting other Redeemer-types on the tour. The intrepid crew is below!
