October 2008 Archives

I'm taking it upon myself as part of my ongoing community service to educate the public about the different sorts of donuts out there and their relative merits. So, here's a quick summary:

• Krispy Kreme: Famous for their hot glazed donuts and nothing else really. They possess a light, airy texture and aren't overly sweet or doughy.
• Dunkin' Donuts: Basic donuts for when you're in a bind and need one quick. Not a lot positive to say here. Cakey, mass-produced and not very good. My personal favorite is their jelly, which is usually pretty generously filled and covered with a healthy dose of powdered sugar. I really wish Dunkins would divert some of their resources from developing new 1000-calorie monster flatbread sandwiches to developing a better donut.
• Honey Dew: See Dunkin' Donuts
• Grocery Store Donuts: Don't. Just...don't.
• Top Pot Doughnuts: My current favorite. They started offering these at Starbucks a year or so ago and quickly ascended to the top of my list. When consumed cold, you're basically eating a rock, but a warmed-up Top Pot is something to savor. Plenty of texture, and very filling. Their chocolate glazed leaves something to be desired, however. It lacks any sort of chocolaty flavor and tastes more like their plain glazed version only...off somehow.

Still on my list to try: About a million mom-and-pop donut places in greater Boston, including Verna's in East Boston.