Do or ...donut! -- Day 579

When one spends a lot of time by oneself, one has ample opportunity for the contemplation of the deeper mysteries of life. Who am I? Why am I here? What is the purpose of all of this? Where can I get a really good donut? It is these important questions that drive us, and that give life meaning and color.

As I traverse this vast, sprawling Metroplex, I see many signs for little donut shops. I'm a huge fan of the small business models, and buying local. The excitement of finding a tiny, hole-in-the-wall donut shop with amazing products is the real American Dream. (All that stuff about getting married, buying a house, settling down? SECONDARY TO FINDING A GOOD DONUT SHOP)

Today, I am proud to announce that I have found the BEST donut I've ever tasted. But first, the runners up:

Krispy Kreme
5118 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75206

Now, if you follow me on Twitter, you will know that I'm a huge fan of Krispy Kreme (and if you have never had the basic glazed donut while it's still hot, you have no grounds to argue against them.) But while KK does the simple donut really (REALLYREALLYREALLY) well, it goes against that hole-in-the-wall dream that I have. Still, I wanted to see what they could do with a personal favorite of mine, the classic Boston Creme. The donut was light and flaky, the creme filling was sweet and delicious -- if a little scant. The chocolate icing on top was a bit chalky, and flaked off in shingles. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. 4/10

Shin's Donuts
8251 N Belt Line Rd # 140, Irving, TX 75063


This is the AMERICAN DREAM donut shop. A very nondescript, unassuming, hole-in-the-wall, family-owned donut shop. And let me tell you this: they have the BEST kolaches EVER. More croissant than donut, they are warm with a hint of sweetness that perfectly accents the tangy sausage link in the middle. I would drive out of my way to stop here, but luckily they are less than a mile from my house! I gave them the Boston Creme donut test: the pastry was a little greasy on the palate, and a bit dry. Filling was flavorful, but there wasn't very much of it, and it was so off center that I had to bite twice to get any at all. Despite that, I give Shin's 6/10 and highly recommend that you go get kolaches. Thank me later.



Now, I want to tell you about this donut that haunts my dreams. When I picked it up from the box, the first thing that I noticed was its heft: this donut meant business. It was supple, but not falling apart; it reminded me of a fluffy down pillow. Sinking my teeth into the soft, perfectly cooked dough and being immediately greeted by the delicious Boston Creme, I was transported! The chocolate icing was perfectly sweet, and there was so much filing that it was spilling out onto my hand. THIS was what donuts were supposed to be like!

Where did I find this pastry marvel?

Dunkin' Donuts
14841 S Coit Rd, Dallas, TX 75248

Whyyyyy? This goes against everything that I wanted! Corporate giant, with relatively poor customer service, and the most fantastic donut experience I've had in a long while. I even got six different kinds, hoping that maybe the Boston Creme was a fluke? Nope. Bavarian Creme: delicious. Chocolate Creme: wonderful. Lemon filled: tangy, sweet goodness. Apple filled: better than homemade pie. Vanilla Creme: I'm going to die from a sugar overdose, but I will be smiling the whole time. I give them 9/10, missing the perfect score because the customer services was really poor.




So, there you have it. The Giant has slain David, not with sheer size, but with better skills. I'm just lucky it's so far away from my house, or I'd probably go broke and die in a Boston Creme coma.