Food, Stories, Uncategorized

Doughnut Dream

67 Comments

I may have bemoaned the demise of the corner doughnut shop here before. There are a few doughnut shops around but I’m not a fan of lavender infused doughnuts with basil and rosemary or mac & cheese donuts or any kind of doughnut with bacon.

For a few years I’ve been getting doughnuts at a little tiny shop down in Bloomington. They open at 5:30 in the morning and have all the old favorites and nothing out of the ordinary. Unfortunately they are way out of the way, so I only go down there when I need two or three dozen. So when I saw that a Dunkin Donuts was opening not only close to my house but on my way to the office, I was pretty excited – especially when I saw that they were putting in a drive-through!

To cheer up our first morning after the building fire I thought I would bring doughnuts in yesterday morning. When I turned in to the Dunkin Donuts, I thought about the drive-through, but there were a couple of cars in line so I parked and went in.  I got my two dozen and a couple of coffee; as I paid and looked behind me there were seven people in line.  When I went out to the car, there were about six cars waiting in the drive-through.  Clearly Dunkin is meeting a need that we didn’t even know we had!

What kind of establishment would you like to open close to you?

 

 

67 thoughts on “Doughnut Dream”

  1. I am just not a doughnut guy
    I recently joined a group of codgers for Friday,morning breakfast
    It makes me crazy that a fried egg sandwich is $10
    I like breakfast joints and I don’t mind paying for special food like at als breakfast but not the conner neighborhood bar that serves eggs at 7,
    They don’t open til 7
    What kind of breakfast joint is that.

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  2. I think I’ve mentioned Richards bakery from my childhood
    We would stop by richard in Friday night and we would laugh and joke with richard and come away with. A giant bag of day olds for a quarter
    It’s where I learned to try my baked goods
    I like jelly donuts, eclairs, nepolians, fried cinnamons, elephant ears,
    But like 1 bite of each, except napolians… been 50 years since I’ve had one.

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  3. What I’d really like is the massage therapy school with daily free sessions to get the therapists better prepared for he professional lives.
    I could be their star massage test cushion.
    Back neck shoulders legs arms feet hands glutes stomach face and neck some more
    Hot stone deep tissue cranial seikro I could be a critic extrordinarre

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  4. In Montana there is a spot called Chico hot springs. It is a spot where they tapped into the geothermal hot springs and feed it into a public pool, one area is hot water, the larger area is simply a swimming pool. A hotel,and bar/restaurant is there and in the pool you order pizza deep fried wonders and cocktails, inside is a good atmosphere but 2 or three hours before going inside spent in the hot tub is not out of the question, I would think a solar pool could simulate the hot water geothermal that they have at Chico. I love hot tubs

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  5. We have had Dunkin’ Donuts and Mister Donuts in Minneapolis before. Eventually they all folded. The Twin Cities just don’t seem to be sufficiently avid donut consumers for chain donut shops to survive. Maybe that’s changed or maybe corporate memory is short. Time will tell.

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  6. One of the big regrets I have from Hillary Clinton not winning the ’16 election is now there will never be a taco truck on every corner. There are times when I think it would be oh so nice to be able to walk down to the corner and buy some tacos for lunch or supper.

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    1. Rochester has recently started allowing food trucks. We *almost* have a taco truck on every corner! A few are still open in this winter-like weather… the others I would expect back in the summer. I’ve eaten a few (too much cilantro at one) and all have gotten pretty good reviews.
      Seriously, I counted 7 of them that seem to be semi-permanent.

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  7. is it whining if I ask for Liberty Custard and Auntie Ems Books back? Those were two local places I loved – good, inexpensive frozen custard and a friendly, neighborhood book store. Sure I can get good ice cream nearby (Milkjam is my current go-to), and there are decent independent book stores relatively close to me (the Paperback Book Exchange and, of course, Wild Rumpus)…but I really miss having something an easy bike ride away. Heck, if I could have those around the corner from me, even better. Especially the ice cream (though then I would need to walk more – because I’d probably be in there a couple times a week).

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  9. Life in Michigan would be much nicer if there were a Lunds store nearby. What we have instead are two crowded and erratically stocked stores that don’t offer much on a good day (and don’t have many good days). Since Lunds is not likely to put a good store in Port Huron, my family and I need to move back to the Twin Cities. I’ve just learned that might happen in a few months..

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    1. Trader Joe’s stores are fun because they offer stuff that is creative and not found in average grocery stores. They don’t, however, stock many items I used to find at my Lunds store, which offered some highly appreciated specialty items, a civil shopping environment, great meat and produce and a cheerful staff. I think Lunds and Byerlys are joined at the hip these days.

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      1. To me the pleasure of shopping at Trader Joe’s is the employees. TD apparently give each of them the mandate to make decisions about how to resolve shopper issues. As a group, their employees are remarkable; they care about the store and their customers. I don’t go there often, but it’s always a pleasure.

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    2. I now have a Trader Joe’s that is within 2 miles. Very convenient. We have an Aldi 5 blocks away – but there is going to be a new, bigger-than-usual Aldi opening about 1.5 miles away; not only will it be bigger than most Aldi stores, but rumor has it that there will be more selection of foods, especially of fresh and organic products. Very exciting.

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  11. There used to be a bakery on East River Parkway in S. Mpls – Mello Crème or Mello Glaze, something like that… is that still there, does anyone know? Came to mind when VS said “tiny shop… with nothing out of the ordinary.”

    We have the famous Bloedow’s (rhymes with play-doh) that has been on Broadway since 1924, and it’s two blocks from here. I’ve really had to rein myself in. There’s actually a filled donut schedule: Mondays and Thursdays are Bavarian creme, Tuesday and Fridays are lemon or whip creme, etc. But my favorite thing there is there coconut macaroon cookies… lighter than air. Don’t serve coffee or anything, but there is always a line on Saturday afternoon, as they’re closed Sundays.

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    1. The Bibelot Shop is closing, i.e. the owner is retiring, and though she’s open to offers on her wonderful gift stores, there are three of them I believe, she says they’re retiring when she is at the end of the year.

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      2. We used to shop at The Bibelot because the owner had such a sure eye for original, attractive items. Because she was such a smart buyer you could shop there knowing the odds were high of finding gifts that would be unique and pleasing.

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    3. My sister lives two blocks from the Mello Glaze but I think they may have closed, or switched to a doggie bakery. 😦

      If had a good doughnut shop around the corner from me (or even a Dunkin’ Donuts, I’d double my weight inside of a year.

      We lost our spectacular cupcake and cake bakery two weeks ago, so it’d be nice if a new quality bakery opened up in town. I’m a quality guy, so I’d rather have one perfect doughnut once a week rather than tasteless, dry fried dough every day. My gold standard for great local doughnuts was Palm’s Bakery in St. Louis Park. Right up there is Tobie’s in Hinckley. Whatever that secret ingredient is that they put in their doughnuts (cardamom?) puts them in the elite class.

      And the chocolate icing on a great doughnut MUST taste like chocolate! Not like dark brown sweet goo.

      And now that makes me think of the place in Bartlett, IL that made the best eclairs I’ve ever tasted outside of France. I believe it was called Poundcakes. *SIGH and SHIVER* God, those were delicious!

      Chris in Owatonna (who intends to enjoy a first-class apple turnover at our fairly new Mexican taco place/coffee shop later today. Mmmmm!)

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      2. World’s Best Donuts in Grand Marais makes a mighty fine chocolate glazed cake donut. True chocolate taste and melt-in-your-mouth donut. Haven’t had one in awhile (but the last person I sent there said they were still good).

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        1. I used to like them too, but the last time I tried one, several years ago, it was way too greasy and heavy. Might have been a faulty batch. I’ll try one next time I’m up there.

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  12. I consider myself lucky to live in a neighborhood with lots of ethnic flavor, both food wise and culturally. We may not have a taco truck on every corner, but there are at least four or five really good Mexican eateries close by. There’s also Babani’s Kurdish Restaurant; Beirut is great for when a yen for Lebanese food strikes; Lucky China which, despite it’s name, serves even better Korean food, and Ali Baba’s which serves some decent Greek food. We also have three authentic Mexican bakeries, but since I have an underdeveloped sweet tooth, I find most of their offerings too sweet, and their bread too white and insubstantial; give me some substance and whole grains, please. Now that the High Bridge has reopened, the Waldmann Brewery and Wurstery is within an easy commute for some good German sausage and beer in a really sweetly restored old inn.

    Despite the fact I consider my neighborhood too hilly for anything to be within an easy bike ride, I love that I can get to all of these places without getting onto the freeway or other heavy traffic. Truth be told, I sold my bike a few years ago, because I didn’t feel safe riding it except on designated bike paths. Those inner city bike lanes with stencils of bikes offer only a thin white line to protect bikers from inattentive motorists, not nearly good enough in my estimation.

    I like tim’s idea of a massage school, although I wouldn’t expect the service to be free. Then again I have easy access to two that are within an easy commute. Other programs at these schools also offer daily lunches and dinners prepared by their culinary students, as well a manicures, pedicures, and hair cuts by students in other programs. I don’t avail myself of these services nearly often enough, but it’s a comfort to know they are there.

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      1. The YMCA in West St Paul will be closing in the not too distant future. Rumor has it that it will be torn down and replaced with a Hy-Vee. Hope it happens while I’m still up for cooking.

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    2. Like many folks living in Minneapolis I rarely ventured into Saint Paul for years and years. I just felt no need to go there. That changed when I discovered that Saint Paul had a thriving Lebanese community that offered Middle Eastern food I couldn’t find in Minneapolis. What was the grocery store? Morgan’s? Loved it.

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        1. I used to go there all the time when I first moved to the neighborhood in 1975. Then in 1979 I bought the house we currently live in, just a few blocks from the store. I loved that I didn’t have a clue what half the stuff in the their fresh produce section was, and had no idea what do with it. Mr and Mrs. Morgan were always there, and ran the store with the help of a few part-time Mexican ladies. Sometime in the mid 80s they opened a small deli in an adjacent room. It had two or three tiny tables where you could enjoy a lamb or spinach pie with some home made garlic sauce, a taco with choice of meat a hot, fresh salsa, and a friendly chat with Mrs. Morgan.

          When Mr. and Mrs. Morgan retired, their son and his wife took it over. It didn’t take long before he closed the deli, and turned the store into a place that subsisted on selling telephone calling cards and illicit drugs. Eventually he was nailed for unpaid sales taxes, and they were forced to close the store. By that time, there was little left of what had once been a vibrant, neighborhood institution, and the building remained empty for a number of years. Then someone, probably a real estate agent (that’s just a wild guess on my part), decided that the colorful “Aztec City” mural on the store’s north-facing exterior wall was the culprit for the building not selling, so it was painted over. And just like that, one of the neighborhood landmarks was gone.

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  13. I don’t eat a donut a year, so that wouldn’t interest me but I really wish we had a really good Chinese takeout within easy walking or driving range. There are several in the neighborhood and I’ve looked for recommendations on the various neighborhood chat sites. We’ve tried them all—for most of them once was enough—and none of them are better than meh!

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      1. It’s not that I can’t and don’t make my own. I like take out for when I get home from something at six and don’t feel like starting the process of chopping, etc. that late.

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        1. At some point in the past I fell into the role of shopper for our family, then I fell into the role of cook. When I finally realized how disgusting my cooking was, I studied to become better. Randomly, I began by learning Chinese cooking. And initially that worked well. I next tried to learn to make soups, and my range as a cook just expanded from there.

          I stopped doing Chinese food, and that seemed odd to me, for we all liked it. I finally figured out there were two good reasons to do any kind of cooking except Chinese. First, there was so much great takeout Chinese food available at reasonable prices. Second, if I cooked with care my Chinese dishes came out well but were not appreciably better than the stuff we got takeout. So there wasn’t much reason to go on cooking Chinese dishes. I could work hard chopping and frying and all that stuff . . . or I could pick up the phone.

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        2. It’s true that the Chinese recipes I cook are no better than good take out, especially in terms of the sauces, but the ones I cook at home are more generous with the pricier ingredients.

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        3. I wonder why you can’t get basic Chinese sauces like you can Italian sauces and Indian ones. You could just lightly saute some vegetables and/or protein, add the sauce, heat it, and you’d be good to go. I’ve never seen sauce bottled that way, have you?
          Tim—get on that with your China connections, will you?

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        4. That’s a great point, Bill. I can make tasty, easy Italian dishes working with bottled tomato sauces. I can cook some flavorful Indian dishes with bottled sauces, although they are quite expensive. You’d think bottled Chinese sauces would be popular.

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        5. To make proper Chinese sauces, you have to have on hand fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, Chinese cooking wine, soy sauce, szechuan peppers, sesame oil and probably other things I’m forgetting. Bottled sauces would let you forgo all that.

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        6. I’ve found some Thai pre-made sauces at the co-op and Trader Joe’s, but you’re right, I don’t think I’ve seen any Chinese ones, unless you count the canned chop suey. (which I don’t)

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    2. Don’t know if Andrew Zimmern’s new restaurant has carry-out, but he seems to think he has the inside scoop on what constitutes good Chinese food. Of course, it isn’t exactly in your neck of the woods, either.

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    3. only vaguely related; the crab rangoon at HuHot is really good! Better than that gotten at some chinese resturants.
      (Just googled it and I see the Rochester HuHot is the only one in MN. Huh!) https://www.huhot.com/

      It’s pretty good. ‘Make-your-own’ Mongolian stir fry.
      (The main food is the stir-fry, but the Crab Rangoon and Pot stickers are not ‘make your own’).

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  14. It would be nice to a have a high end cooking store, but, as I think on it, our local ACE hardware takes care of that by selling Le Creuset and other good cookware and appliances, along with a pretty good selection of the more arcane cooking tools, lefse griddles, pizzele irons, etc.

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  15. A Dunkin’ Donuts opened in West St. Paul within the past year or so. I was somewhat concerned that it threatens the viability of the little mom & pop donut shop, Granny Donuts, on South Robert Street.

    Granny Donuts has been operating for over thirty years, run by an Asian couple, now elderly, who will probably want to retire at some point. For as long as the place has been in existence, I’ve never seen anyone working the counter except the husband and wife. The shop is always open, and they are always there. If both of them are there, one is frying and one is waiting on customers. If only one is working, maybe due to illness or a rare day off, you may have a wait at the counter. I’ve been there when the owner excused himself with a line of customers waiting, went back to the kitchen to take some donuts out of the fryer or put more in, and reappeared ten minutes later to serve as cashier again.

    No one objects if he does this. The donuts are so much better than anything else available anywhere. If you have to wait ten minutes, you’ll wait. That’s just how it is.

    It probably won’t be there much longer. All the businesses run by people of a certain age are closing down. At some point Dunkin’ Donuts will be the only option, more’s the pity.

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    1. I have never been to Granny Donuts, and with my donut eating habits, I’m sure it won’t make a difference if I ever go, but it seems like an establishment I should at least have tried once.

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