(Still) Searching for the Secret

If you’ve been following these blog posts, you’ll know that I am a big fan of old-fashioned donuts. Force me to choose just one donut from a wide selection, and I’ll go with a maple old-fashioned. I have always wondered how donut shops make these distinctly shaped donuts; my preferred way of consuming them is to break off the edges in sections, leaving the icing-coated center for last.

Last weekend, I attempted to make my own old-fashioned donuts at home. Let’s call it practice for the day when I finally open up my donut shop. Judging from the results, that day is still quite a ways off.

Don’t get me wrong, my old-fashioned donuts came out tasting pretty good, but I failed miserably in my attempt to give the donuts the signature shape of an old-fashioned. I used a recipe from the Top Pot cookbook, in which sage advice was dispensed about using a lower cooking temperature, as well as a double-flip method—that means flipping the donuts over in the oil twice rather than once, as is standard practice when making other varieties.

I'm calling this one the Gazelle.
It went down fast!

Two flavors were attempted: plain old-fashioned and chocolate old-fashioned. Vanilla icing and maple stripes went onto my plain old-fashioned, while the chocolate was coated with maple icing and pecans. Both came out a bit more dense than I’d hoped, possibly due to the fact that I don’t have a big industrial mixer to make my dough nice and light—that’s item #1 on my shopping list before I open my donut shop. The taste, however was surprisingly good for homemade donuts, especially the chocolate-maple-pecan bomb.

What should I name this one?

I may just need to follow in the footsteps of Meng, the manager of Sunny Donuts in Kearny Mesa. He attended Dunkin’ Donuts University (or maybe it’s Dunkin Donuts College, I’m not sure), where he learned how to make all types of donuts, before forging ahead with his own creations. I wonder if DDU has a football team. Now that’s a team everyone would want to cheer for!

Savoy Donuts, Escondido

Warm and welcoming!

Go to almost any donut shop during the busy morning hours, and you can expect to be greeted by impatient workers who flip their tongs over and over, urging you to hurry up with your selections so that they can get you out of the way and move on to the next customer. That was not the case at Savoy Donuts in Escondido, where MM and I were welcomed by Dan, the friendly manager of the establishment. Great name, great donuts, great place to hang out. What more could one want from a donut shop on a drizzly morning?

Savoy Donuts is located just off Auto Park Way, so any time you are in need of a little boost before shopping for a vehicle, I would recommend that you stop by this place to kick back, enjoy a donut or two, and plan your negotiating strategy before hitting the dealers’ lots. Savvy Dan will even give you an extra kick by refilling your coffee cup at no charge.

So many varieties, I felt deprived.

The selection at Savoy was better than most, with a good selection of cakes, raiseds, bars, and old-fashioneds, although the elusive cruller was missing from the racks. I spotted a vanilla buttermilk bar, and just had to give it a whirl, along with a maple bar and an innovative red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. The buttermilk bar was still warm when I pulled it apart. Talk about freshness! Even the cinnamon butterfly that MM selected was still steaming a bit, fresh from the kitchen. We also tried out a raised donut with crème filling and toasted coconut topping, which proved to have a nice balance, neither too sweet nor too dry.

The butterfly

The maple bar, however, was an absolute beast! As soon as I hefted it off the plate, I knew that I had made a mistake in my selection. The bar turned out to contain a crème filling—on the rack below was one without the filling, which was the one I wanted. Still, that’s my bad for not asking Dan which was which. The maple bar with crème was overly sweet, and—believe it or not—was left unfinished on the plate.

Regarding the cinnamon butterfly, MM said, “Mm.” Regarding the buttermilk bar, she said, “Mm.” Regarding the others, she said, “Mm, I’m full,” so it was left to me to finish off the rest, with the exception of the aforementioned maple bar.

Next time...

Savoy Donuts scored 85.5 on the D-Meter, good for the #3 spot on our list. Extra points were scored for the establishment’s friendly, inviting atmosphere, but what put it over the top of most other local donut shops was the fact that its donuts were spankin’ fresh and delish. I only wish I could have tried out a regular raised donut instead of the maple bar. As we were about to leave, I spotted a beastly bear claw with vanilla icing and cinnamon crumbles on the rack; it was still under construction in the kitchen when we placed our order. I took a picture of it, telling Dan, “I gotta get a shot of this, so I know what to get next time!” Because, my friends, there will be another trip to Savoy Donuts.

Top Ten Donut Meter Scores:

1. Peterson’s Donut Corner, Escondido — 94.0

2. Sunny Donuts, Kearny Mesa — 87.0

3. Savoy Donuts, Escondido — 85.5

4. RB Donuts, Rancho Bernardo — 83.0

5. Donut Haven, Hillcrest — 82.7

6. Super Donuts, Carlsbad — 82.0

7. Danny’s Donuts, Vista — 81.0

8. Christy’s Donuts, Kearny Mesa — 80.0

8. Honey Donuts, Santee — 80.0

10. Golden Donut, University City — 79.3

RB Donuts, Rancho Bernardo

The old lady walked past me to her seat in the corner of RB Donuts, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes: This is what it’s all about! In her hands was a frosted chocolate cake donut with sprinkles; her elbows were edged outward, guarding against anyone who might dare get too close to her treat. That’s when I knew RB Donuts in Rancho Bernardo was a winner.

Where (grown-up) cool people hang out.

Rancho Bernardo may be stereotyped as a “retirement community,” but let me tell you, it is anything but. In fact, I spent my formative years in RB, although I rarely visited RB Donuts during that time. My buddies and I preferred to get away from any prying eyes and head north to the 24/7 aura of Peterson’s in Escondido, which—believe it or not—was the cool place to hang out. But now that I am less of a troublemaker, it’s totally cool to go to RB Donuts—just not at 1:00 in the morning.

The selection at RB Donuts is excellent, with cake donuts, raised donuts, crullers, old-fashioneds, jelly donuts of all sorts, apple and blueberry fritters, and several varieties of crème-filled donuts as well. Take a look at this chocolate bar with whipped cream—it may have gotten squashed a little in the box, but when it went down the hatch, no one was taking any pictures (which I suppose is a good thing). Fantastic consistency, plus a rich flavor in the filling, made this one the cream of the crop! It was available in a smaller version, too, but “smaller” is not a word in my dictionary when I visit a donut shop.

The definition of fluffiness.

Also on hand was a darn fine maple cruller, which possessed a strong flavor in both the icing and pastry. Few crullers I’ve come across can hit the mark with a subtle hint of egg, but this was one of them. Just finding a cruller was a nice surprise, but it was even better to find that it had been made almost to perfection. Peterson’s is the only place that I’ve come across that makes better crullers. The blueberry fritter turned out to be satisfactory, but I prefer the juiciness and cinnamon-ness of a nicely done apple fritter. The cake donut, which I had to try after watching the old lady carry it away with such a gleeful smile, was not quite as good as I’d hoped. Then again, I’m more a fan of crullers and raised donuts than I am of cake donuts. If the old lady thinks those cake donuts are the bomb, well, I’m not going to argue with her. She has been around much longer than I have, and is very much entitled to her opinion.

With a varied and creative menu, friendly service, and donuts that are so fresh they melt in your hand, RB Donuts achieved a D-Meter score of 83.0, putting it in the #3 spot on our list. When you’re approaching retirement age, consider settling in Rancho Bernardo. Great golf, great neighbors, and great donuts make for one great place to live! (And yes, I am biased when I say that.)

Top Ten Donut Meter Scores:

1. Peterson’s Donut Corner, Escondido — 94.0

2. Sunny Donuts, Kearny Mesa — 87.0

3. RB Donuts, Rancho Bernardo — 83.0

4. Donut Haven, Hillcrest — 82.7

5. Super Donuts, Carlsbad — 82.0

6. Danny’s Donuts, Vista — 81.0

7. Christy’s Donuts, Kearny Mesa — 80.0

7. Honey Donuts, Santee — 80.0

9. Golden Donut, University City — 79.3

10. OB Donuts — 78.7

Donut Stop, Mira Mesa

What if I want to stop here?

I’m not sure what it is with the names of donut shops in Mira Mesa. There’s Donut Touch (Do-Not-Touch?), and a couple miles away is Donut Stop (Do-Not-Stop?), which was my destination last weekend. If it’s donuts that are being served, of course I want to touch them, and of course I want to stop and grab a few. Ignore the play on words and just focus on the offerings inside.

Donut Stop is just off Mira Mesa Boulevard, on Black Mountain Road. It’s within easy reach of anyone traveling on Interstate 15, and not too far from Route 56, either. Donuts 101 lesson of the day: Easy access equals more customers. Throwing in an extra cream puff always helps, too.

Trick or treat, trick or treat,
Give us something good to eat!

The offerings were rather sparse, though, with only a few varieties of raised donuts and old-fashioneds (chocolate and plain in both cases), and no crullers. Cake varieties were plentiful, though, some with seasonal toppings, as evidenced by this Halloween-themed cake donut with maple icing and sprinkles. Halloween may be more than three weeks away, but it’s never too early to put up the decorations or enjoy a tricked-up donut like this. It proved to be a bit above average, with a strong maple flavor and fresh, moist consistency.

Alas, that was about it when it came to good donuts from Donut Stop. An apple-filled bear claw was underwhelming; more apples and a crumb coating would have given it more oomph. A jelly donut—I have no idea why I picked it out—was just plain ordinary, with a tasteless red blob in the middle. I could not even identify what flavor it was supposed to be. Should have asked.

Never complain about a free cream puff.

The aforementioned cream puffs were decent, but not as crisp and fresh as I’d hoped. When you have to chew a cream puff, that’s a sure sign that you’ve been stuck with something from an undercooked batch. No wonder I got that extra one in my bag. Not that I’m complaining or anything.

I’ll give Donut Stop kudos for making an attempt at innovation with their holiday sprinkles and apple-filled bear claw, as well as the free cream puff, but taste and variety were just average. Their D-Meter score of 70.0 puts the establishment in the lower half of our rankings—but that doesn’t mean going to Mickey D’s for an Egg McMuffin is a better option than a fresh donut. An Egg McMuffin with bacon, however . . .

Top Ten Donut Meter Scores:

1. Peterson’s Donut Corner, Escondido — 94.0

2. Sunny Donuts, Kearny Mesa — 87.0

3. Donut Haven, Hillcrest — 82.7

4. Super Donuts, Carlsbad — 82.0

5. Danny’s Donuts, Vista — 81.0

6. Christy’s Donuts, Kearny Mesa — 80.0

6. Honey Donuts, Santee — 80.0

8. Golden Donut, University City — 79.3

9. OB Donuts — 78.7

10. K-Donuts, Oceanside — 78.0

10. Heavenly Donuts, Allied Gardens —78.0

10. Plaza Donuts, National City — 78.0