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| Where all the cool people hang out. |
All year long, I
have been pestered by people asking me, “Have you been to VG’s?” And I always
respond, “Yeah, once, a while back, but I plan to go again soon.” What took so
long for me to get around to visiting VG’s? Well, I wanted to go with my good
friends Big B and Sir Isaac, and it wasn’t until this past weekend that we were
able to align our plans. Those plans included a nice, smooth 13-mile run along
the coast, during which we talked about . . . donuts. What, did you think we
would talk about all the pretty ladies who ran past and winked at us, and then
argue about who got the most winks? Pshaw!
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| Get 'em while they're hot! |
The line out the
door of VG’s wasn’t too bad, as it moved quickly and the staff took orders with
practiced efficiency. In surveying the racks, I noticed that there weren’t any
crullers, nor were there any maple old-fashioneds, which are two of my favorite
varieties. Sir Isaac, who will always
get a cruller if one is available, was a bit grumpy, but nevertheless gave in
and got an apple fritter plus a few cake donuts with sprinkles to take home to
the Mrs. and Lil’ C.
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| Crumbs galore. |
Big B and I tried
out the crumb-topped raised donut and a few others, but this one really stood
out among the rest. It was light, fresh, and 100 percent coated with crumbs. As
soon as I bit in, the nooks and crannies of my mouth were swarmed by countless
cinnamon crumbs. Although I considered the crumb donut my favorite, Big B was
more a fan of the blueberry buttermilk bar, which, I have to admit, was pretty
darn decent; it did not, however, come close to being the best buttermilk bar
I’ve encountered.
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| Big B's b-b-bar. |
Said Big B, “This
is the best blueberry buttermilk bar I’ve had. The crumb cake was light with a
really good flavor.” Then he went on to tell us about some—ahem—interesting things that came up in his conversation with the
gal behind the counter. I’ll leave it to your imagination, but let’s just say
that they did not talk about donuts, and it left the rest of us a bit wide-eyed
and shaking our heads.
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| "These are good donuts, Daddy!" |
Sir Isaac, once he
got past his foul mood at being denied his crullers, mellowed out and said,
“The fritter was just plain. I liked the variety of cake donuts with colorful
toppings, but nothing was creative.” Lil’ C, however, is quite fond of
sprinkles, and will give the thumbs-up to a bowl of steamed spinach if it came topped
with chocolate sprinkles. “These are good donuts, Daddy,” she told Sir Isaac
when he got home. Mrs. Newton wasn’t too impressed with her glazed old-fashioned,
though. That lady has high standards, as Sir Isaac will tell you proudly.
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| The folks at VG's sure know how to be festive. |
I need to point
out that VG’s is more than just a donut shop. They offer a wide variety of
cookies, cakes, pastries, and breads, which we left untouched. I did, however,
manage to capture this really cool picture of a snowman cake. That one must
have taken a lot of work!
The atmosphere at
VG’s is great—it’s a nice place to hang out after a run, ride, or swim, and
there are plenty of seats outside on the patio. The staff is friendly, the
service is quick, and you can even get up close and watch the cake decorator in
action by the exit. Good times, good times.
But the verdict on
the donuts? Good but not spectacular. I’ve had many donuts from other places
that are much better, and there are dozens of places around town that offer
more variety. When we rack up the points on the D-Meter, taste counts for 60
percent, variety 20 percent, innovation 10 percent, and customer experience 10
percent. If customer experience were weighted more, VG’s would likely climb a
few spots on our list, but as it turned out, VG’s scored 78.7 on the D-Meter, which puts it at #11 on our list, falling just
short of cracking the top ten. I know a lot of folks who will give me grief
over this, but I have no problem with making this statement: VG’s is a cool
place, but if you want the best donuts in town, head up to Peterson’s; it’s
worth the trip.
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
