Heavenly Donuts, Del Cerro

First of all, I need to thank Mr. Hawk, who so kindly allowed me to kick his duff on the golf course yesterday, which resulted in a few extra dollars in my wallet. Those few dollars went right into my donut fund and covered the purchase at Heavenly Donuts on Waring Road in Del Cerro. Now, Del Cerro is not normally a neighborhood I would visit, but I wanted to expand my range this weekend. I simply selected Heavenly Donuts from a list of shops in the area—no recommendation, no positive reviews—I just saw “Del Cerro” on the list and decided I’d check it out.

There’s nothing too special about the place: it’s located at the end of a strip mall on Waring Road, and there are just a couple of small tables inside. I’d call it a stop-and-go type of place, which is just fine for most donut shops. And stopping and going was what I did this morning. The selections are about average, with all the standard varieties available, including crullers (bonus points!). But if you’re looking for more than just basic donuts, Heavenly isn’t all that great. They do offer some interesting varieties, including this chocolate “ghost” who appears quite happy with the fact that he is about to be eaten by the Donut Man:

If you know your donuts, you’ll recognize this as a rip-off of the VooDoo donut from Oregon, and Heavenly also offered a similar donut with raspberry filling, which is a complete rip-off of VooDoo’s signature donut. (By the way, a co-worker recently went to VooDoo and brought me a bumper sticker—so I need to say thanks!) Nevertheless, the ghost donut was excellent, and I saved the head for my last bite.

The cruller, however, was a bit soggy and undercooked, lacking the crisp exterior that can be found on a well-done cruller. But at least Heavenly offers them on the menu, which is better than some places can claim. After getting a nibble from the Beaneater’s buttermilk bar last week, I decided to round off my order with a buttermilk bar with maple icing, which proved to be a wise choice. I grew up on Peterson’s maple buttermilk bars, and although Heavenly makes a darn good buttermilk bar, it is nowhere near as good as Peterson’s.

Yeah, I am biased toward Peterson’s Donut Corner, and am proud to admit it. Peterson’s is the measuring stick by which all other donuts are judged, and as a result, Heavenly scored 78.0 on the Donut Meter. Taste was slightly above average, but variety, innovation, and customer experience just average. Still, I am glad that I visited Heavenly Donuts today, as it gave me a chance to expand my geographical range. On top of that, the Donut Man has his first road trip outside of San Diego County scheduled for next weekend. Stay tuned . . .

Updated Donut Meter Scores:

1. Peterson’s Donut Corner, Escondido — 94.0

2. Donut Haven, Hillcrest — 82.7

3. Super Donuts, Carlsbad — 82.0

4. OB Donuts — 78.7

5. Heavenly Donuts, Del Cerro —78.0

6. Donut Touch, Mira Mesa — 76.8

7. Foster’s Family Donuts, San Marcos — 68.0

8. Leucadia Donut Shoppe — 62.5