Other people’s doughnuts
Hello, everyone. And welcome back to Where to Eat, the weekly newsletter where I tell you a story about New York in three restaurant recommendations. This week we’re talking about doughnuts: cake, yeasted — anchovy? I first saw the small saltwater fish atop a doughnut this winter, while visiting a relatively new shop called I’m Donut? (You can read all about it below.) It’s one of a handful of transplant doughnut shops that have opened or announced expansions here in the last year. (See also: Cops from Toronto and Voodoo Doughnut from Portland, Ore.) Does everything that exists somewhere else also need to exist in New York? I don’t know, but there’s no denying the demand for these spots, bringing new doughnuts to the city, and crowds with them. Here’s what I ordered when I visited three of them this month.
Doughnuts from JapanWho would stand in line for a doughnut with a Krispy Kreme right down the street? I’ve been wondering that since April, when I’m Donut?, a Japanese bakery chain, opened its first international location in Times Square. For a time, the stanchioned crowds outside rivaled the lines at “Oh, Mary!,” across the street. That was the old me. The new me knows well and good that the doughnuts at I’m Donut? — yes, that existential question mark is part of the name — are the only ones of their kind in New York. They deliver a mochi-like chew, thanks to the kabocha squash in the dough, and gently rise to about half their width, like plump, powdered paçzki. Miraculously, the doughnuts work just as well with sweet ingredients — sake custard, peanut butter cream — as with savory ones. The jury is still out on the one full of lukewarm scrambled egg, but I love the current special: a plain doughnut slathered with a béchamel sauce and a single anchovy draped over the top like nigiri. 154 West 45th Street (Seventh Avenue), Times Square
Doughnuts from Los AngelesOne of the first things you see when you deplane at L.A.X. and hit the 405 is a 32-foot doughnut. Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, Calif., used to be one of the few places you could still find an oversized, sun-bleached cruller like the good old days. But the brand has aggressively franchised in recent years, expanding to Mexico City, Tokyo and Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Philippines. In December, Randy’s opened in Greenwich Village, though it offers little comfort for Angelenos. There’s no enlarged doughnut casting shadows down on customers (safety and zoning, yada yada), and the doughnuts are trucked into the city from a baking facility in Queens. So as a Californian, I had my doubts, but my order of three doughnuts hit the spot around noon on a recent weekday. The original “raised and glazed” flavor is still a workhorse on par with the Kaiser roll: perfect for when there’s a line at the Donut Pub down the street and just good enough to rule out a visit to Dunkin’. 185 Bleecker Street (MacDougal Street), Greenwich Village
Doughnuts from Montreal (and ‘The Simpsons’)One reason to love Homie’s Donuts in NoLIta is the unabashed “Simpsons” theme: The walls are painted gender-reveal blue and pink with a pastry case that channels Lard Lad Donuts. Another reason is the fantastic yeasted doughnuts. They’re baked throughout the day and frosted in varying neon shades. The shop is run by Steve Stilianudakis, a real estate agent from Astoria who left his job last year to go all in on doughnuts after coming across the original Homer’s Donuts in Montreal. (He met with Terry Axiotis, the owner of Homer’s, and persuaded him to share his recipes.) If you like simple, yeasted doughnuts done well, you’ll appreciate the care that goes into the original glazed flavor. It dimples slightly wherever it’s gripped and springs back after each bite. (Arrive before noon and there’s a good chance of getting one warm.) You can also find doughnuts in flavors like Dubai chocolate and cannoli, but I was drawn to the canonical, strawberry-frosted one: cartoonishly large and covered in sprinkles, just like in Springfield. 23 Cleveland Place (Kenmare Street), NoLIta Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have New York City restaurant questions? Send us a note here. Follow NYT Food on TikTok and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
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