Doughnut Plant
Please welcome guest writer Michelle who is a fellow foodie, phenomenal writer, and my one and only sister. She is JDP’s special correspondent to the New York food scene!
New York is a gastronomical hub of deliciousness mixed with obnoxiously trendy restaurants serving mediocre food. A challenge of mine this year is not to pigeon-hole myself by visiting the same familiar eateries I know, and instead, to seek out hidden, or in this case, not-so-hidden gems.
Doughnut Plant is somewhat of a celebrity with glowing reviews by self-proclaimed doughnut fanatics on Yelp. Plus, it was not only “challenged” by Bobby Flay on Throwdown, but Doughnut Plant won. So, this past weekend, I trekked down to the Lower East Side to check out this local favorite.
Was it good? Yes. Was it Bobby Flay Throwdown Worthy? I’d say no. While some of the doughnuts were very good, some were just blah, and for $3 bucks a doughnut, I expect more than blah. Here’s what we tried:
The creme brulee doughnut: The good part was that this doughnut was amazing. It was a perfect blend of slight crunchiness, glazed flakiness, and an amazing creme brulee filling. The bad part was that it was ridiculously small and gone in two bites.
The jelly filled square: I think you get the most band for your buck with this doughnut. It’s delicious and not gone in two bites. The jelly inside is sweet, but not overpowering or overly gooey. I would have liked a slightly higher jelly to dough ratio though.
The Chinese New Year and coconut cream: Disclaimer: I don’t like ginger, and I don’t like coconut. The Chinese New Year had ginger, and the coconut cream had, well, coconut. My partner-in-crime, however, likes ginger and coconut, and liked the Chinese New Year in that hints of ginger complemented the glazed doughnut well. But again, if you don’t like ginger, this doughnut isn’t going to magically convince you otherwise. The coconut cream had coconut flakes on the outside with a cream, coconut center. Again, if you don’t like coconut, this doughnut won’t magically convince you otherwise.
Bottom line: Doughnut Plant was good, but not amazing. Would I come back? If I were in the area and craving something sweet and dough-y, yes. If not, probably not.
Doughnut Plant is located at: 379 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002
Tags: dessert, doughnut plant, new york city
March 04 2010 01:17 pm | bakeries & restaurants and new york and thoughts
Making Doughnuts on 05 Mar 2010 at 2:46 am #
[...] Jessica's Dinner Party » Doughnut Plant [...]
babycakes on 08 Mar 2010 at 12:16 pm #
ive never tried any of those, but my mom and i liked the tres leches, c’est tres bon. we also tried the fresh strawberry but it was just okay. i always thought it was called doughnut planEt not plant for some reason…. haha
Lauren on 12 Mar 2010 at 12:15 pm #
Ahhhhh! Check it http://www.iforknewyork.net
We just went to Doughnut Plant! We did an entire doughnut tour! If you need more doughnut inspiration go to Donut Pub. Man it’s like a throwback to being a kid! The doughnuts taste like weekends at the beach when I was 10!!!
Great post!!!
Jenny on 24 Mar 2010 at 7:47 pm #
I loved doughnut plant! but maybe that’s because I am not a big fan of donuts, but these I’d be willing to consume any day. my fav was the creme brulee – but I agree it was a tad on the small side. btw: I’ve tried the one in Seoul (in myong dong) and I did not think it lived up to the standard I experienced in nyc!
Natalia on 26 Apr 2010 at 11:40 pm #
I recently had the good fortune of trying a doughnut plant doughnut, and i thought it was heavenly. I tried the chocolate one, but was very curious about the square. Now I have to go back. Thanks for the tips, Michelle!
Grace on 11 Jan 2011 at 3:42 pm #
The creme brulee doughnut IS tiny…so unfair!
stephanie on 24 Jan 2011 at 3:11 am #
your photos are GORGEOUS!
thanks for sharing — i completely disagree but respect your opinions. perhaps i’m not a donut expert, but loved reading your post.
donut plant is my absolute favorite spot in the city!