Donut Excursion: Vidalia

Do-Ho travels to Washington, DC to visit Vidalia

You may have heard that the men and women residing in our nation's capital take themselves rather seriously. Well even though that translates into political infighting, yawn-inducing fashion and just a general shortage of laid-back silliness, we are ever-so-grateful that this city also takes its donuts seriously.

One might not think that a restaurant named after an onion would house the tastiest desserts, but we discovered that Vidalia's "Sugar Spiced Doughnuts" have nothing in common with the establishment's multi-layered namesake (on the other hand these little treats were so good they might just bring tears to your eyes).

Since Do-Ho's friends were feeling a little blue after the recent election results, we decided they needed a little cheering up. Here they are at Vidalia waiting eagerly for dessert to arrive.

Below is a photo of the Sugar Spiced Doughnuts (and cinnamon-sugar rolled doughnut holes riding on top!) with accompanying dipping sauces: Chocolate-Cardamon, Berry-Citrus and Caramel-Toffee.

Finally, the success of the come-on-get-happy outing is evidenced below. Very little remained by the end of the night... but unlike a certain political party, we (thankfully) needn't wait four more years for a do-over.

Guest Blogger Donut Excursion: Super Che

Guest blogger Nisi travels to Puerto Escondido, Mexico to visit Super Che

Rarely do Do-Ho's friends travel so far for such (limited) fame and (still more limited) fortune. But our high school BFF Nisi, always a spitfire, has taken it upon herself to hop a plane to Mexico in order to guest blog for us from the Super Che market. The nervewracking thing is, our amiga does not even speak Spanish! No problema--when you're in need of a donut, we all speak the same language. 

Interested in guest blogging? We'd love to hear from you!

Hi! I found these donuts and pastries at the Super Che, the large, modern market here in Puerto Escondido. Everything is out on open shelves instead of behind glass.

The shoppers take a large metal tray and some tongs and just pile their selections on top! When you are finished choosing you take the tray to a counter where your selections are put in a brown paper bag and the total price is affixed on the outside.

This method of walking around with a tray and tongs seems deliciously sinful to me. After being here for a couple days, the comfort of a chocolate covered donut was very welcome! We moaned as we bit into them. MMMMMM......

Today we got three very large muffins (one with strawberry marmalade on top, one pineapple flavored and one that looked good but its make up is unknown), plus three chocolate-dipped donuts and a pastry with cream cheese and peaches on top. All for about three American dollars!

Check out Nisi's blog for more amazing stories on location from Puerto Escondido!

Donut Excursion: Lebanese Food Festival

Do-Ho travels to Richmond, Virginia to visit the annual Lebanese Food Festival

Occasionally, as referenced in this blog, our waistlines begin to feel the pull of what we now realize is an occupational hazard. But rather than take hiatus to address this weighty issue and therefore deprive our loyal readers of the latest in donut news coverage, we have learned to outsource our donut tasting and even our blogging when necessary. While the latest taste tester is comparatively smaller than many previous contract employees, his keen sense of taste and thoughtful commentary were huge. Below, he takes a scientific bite out of a zalabia (fried strips of dough made of flour, oil, salt, cake yeast and Middle East spices, served with special syrup). The verdict? "Mmmmmmmnnnynnnmmnymn."

Donut Excursion: Whist Restaurant

Do-Ho travels to Santa Monica, California to visit Whist Restaurant

We have to say that menus featuring fancy donuts at upscale restaurants around Los Angeles is the most delightful trend we can remember since the invention of powdered sugar...too bad it's so tough on our pocketbooks. The latest sampling was preceded by a lovely dinner on the patio of the Viceroy Hotel, and while our budget didn't allow for the private, curtained cabanas which our wealthier co-patrons enjoyed, when it came to dessert the donuts had us all equally satisfied. With fresh fruit and ice cream on the side, we very nearly hit all the major food groups with one dish. Now that's equal opportunity.

2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Pageant: Teeny Weeny Cheezy Do-ninis

When Do-Ho was just a donette, Mama Do-Ho often made classic grilled cheese sandwiches out of white bread and a slice of American cheese (the "square cheese" as our friend's daughter calls it). However as was the case with donuts, when we went out into the world we discovered that there is more than one way to enjoy this tasty treat. In fact we discovered that when bread and cheese get together, the sky is the limit. You may remember that last year Do-Ho designed a Spectacular Jelly Doughnut Grilled Cheese Sandwich, and walked away with a sash in fellow blogger Kathy's Panini Happy contest. Well this year we absolutely outdid ourselves with our original Teeny Weeny Cheezy Do-ninis. Part donut, part panini, part grilled cheese and part burger, we ended up with a complex hybrid of a meal. But don't worry, you can't go wrong with the step-by-step instructions below.

Donut Excursion: Puro Sabor

Do-Ho travels to Van Nuys, California to visit Puro Sabor

Few things in life are better than sharing a meal with a friend that involves both french fries and donuts. Do-Ho recently discovered a small, family-owned Peruvian restaurant named Puro Sabor that provides all this and more. After a large helping of steak saltados (slices of beef mixed with vegetables and tossed with french fries), Do-Ho and friend Matt (who dined on a cheesy seafood entree) split a plateful of picarones. These delightful pumpkin fritters taste subdued until dunked into the syrup that comes with them. We only wish we knew enough Spanish to make the request "More picarones with extra syrup, please!"

Below, friend Matt takes a serious bite out of a picarone.

Donut Excursion: Trish's

Do-Ho travels to San Francisco, California to visit Trish's

When we say "We left our heart in San Francisco," we're not talking about a long-distance romance...but it could be true love. Do-Ho and spunky niece-ster Kendra fell hard for these hot mini-donuts--the size of fortune cookies, just cute as can be--served in the Fisherman's Wharf area of the City by the Bay.

Together with a ride on the cable cars, night tour of Alcatraz, dim sum in Chinatown and hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli Square, it was one of the top five things we'll probably do again!

They Eat Donuts in Holland, Don't They?

Well yes, yes they do. At least the upper class folk, such as windmill owners and tulip farm owners do. We recently visited the lively city of Amsterdam, and were more than happy to contribute to the local economy by shopping for shoes (delightfully, clogs have not gone out of style here!)

and tulips in every color of the rainbow.

So it was a chilling disappointment to arrive at a bakery only to find that donuts were priced will beyond our budget. Yes, just one of these sugary Dutch treats cost two euros!

So, unable to come up with the coinage, we shuffled away in our wooden shoes. Apparently, "going Dutch" is not just a cultural artifact, it's a pillar of the economy.

Do-Ho Meets Actor Andy Garcia

If you ever thought you couldn't take your mom to see a movie containing pole dancing, convicts and a secret love child, think again. The latest movie by dreamy Andy Garcia called City Island has all of this and more, yet never offends the genteel souls among us. We ran into AG at a shindig in Beverly Hills where he spoke at length about how painful it is to get a small picture made in Hollywood these days. That may be true, but surely no more so than gluing your own head back on after being decapitated in Black Rain. Now that's gotta hurt.