An Experiment - The Gluten Free Frozen Donut

Now, I have no plans to regularly review store bought donuts.  Y'know it's a slippery slope where I begin innocently with grocery store bakery reviews of some packaged donuts and the slide goes down to the point where I'm ruminating on different brands of powdered donuts sold in vending machines.  No, I'm not going there, but this was a totally different case.  First, I have never seen a frozen donut in the store.  Second, it looked amazing on the box (Is it just me, or are they making gluten free food look so much better in pictures??).  Third, it's unique in that it is gluten free, diary free, even nut free (although they're just piling on the certifications at that point)  Even the check out person at the grocery store couldn't believe how good they looked on the box.  Plus, she mentioned her husband has to eat gluten free and she had no idea the store started carrying these.

A huge perk of this situation is the knowledge that you will be "cooking" the donut and eating it warm which I believe is one of the greatest food moments a person can feel.  Fresh and room temperature is one thing, but fresh and still warm?  That is magic.
So you can do these in the microwave straight from the freezer, or you can thaw and heat in the microwave for less time.  The most it will take is 35 seconds from the freezer and that is above the recommendation but I found it reached the ultimate "melt in your mouth"  setting when I doubled the recommendations on the package.

It tastes really, really good!  The icing is very sweet and it's a great small donut.  It's dense enough to handle the icing and the vanilla is perfect.  It's downright awesome.  It's not healthy.  It still packs a wallop on your daily values and you never know what you're getting in a donut shop, but these numbers sound right on for what you'd usually expect.  A little expensive too.  I think it was $6.50 for a 6 pack.

All in all, a really great idea and really great execution.  They make more varieties too: pumpkin spice, chocolate dipped, cinnamon sugar, and maple glazed.  Albertsons only sold the vanilla glazed but but this could just be the start!

Give it a shot:
Kinnikinnick Foods - Gluten Free Donuts

Getting some Donut Love at Country Donuts - 93/100

One rainy morning I stopped off at the Country Donuts in Lakeside to grab a dozen for work and right when I walked though the door I knew I was going to be happy.  They had a great selection and lots of different sprinkle/glaze combinations to astound the eye.  They even make the orange donut!

It is a great location right off the 67 and nearby cheap gas.  Superfriendly owner and customers.  And really good prices!  I don't pay attention to price so I can't compare for sure.  I mean, who am I kidding?  I'll pay whatever for a donut, I'm totally oblivious while giving my money away for donuts.  But I think these are the best prices I've had.  8 bucks for a dozen?!?  A buck and a quarter for 14 donut holes?!?  Really good.

And the donuts are fresh and doughy and push all my buttons.  I've been on a chocolate chip kick with donuts ever since Spudnuts and this place had a couple different chip combinations with glazes.  I focused on a white glazed donut with chocolate chips it was the right amount of vanilla and chocolate combination.

I love the pink box of a dozen donuts and imagining what they're all doing in there together while the lid is closed.  The mind goes wild imagining the donut orgy taking place in there when I'm swerving around a corner and donuts are mashing up against one another.  My donut got some pink icing on one side from another in the box and I really enjoy when something random like that gives me an extra flavor to throw into the mix.  Y'know my vanilla glazed was rubbing all over that pink icing lovely while I was on my way to work.  It's just a big box of donut love that gives you even greater satisfaction when finally chowing down on your chosen one.

Country Donuts

12169 Woodside Ave

Suite C

Lakeside, CA 92040

Quick Score - 10 - Really enjoyed it
Donut Quality - 9 - Near top quality
Donut Selection - 10 - Large selection
Donut Freshness - 10 - Very fresh
Service - 10 - Great service
Extras - 6 - Just great donuts
Appeal - 10 - Very neighborly
Emotion - 10 - I was busting with goodness
Other's Rating - 8 - 4/5 stars average rating on Yelp!
Price - 5 - fair pricing
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Delicious donut holes available.
Total - 93

My first orange donut - 92/100

I had my first orange donut at Rose Donuts in Linda Vista and it was an awakening into the possibilities of fruit flavors on a traditional round donut.  Standard white dough with orange, frosting on top, it had just the perfect balance of an orange flavor.  Not too strong, a slight tang.  I see that orange frosting/icing can be made with orange juice and/or orange peel and I could see the peel adding that sweet tang on the donut.  My exchange with the nice woman working the counter was a classic of myself missing the obvious and her simple patience:

Me pointing into the case: "What kind of donut is this orange one?"
Her: "It's an orange donut."
Me: "Like it tastes orangey?"
Her: "Yes."

Besides the orange donut, everything looked delicious in the case.  Nothing I hadn't seen in any other shop but quite a variety.  They have a nice little outdoor seating area in addition to the inside so that is a plus.  They've got bagels, croissants, sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, and even ice cream.  Even got a cappuccino machine

One more nice touch, as any donut shop should have, wide mouth coffee cups.  Makes it easier for dunking.  And even on the small coffee size, the top is so wide, it looks crazy, but it's a great asset.

I gotta get a dozen from this place:

Rose Donuts (Linda Vista)
5201 Linda Vista Road
(Corner of Linda Vista and Napa)
San Diego, CA. 92110


Quick Score - 9 - Great place
Donut Quality - 8 - Near top quality
Donut Selection - 9 - Lost of choices
Donut Freshness - 9 - Good freshness
Service - 9 - Helpful
Extras - 10 - Breakfast sandwiches, ice cream, coffee drinks
Appeal - 10 - Great location, outdoor seating
Emotion - 9 - I felt like an 8 between the good location, orange donut
Other's Rating - 9 - 4.5/5 stars average rating on Yelp!
Price - 5 - fair pricing
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Donut holes, great coffee cups
Total - 92

Live your life by the Golden Donut - 90/100

Another San Diego winner-Golden Donut in Northpark.  This donut shop has the added benefit of being in the same strip shopping center as the Olympic Cafe, a great Greek diner.  I've never been to any of the other eateries in the cluster but a donut after a gyros scramble is all I ever need.

  
Now I will admit the Golden Donut does not have the largest donut counter in San Diego with endless varieties, they more than make up with delicious favorites.  On this occasion, I selected a glazed donut with chocolate sprinkles and this thing was legit.  Doughy with medium density, it served as a good base for the sugar glaze and sprinkles.  And sprinkles rule, they are one of my favorite toppings for donuts.

And the customer service has always been primo.  One weekday morning I went in there for a dozen to take into work when they got slammed with customers and there just weren't enough in the case to fill my order.  All I had to do was hang out at the counter with my coffee for a couple minutes while they rushed a fresh batch for me, the donuts were so fresh they laid them down separately in the box so the glazes wouldn't run all over each other.  There is absolutely nothing better than a fresh hot donut, I'm just lucky I didn't wolf the whole box down right there.  

A shape was forming in my coffee, looked a little like a donut

Patience is a virtue at the donut shop, just like any other place.  This shop also has a little more of a 'hang out' feel than other places that feel like a line you up, grab a donut, get out, eat it somewhere else.  I just want to read the weekly paper, sip coffee, inhale donuts, and forget about work the next day.  

Do it, go to 
Golden Donut
2360 University Ave Louisiana & Texas St)
San Diego, CA. 92104



Quick Score - 9 - Fun place
Donut Quality - 8 - Very good quality
Donut Selection - 6 - Good number of choices, sometimes can't keep up with morning rush
Donut Freshness - 10 - Always seems fresh
Service - 10 - Fast, friendly, patient, helpful
Extras - 9 - Not sure, but great location
Appeal - 10 - Very appealing to me
Emotion - 10 - I feel like a 10 after leaving
Other's Rating - 8 - 4/5 stars average rating on Yelp!
Price - 5 - fair pricing
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Delicious donut holes available.
Total - 90