Wonderous Pennsylvania Dutch Goodness @ Beiler's Bakery - 95/100

The city of Brother Love had not yet been represented on DonutJourney and Beiler's Bakery was the perfect first entry for the world of Philadelphia donuts.  Just one of numerous food options inside the Reading Terminal, Beiler's cranks out many baked goods, of which the Donuts are truly impressive.  Reading Terminal is really hopping these days where you can satisfy any ethnic food craving you have on a particular visit.  It's all mixed in with some specialty stores to round out the perfect shopping and dining experience.  

You will be blown away at the first sight of the Beiler's donut case.  Where Bismarcks shimmer off Crullers that mix with Cream Filled that play off Fritters that shine off Icing Topped Donuts.  There are easily over 30 flavors of donuts on just the regular menu, with a couple specials on the chalkboard to make the decision making process even tougher.  The case is such as beaming aura of goodness, it's truly impossible to capture in a photo.  Between the line here and the immense crowd milling throughout the terminal, you really can't back up and get an all-encompassing shot of this entire case.  But at least I got a good down the line shot and some closeups. 

Besides the major beaming attraction of the donut case, the next visual feast is to take a few minutes and check out the donut making process over on the other side behind the counter.  The great part of the Reading Terminal is all the food stalls being like open kitchens you can see all your food cooked right in front of you.  At Beiler's you can see dough being laid out on the counter and cut (with amazing donut cutting rollers), you can see some floating in the fryer, you can watch toppings applied after cooling, you can watch buckets of cream used to fill donuts, and you can just salivate over a giant tray of apple fritters just waiting to go to the next step and be placed inside the display case.

I got the opportunity to indulge with some fellow donut admirers so it was the chance to try pieces of 6 different kinds of donuts.   The choices made were Glazed, Chocolate Cake Glazed, Apple Fritter, Strawberry Filled, Oreo Cream, and Peanut Butter & Jelly.

The Peanut Butter & Jelly was my personal favorite of the day.  This had the strawberry jelly dollop inside and on top and the peanut butter icing on top was so light and smooth it was the perfect combination.  This was a yeast donut that was also light and tasty making it a very easy donut to enjoy.  In fact, all the yeast donuts are easy to wolf down and the traditional glazed is perfect.

The cream fillings behind the counter looked amazing and it was anticipated the Strawberry Filled would contain a strawberry cream to test.  As it turned out, it was a strawberry "jelly' filled and a little redundant after the PB&J.  It was okay but just something to watch out for next time.

The Oreo was really awesome with that same light, whipped consistency of the Peanut Butter icing.  And the Apple Fitter was very tasty and a perfect easy-to-eat size, not ridiculously huge, it really fit in with their line of donuts.

I was a little disappointed in the Chocolate Cake Glazed.  It can be one of my favorite flavors and somehow this one just felt a little too dry to me.  It felt like the glaze was cracked already in a lot of places and maybe just needed to have more coating all over the donut.

But overall, this was an amazing experience.  I look at these pictures and think about what it would be like to live in Philly and get to come by here and get to try them all.  And now that I can see my photos at home, I just salivate over all the flavors that look so tasty.  I know for sure, no East Coast DonutJourney would ever be complete without another stop at Beiler's!

Beiler's makes more than just donuts, additional baked goods are also available at the Reading Terminal.  A great insight into the Beiler's legacy can be had over at @ Bon Appetit;  Generations of Baking Traditions at Beiler's Bakery in Reading Terminal Market

Beiler's Bakery
Reading Terminal Market
51 N 12th St
Philadelphia, PA 19107
South East Corner In the Market

Quick Score - 9 out of 10 - The sights, the smells, and the huge flavor selection make this a great choice for the donut shop you choose in Philly.
Donut Quality - 8 out of 10 - For many donuts here a 10, but maybe some dilution on my end from the varieties I did not like as much.
Donut Selection - 10 out of 10 - This is by far the best selection I have seen it some time.
Donut Freshness - 10 out of 10 - Super fresh for sure.
Service - 10 out of 10- This is really very good because the line on a Saturday was long and constant and the employees were lightning fast.
Extras - 8 out of 10 - Coffee was decent but nothing to write home about.  A lot of the Extras could be considered the other baked goods at the other Beiler's counter there.  
Appeal - 10 out of 10 - The Reading Market holds great appeal overall for all that is available there.  Beiler's just is another reason the place is so enticing.
Emotion - 10 out of 10 - It was an all-original experience going into the Reading Market on a Saturday, building up the excitement, and seeing that awesome case full of donut delights.
Other's Rating - 10 out of 10 - High ratings by others really helped me decide to come here.
Price - 6 out of 5 - Donuts are cheap!!!  I cannot stress that enough!!!  Extra point for price
Donut Dunkability - 4 out of 5 - I did not see any donut holes available and they could definitely exist and I just missed them, and I definitely had enough, but Pennsylvania Dutch Donut Holes definitely need to be pushed.

Another note is that Beiler's is listed in some places as closed on both Sundays & Mondays.  But they were definitely open on Monday during another visit to Reading Terminal Market. 

Total - 95

Memphis Has The Goods @ Gibson's - 98/100

Gibson's Donuts has been serving Memphis since 1967 and it has all the feel of a donut institution.  It was hopping on a Tuesday mid-morning between folks coming in to grab and go and people just hanging out conversing over donuts and coffee in the large seating area. I was super impressed with one particular plaque on the wall presented to Gibson's by the Memphis Fire Department in Dec 2011, "In Appreciation of the Support and Encouragement Gibson's Donuts has Shown Through the Years to the Members of the Memphis Fire Department."  Talk about a great sign to see in a donut shop!

The donut counter is long and full of a diverse donut collection and there are several people working here between the counter and the kitchen and they are all helping each other and the customers out.  The big prize here was the Bacon Maple Glazed Donut.  It was the best bacon donut I've ever had and I feel the main reason it was better than Rebel Donut is the sprinkled bacon pieces instead of one large piece of bacon that becomes tough and a little flavorless.  Gibson's aren't like bacon bits, it's like whole bacon just cut up into pieces and I felt that maintained the great salty, meaty flavor and was the perfect quantity to accompany the sweetness of the donut.

Donut holes were satisfactory, maybe a little too over sweet for me but Mom had a chocolate donut that was delicious.  Coffee was decent and there's such a great mix of fancy flavors like Red Velvet and Oreo cookie interspersed with the traditional donut varieties.  They even have Gibson's swag!  Coffee Mugs, T-shirts, and other odds and ends.  Not too many donut shops can pull that off.  But you get the impression Gibson's is the place to go and foster your donut love in Memphis.

Gibson's Donuts

760 Mt. Moriah Road

Memphis, TN

Quick Score - 10 - It's obviously an institution.  You get that feel the moment you walk through the door, if not before, as you witness the people traffic inside and out.  The city of Memphis comes through with a great donut shop!

Donut Quality - 9 - My own personal taste and appreciation for West Coast donuts make these too sweet for me but when I mixed the savory bacon component in here I'm good.  The chocolate was top notch.
Donut Selection - 10 - Huge selection of donuts.
Donut Freshness - 10 - Extraordinary fresh tasting.
Service - 10 - Numerous employees, helpful, quick at their craft.
Extras - 10 - An extra doesn't have to be non-donut menu items.  Extras can be the plaque awarded by the fire department, the merchandise component, the great seating area, and the great people.  This place has all that.
Appeal - 10 - High appeal factor b/c of all those factors contribute to a place you want to go back to.
Emotion - 9 - It was a near-perfect donut experience.  
Other's Rating - 10 - It's a near perfect overall average rating on other food review sites but the fire department pushes it up to a 10.
Price - 5 - The town has low prices and the donuts reflect this cost of living as they are low priced.
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Donut holes available
Total - 98

Rough Donut Day in Jackson @ Monroe's - 47/100

The day got off to a rough start when one Jackson donut shop was inexplicably closed.  I went to Plan B and things got worse.  Monroe's felt promising, a local bakery in a small town, some great reviews online, and the thought destiny was pushing me there.

First off, that sign is freaky enough with the donut character who is one of the weirdest things I've ever witnessed.  This bizarre donut-faced cartoon holding a plate of donuts and giving a #1 finger should have warned me to stay away.

The selection was brutal.  It was a Monday and I can understand if they're laying low on producing everything every day of the week.  Everything they did have was very similar. Everything was pretty much glazed and there was no chocolate or alternate icing or frosting flavors.  The glazed donuts were sloppy with the size and shape and glaze distribution.  It wasn't a situation where I'd enjoy the fact they weren't cookie cutter donuts.  It was sloppy to the point of losing the charm any individuality donuts would give.

The glazed donut holes were sweet beyond help and the apple fritter was too sweet on the outside, too bland on the inside, and lacking appropriate apple filling.  After the best apple fritter of my life a couple days before in Houston, this was a huge letdown.

Another thing is they have a little cheap coffee maker from a household kitchen making the coffee, it really makes you feel like you're drinking the least special coffee in the world.  

Quick Score - 4 - Few redeeming qualities after my first impression.

Donut Quality - 4 - Sloppy is the word I use to describe these.
Donut Selection - 5 - Poor selection but I give a little benefit of the doubt that it was a Monday.
Donut Freshness - 8 - This is probably the least I had to worry about.
Service - 5 - Not that helpful.
Extras - 0 - Non-existent.
Appeal - 0 - The freakish donut cartoon killed the appeal from the start.
Emotion - 2 - Huge disappointment all around
Other's Rating - 9 - 4.5/5 average rating on Yelp.  How, I don't know but it's only 3 reviews.
Price - 5 - Low prices
Donut Dunkability - 5 - There are donut holes but not so good.
Total - 47

Wonderful Buttermilk Drops in New Orleans @ Buttermilk Drop Bakery - 90/100

I made a great detour on my donut journey on my New Orleans stop over at The Buttermilk Drop Bakery in the Seventh Ward.  It was just earlier in the week I saw the news stories about the baker, Dwight Henry, and his acting role in Beasts of the Southern Wild.  

This place has a really cool vibe and a great stacked donut case.  They don't have the most diverse selection available.  There are mainly regular glazed donut varieties, a few alternate flavors mixed in.  The buttermilk drop itself is a great alternative to the traditional donut hole.  It's a large ball of buttermilk with the glaze, dropped down on top of it, running down the sides, and coating the ball.  They're large and several bites larger than a donut hole but a great item.  The buttermilk has a brown outer fried coat with a soft white center.  I saw a little inconsistency between one drop to another.  They were good but I saw the dough as a little sloppy in a couple and the glaze distribution lacking on some.

There is also lots of soul food dishes available along with breakfast sandwiches and platters.  It really is a full service place.  Coffee was being sold at a separate table on the side.  Like they have another neighbor come in and sell the fresh coffee along with coffee and tea beans to go.  It was a pretty cool little setup.

Buttermilk Drop Bakery and Cafe
1781 North Dorgenois Street
New Orleans, Louisiana

Quick Score - 8 - Sweet vibe and great donuts.

Donut Quality - 6 - The famed buttermilk drop was a little inconsistent, the regular glazed donut was just okay.
Donut Selection - 8 - Not a huge donut selection but huge quantities present.
Donut Freshness - 10 - Daily goodness
Service - 8 - Good counter help, busy place
Extras - 10 - Soul food kitchen too
Appeal - 11 - Extra point b/c of the great design murals on the ceiling inside the shop and on the roof outside, and the famous local baker/actor.
Emotion - 10 - Big emotional boost from being able to be at this place, it was remarkable.
Other's Rating - 9 - 4.5/5 average rating on Yelp 
Price - 5 - Low prices
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Buttermilk drops add another dimension to dunkability.
Total - 90

Best Apple Fritter Of My Life @ BB Donuts - 92/100

Nice, one day after my vow to not taint my palette with non-donut items, I had a croissant breakfast sandwich at BB Donuts, my Houston stop.  I couldn't help it, I eat tacos all the time in San Diego but I can't actually remember the last time I ate a croissant.  BB's won awards for its croissants so it seemed the way to go.  The croissant was good.  Flaky and buttery I could imagine it would be great for a hamburger (which they serve, also fried rice) but for the breakfast sandwhich the ham, egg, and cheese were only lukewarm and pretty forgettable.

But when it came to donuts they made an amazing apple fritter.  This thing was fried crispy on the outside, slightly greasy on the inside, super portions of apple inside the soft and doughy center.  I mix in apple fritters into my donut rotation pretty often and I truly believe this was the greatest apple fritter I've ever had.  It was still warm inside but even when I ate the other half in the car ride to New Orleans and it wasn't hot anymore, it was still just as delicious.  Only in a different way since the grease had merged back into the dough making it great on another level.

I had the glazed too since everyone's donut shop has been recommending that and it was too sweet.  I am beginning to wonder if my hypothesis is true that donuts are sweeter in the East than the West and I'm starting to see the transformation as I travel East.   They didn't have the hugest selection of donuts but there would be plenty other options for me if I ever found myself in Houston again.  

BB Donuts
515 Westheimer Road
Houston, TX

Quick Score - 8 - This is a really cool and fun place.

Donut Quality - 9 - The apple fritter was unbelievable but the glazed donut didn't do it for me.
Donut Selection - 8 - Not a huge selection but the standards covered and a little of everything.
Donut Freshness - 10 - Good surety of fresh donuts
Service - 10 - Excellent service!
Extras - 10 - 10 with the award winning croissants, sandwiches, burgers, fried rice, etc.
Appeal - 8 - In a strip shopping center but still great seating, people, etc.
Emotion - 10 - Big emotional boost from the amazing apple fritter.
Other's Rating - 9 - 4.5/5 average rating on Yelp 
Price - 5 - Very low prices that make everything really affordable.
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Glazed donut holes available.
Total - 92

Tacos & Donuts! @ The Original Donut Shop - 91/100

Yeah, you heard me, Taqueria/Donut Shop was the San Antonio stop on the donut journey.  Look at this awesome double drive thru!  Each lane had its own callbox, one lane for tacos, one for donuts.  Then the two lanes merge into one pickup window.  It is the most unique setup I've ever witnessed.

I appreciated the "No Guns" sign on the front door!  

Inside, the donuts and Mexican food are also separated on two sides with two lines.  And listen to this, I didn't even try a taco!  Couldn't have it tamper with the palette, oh how I miss the days when I could order whatever I want free and easy.  Now I am involved in serious business in which I can't even veer off course!   The donut side has a really cool semi-circle counter for sitting and eating at, there's a huge dining room, and a huge dining patio.  

I got the glazed as the counter server recommended and a couple powdered donut holes.  I topped off the feast with a vanilla iced cake donut.  The glazed was almost as good as Round Rock yesterday.  Definitely sweeter and this felt a little overboard for my taste.  Also, the vanilla iced was very sweet, to the point of hard to handle.  It's rare, I can be taken down by oversweetness.

The Original Donut Shop
3307 Fredericksburg Road
San Antonio, TX

Quick Score - 8 - This is a really cool and fun place.

Donut Quality - 7 - A little too sweet in my opinion.
Donut Selection - 8 - Not a huge selection but very sufficient.
Donut Freshness - 10 - Everything felt super fresh. 
Service - 10 - Good service all around
Extras - 10 - That's a big 10 b/c of the Mexican food.  
Appeal - 10 - Such a big place, cool layout, sweet coffee machine.
Emotion - 9 - Slight disappointment in the donuts but overall very happy.
Other's Rating - 9 - 4.5/5 average rating on Yelp 
Price - 5 - Affordable donuts and tacos!
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Powdered donut holes in addition to regular glazed ones.
Total - 91

Amazing Glazed Donuts @ Round Rock Donuts - 95/100

Just a quick jaunt from Austin is the town of Round Rock and a donut shop I had to be sure to hit on the journey.  Round Rock Donuts are famous for their glazed and 'Texas' donuts, a donut shop start date of 1926, and lots of media attention, including Man vs Food.  I was instantly befuddled by the yellow nature of the glazed donuts and donut holes.  After a little research I see that is just the fact the dough recipe is a little heavier on the egg yolk side.  Definitely a great tasting, fluffy, and enjoyable treat. 

                            

The glazed donut is served hot.  You go ahead and order and instead of giving you one sitting in the case, a hot one is brought out from the back.  This is an important part of the greatness, donuts are instantly better still warm.  Any place could do this instead of making you come in right at 5 AM when they're just made, but no one else has!  Round Rock Donuts does this. It is also a little crispy on the outside with very soft insides.  There are lots of places you don't really get the "fried" effect.  Here you truly feel it in your donut.  Which is what you want when you eating fried sugar for breakfast!  I also had an apricot filled donut that was nothing special.  But the donut holes and glazed were really good.

The "Texas"donuts are suitably huge and the major difference between this and others I've seen is that it doesn't have such a gigantic hole in the middle.  Note how thick the actual donut is, it's not just made in a large, skinny circle.   It truly is a "Texas" donut!

It's a great building but pretty small in the customer area so the only seating is right out front.  It was so windy I could not get a good picture, things were flying all over the place!  The drive thru is pretty cool too, you can tell it's built to handle a lot of traffic they're sure to get all day.  

Round Rock Donuts

106 W Liberty

Round Rock, TX

Quick Score - 10 - Famous donut that lived up to the hype.

Donut Quality - 9 - Very fluffy and tasty.
Donut Selection - 8 - This is really the only item this place is lacking, they do just a few kinds of donuts and they do them very well.  So, no matter how good the glazed is, I couldn't eat them everyday without more variety, so I'd need a little better selection.
Donut Freshness - 10 - All tasted very fresh.
Service - 11 - Wonderful service and extra point for the drive-thru lady opening the window just to call over to me to say what I gorgeous dog I had.
Extras - 9 - Cakes, cupcakes, kolaches, cookies, pies, assorted baked sweets.
Appeal - 10 - This town actually has charm going for it and the place itself shares that.
Emotion - 9 - I felt really super after the whole experience.
Other's Rating - 9 - 4.5/5 average rating on Yelp 
Price - 5 - Standard donut pricing.
Donut Dunkability - 5 - Great standard donut holes.
Total - 95