Holey Cream in Hell's Kitchen = Donut Awakening 88/100

My first donut shop donut of the New Year was @ Holey Cream and it was a great way to kick off 2013.  After a walk around town getting used to the cold weather I'm going to have to deal with again, I found myself in Hell's Kitchen and realized Holey Cream was on my list of possible donut places to hit in NYC.  I had no idea why it was on my list or what was really going on, but that made the experience all the more exciting.

They dress your donut on the spot!  I think they have really hit on something here.  Totally original.  There are donuts on display with a variety of toppings, mainly candy based, but these are not for eating, you get yours fresh on the spot.  They pull you out a fresh donut, still warm from its holding cell, drizzle your icings on top, shake your candy toppings or sprinkles and serve you up a warm donut treat.  I got an M&M donut and it was really delicious.

I imagine they can follow the same process with the cupcakes they have there.  And there's ice cream, I just couldn't find the stomach room to get their signature item, a donut ice cream sandwich you can call the shots and flavors and toppings.  That is a stroke of genius, donuts and ice cream together.  I have got to get it next time I'm there.

There's also coffee drinks, smoothies, brownies, etc.  A little 3-person counter seating area for wolfing down your purchase. 

Holey Cream 
796 9th Ave
(between 52nd and 53 St)
New York, NY. 10019


Quick Score - 9 - Pretty awesome
Donut Quality - 8 - Tasty donuts and toppints
Donut Selection - 8 - All original selections
Donut Freshness - 10 - Fresh dressed donuts!
Service - 9 - Great service
Extras - 9 - Ice Cream, other goodies
Appeal - 10 - Really inviting and enjoyable place
Emotion - 10 - I felt like a 10 walking out of the joint
Other's Rating - 7 - 3.5/5 stars average rating on Yelp! 
Price - 4 - More expensive but it is special and it is New York
Donut Dunkability - 4 - Maybe a little tough to eat with hands and dunk
Total - 88

My Twin Experience in the NYC - 78/100

Twin Donut Plus is a happening place!  Not only do they have the coveted 24 hours, they got a bevy of donuts and a busy sandwich counter going.  On a Sunday afternoon they were really going at full force.  It is a very good place to get a lot of different things whether it be food, coffee, or donuts.  Big selection, nice donut display cases illuminating the wondrous products, and very capable counter servers make this a truly efficient operation.  Twin Donuts have many locations in New York but the plus is the additional food options available here.  And I know they had cupcakes and some specialty coffee drinks too.

I was again victimized by the donut hole denomination rule that kept me from just buying a couple to sample, I had to get a certain number at a time.  Those tasted a little like they were lying around. No biggie, I'm in New York, I kept it all in perspective.  Plus, they did offer both white and chocolate donut holes.  But then I was done in by another donut that was too sweet!  I had the black and white frosted donut and I couldn't handle the icing.  Is this an East Coast trend I will be dealing with now that I've decided to move from the West Coast?  I hope that it is just the luck of the draw right now.  Fortunately, my brother Tim's Bavarian Creme was "remarkably light and not too sweet - indeed, it was rather elegant"  I know what to get next time!

The outdoor seating area was pretty nice and even though I didn't really get a good picture of my donuts,  I thought their bag was really fun and perfect for the business and worthy of a photo.

Twin Donut Plus
5099 Broadway (Inwood)
New York, New York, 10034


Quick Score - 7 - Efficient, popular place, twins
Donut Quality - 7 - Too sweet for my donut palette but it was luck of the draw
Donut Selection - 8 - Lost of choices
Donut Freshness - 7 - Suspicious freshness on the donut holes
Service - 8 - Fast but disappointed in the donut hole situation
Extras - 9 - Cuban sandwiches, cupcakes, seating, etc
Appeal - 9 - Twins
Emotion - 7 - I still felt like I had a good time there
Other's Rating - 7 - 3/5 stars average rating on Yelp! but Tim had a great donut.
Price - 5 - fair pricing
Donut Dunkability - 4 - Donut holes available, different types of coffee
Total - 78