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

New Donut Wonders @ Rebel Donut - 89/100

Albuquerque has some major creativity on the donut front, today I was introduced to some of the creations happening over at Rebel Donut.  There were many interesting combinations on display for my visit here, Red Velvet flavor, Fruity Pebbles used as a topping, and some very good looking Lemon iced donuts.  

I ended up going for the “Breaking Bad Blue Sky” which was a creation for Aaron Paul and the show and has little blue candy "meth" pieces on top.  A really cool idea and a great starter.  I also had the "Red Chile Chocolate Bacon" so I got to do the whole chocolate/chile combination that can be so great.  I felt the dough was a little lacking, these were cake donuts and the toppings are the big draw, but I was feeling a lot of dryness.  I should have mixed it up with a raised donut variety to sample that dough outcome as well.  The bacon pieces weren't too flavorful, but maybe I'm just crazy about my expectations for pig cured meat!

There is lots of seating in here and local artist's paintings on the wall adding to the great decor.  Better coffee that most places!  I had the "Pinon" flavor which is the New Mexico nut that is used in this special coffee.  My big excitement was over the "Doggie Donut".  Yes, Chupy had her first donut and I'm thankful to Rebel for being here on my journey to sell it to me!

There is also mention on their website of soon serving donuts made with alcohol for 21+ guests!!!

Rebel Donut

2435 Wyoming Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

Quick Score - 9 - Artists at work on donuts here!

Donut Quality - 7 - Some major dryness on the cake dough front but toppings were exciting.
Donut Selection - 10 - Very impressed with the selection of toppings.
Donut Freshness - 9 - Maybe the dough didn't feel the freshest but I'm not sure that was the issue.
Service - 10 - Perfect!
Extras - 10 - Between the donut flavors, the coffee flavors, the great vibe, the kolaches, and the doggie donuts, this is great.
Appeal - 10 - High appeal factor b/c of the great storefront, location, and donuts.
Emotion - 8 - I was highly entertained with this donut experience.
Other's Rating - 8 - 4/5 average rating on Yelp.
Price - 4 - High compared to other donut places, but it is unique.
Donut Dunkability - 4 - No donut holes available while I was there.
Total - 89