The last time I had a doughnut, I was living in Dallas. You see, it's okay to eat doughnuts in Dallas. Encouraged, even. But living in L.A., apparently we all sign an unspoken yet very strict agreement barring us from the wonders of the deep-fried, tubular, glazed stomach sinker. It's a sad reality, but one that almost everyone that I know follows. So when I ended my societally-enforced SoCal donut strike two weeks ago, it didn't count. Why? I was in Seattle. Plus, they were mini doughnuts.
Here's how it happened and boy, am I happy that it did. On our last morning in Seattle, Bryan and I -- most literally -- stumbled upon a tiny food truck emblazoned with "Street Doughnuts" on its side. It was the morning of the Fourth of July, a national holiday when everyone seems to BBQ but no restaurants actually seem to be open. We were starving, admittedly irritable and unable to agree on which of the 50 coffee shops in our ONE square mile radius would be most local and also have breakfast sandwiches. A tough combo when you've officially eliminated Starbucks from your options due to its monopolization of the coffee world.
Street Doughnut's Mini Truck
Enter Street Doughtnuts. The tiny truck was a shimmering beacon of hope in a landscape of "closed signs" and unacceptable coffee chains. One look at the menu brought even more promise, offering creative flavor combos such as cardamom + ginger dusting; mango sauce + coconut; chocolate sauce + coconut; chocolate sauce + roasted peanuts; and the ever fascinating vanilla pudding + Nerds dusting. Yes, Nerds as in your favorite double-sided box of childhood candy. Of course, the combinations were only friendly suggestions. You can create combinations to satiate any sweet, salty or savory tooth. Curry and caramel would have been a hit, but we thought of it too late.
The Mini Menu
Suffice to say we were desperate, so we went with option #1: A small order of doughnuts dusted with cardamon and ginger. The process was simple enough; tiny rings of dough were dropped into an itty-bitty fryer (that's the technical term) and flipped halfway through. The 2-inch doughnuts emerged golden brown and piping hot and were immediately shaken with a mix of cardamom and ginger sugar. Our friendly doughnut-maker then transferred them to a small bowl lined with parchment paper, stabbed two doughnuts with oversized cocktail picks, and breakfast was officially served. Thank you baby Jesus for giving us baby doughnuts.
Mini Donut Ma'am, Hard At Work
To say the mini doughnuts hit the spot was an understatement, because both Bryan and I immediately transformed back from grumpy "feed me now" monsters into lovely human beings. Human beings that stood happily on a sunny Seattle sidewalk and popped tiny spiced doughnuts into our mouths, "cheering" every one before each bite. And my goodness, were they delicious. The doughnuts were so delicate, giving way like a tiny pillow with each bite. The parchment paper helped absorb any excess oil, ensuring the spice and texture wasn't overshadowed by grease. The cardamom and ginger sugar dusting gave true meaning to "sugar, spice and everything nice," not to mention boosted each doughnut's exterior with a wonderful subtle crunch.
Breakfast of Champions: Cardamom & Ginger Mini Doughnuts
I don't know if we were just starving or if they were really that good. Either way, the Street Doughnuts were awesome. So the next time you're by Seattle's market, look for an empty parking lot at 2nd Ave. and Pike Street. If you're lucky, the Street Doughnuts truck will be there. Check out the chocolate sauce and coconut doughnuts below, which we didn't get but I admired from Street Doughnuts Facebook page.
Street Doughnuts
2nd Avenue & Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101
I'm not sure I could live in a town that didn't embrace donuts....I'm just sayin....
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