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July 7, 2008
Stylish Six: More Great Doughnuts in Los Angeles
Filed under: Best Of, Eastside, Eat, Midtown, San Gabriel Valley, South, Westside — StyleGuide @ 1:28 pm
I’m in the midst of a doughnut obsession, as you may have noticed here and here. Since Los Angeles reigns as the undisputed doughnut capital of the world, I suppose it is a matter of civic pride. In that spirit, here are six more standard bearers.
Dumpy strip mall + two letter names = amazing doughnuts? Apparently. Try:
1. DK Donut & Bakery: Thanks to StylishGuide.com reader and At Home at Home blogger Laure for recommending this Santa Monica gem. Mmmm….
2. S.K. Donuts & Croissants: Head to Mid-city near Park La Brea and sink into a moist, luscious buttermilk bar or rich cruller. Bonus: It’s open late for post-bar-hopping appetites.
Doughnut as architecture — these two shops prove it works:
3. Randy’s Donuts: The gigantic doughnut atop this Inglewood shop is like a big, fat, sloppy welcome-home kiss after landing at nearby LAX.
4. The Donut Hole: Thrill the kid in you with a special trip out to a random intersection in La Puente for a doughnut that you actually drive through (see the video here). The architecture is icing on the cake, so to speak; the main attraction is the fresh doughnuts within.
More goodness:
5. Stan’s Corner Donut Shoppe: This legendary shop has been crafting gourmet doughnuts for more than 40 years. If your timing is right, Stan himself will recommend his favorites — welcome help since he probably has more flavors than there are parking spots in all of Westwood.
6. Tang’s Donuts: The bear claw — big as the real thing, fat with fluffy cinnamon-spiked dough — is worth attacking. Nights bring an eclectic Silver Lake crowd, including hard-core chess addicts, to the grungy strip mall location.
May 26, 2008
Donut Man and Donut Hole — Los Angeles Road-Trip with Stuart Paap
Filed under: Eastside, Eat, Expert Opinions, On the Road, San Gabriel Valley — StyleGuide @ 9:54 am
Expert Opinions are tips from L.A.’s ultimate insiders. Today’s contributor is Stuart Paap, who teamed up with StylishGuide for a doughnut-crammed road-trip documentary (or is it, “doughcumentary”?):
Stuart Paap is a comedian in Los Angeles who hosts a live interactive comedy talk show every Tuesday night at 8 p.m. at TheStream.TV! He also loves his dogs, likes his cats and tolerates his neighbors.
Related links | more deep fried delights:
April 9, 2008
Mateo’s: Smoothies, Ice Cream and Juice to make you forget Jamba Juice
Filed under: Eat, Midtown, San Gabriel Valley, Westside — StyleGuide @ 8:19 pm
This stuff is so addicting they should be selling it in little packets on the corner.
Instead, the smoothies that will hook you like a junkie are sold out of bright, clean shops in dingy neighborhood strip malls.
The local Mateo’s mini-chain serves up smoothies, juices, ice cream and popsicles in the Oaxacan tradition — rich, creamy, and chock-a-block with fresh ingredients.
The best way to get started? Choose a smoothie — something fun like orange/papaya/mango. Consider it a gateway to their 100 percent vegetable and orange juices. Called Vampiros, a single sip will make you feel like you’ve added a year to your life. Beets — the not-so-secret ingredient — give them their blood-red hue and a slight sweetness (think sugar beets). I personally know of people who would pawn grandma’s pearl necklace for carrot/beet/celery/strawberry Vampiros.
You can get your pleasure to-go with Mateo’s rich, fruity popsicles, $1.50 apiece. Scoops of ice cream or sorbet in flavors ranging from the familiar (strawberry, cookies and cream), to the interesting (watermelon, walnut) to the exotic (smoked milk, soursop), are stimulating choices as well.
Just don’t come crying to me when you blow your paycheck on a wild, fruit-crammed weekend, and your pants get a little snug.
Price: $
Where: Four locations:
1250 S. Vermont Avenue #105, Los Angeles, Ca, 213.738.7288
4222 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, Ca, 323.931.5500
4929 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, Ca, 310.313.7625
522-B E. Vine Avenue, West Covina, Ca, 626.919.2090
October 31, 2007
Stylish Six: Great Doughnuts in Los Angeles
Filed under: Best Of, Eat, Midtown, San Gabriel Valley, Westside — StyleGuide @ 8:21 pm
“Doughnuts?” The term doesn’t seem to do these “fine American pastries” justice. Here are six of my favorites (including an homage to JFK’s favorite German doughnut):
1. Donut Man: Don’t think about it, just drive. Glendora’s crown jewels are strawberry- or peach-stuffed, fluffy glazed wonders (in season), weighing in at nearly a pound each. See the video here.
2. Rockenwagner Bakery: The famed chef turns out Berliners Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays from his Culver City shop. Mmmm, jam filling….
3. Primo’s Westdale Doughnuts: This old-school shop is in the shadow of the 10 and the 405. Their butterfly doughnut nearly brought me to tears. You need more reason than that?
4. The Gumbo Pot: Beignets are doughnuts, New Orleans-style. Click here for more about these deep fried, powdered sugar-loaded, airy sweet treats from the L.A. Farmer’s Market at Third and Fairfax.
5. Frittelli’s Doughnuts & Coffee: Doughnuts in the 90210 – without the expected attitude or prices. Friendly staff can guide you through their vast selection with prime ingredients like Tahitian vanilla and Meyer lemon zest.
6. Bob’s Coffee and Doughnuts: Plain cake goodness, daily at the L.A. Farmer’s Market. Neat kitty- and dinosaur-shaped doughnuts, too.
Where are your favorite doughnuts?