Revisiting The Best Donut In Los Angeles; Also, A Cookie Backfire

Not too long ago, I made a bold proclamation. I labeled the glazed buttermilk donut at Tasty Donuts the BEST DONUT IN LOS ANGELES. I was met with resistance from many, especially those who suggested that I may have upset the entire food blogging community by not kowtowing to what is widely accepted as the home of the best donuts in LA, Donut Man. Here’s the thing though: I’ve never been to Donut Man, and I’m not sure I want to drive 34.5 miles to try it (and by the way, the Glendora location is truly testing the geographic limits of claiming to be the best donuts in Los Angeles).

Nevertheless, all my raving about the glazed buttermilk donuts piqued the curiosity of my friend Jenny, whose tasty site Dessert Darling is devoted almost exclusively to — you guessed it — desserts. She immediately expressed interest in trying the much hyped donut, and soon we agreed on a joint tasting session. After a few false starts (it’s amazing how tricky it is to coordinate a simple donut date in LA), we finally met up. Jenny could test the donut for herself, and I could defend its honor, should I need to.

The plan was for me to pick up two glazed buttermilk donuts and then head to Jenny’s house, which is conveniently located around the corner from my barber (who I would be seeing immediately after the donut tasting; so pardon my unkempt locks). Immediately, however, we hit a snafu. When I went to Tasty Donuts to grab the items in question, I learned that the humble vendor WAS OUT OF THEM. Disaster! What to do? Well, as it turned out, the donut shop did have something quite similar: a glazed buttermilk donut with crumbles and a light dusting of cinnamon on top. I couldn’t vouch for it, but I decided it was close enough. I grabbed two donuts and headed off to Dessert Darling’s headquarters.

First things first: we are confronted by an all important decision. Which plates shall the donuts sit on?

After some minor discussion about plating and placemat choice, we are ready to taste.

My mouth is watering all over again.

Taking my first bite. It’s always a moment tinged with excitement when it comes to these donuts.

Dessert Darling prepares for her first bite.

Cheesing out with our donuts.

The verdict? Well, as usual, it was pretty damn awesome. I must admit that this batch wasn’t quite as AMAZING as others I’ve had, but that’s because I think the donuts had been sitting around a little bit. Obviously, fresh is better, but still, this donut on a bad day kicks the asses of many on their best.

Jenny wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as I was, but then again, unless you’re a rabid wolverine who hasn’t been fed in three days, it’s hard to be as enthusiastic as I am about the donuts. Nevertheless, Jenny did give the donuts her highest ranking (5 cherries); so clearly she was a fan. Check out her full review here.

As if noshing on donuts weren’t enough, Jenny also supplied some extra treats for further review: cookies from Milk!

For those not from Los Angeles, Milk is a delectable ice cream shop (where I may or may not have taken part of an ambush on Ellen Pompeo and TR Knight). There is no doubt that Milk serves up the best brownie and blondie sundaes in the city. However, I must admit that I’ve never ventured beyond said offerings; so when Jenny busted out two different cookies from the shop, I was excited. One was a chocolate chip variety. The other was a peanut butter something-or-another. How could you go wrong?

Very easily, as it turns out. The chocolate chip one tasted, for lack of a better word, WEIRD. It sort of reminded me of the Frookies of yore, which is not what I’m looking for from Milk. Jenny and I both deduced that some of the traditional, unhealthy ingredients had been swapped out, resulting in the odd flavor. The cookie’s only saving grace was the copious amount of chocolate chips, which redeemed the cookie to a certain degree. I will note also that after a few bites, my palate did adjust to this strange cookie — so all wasn’t lost. But I’m not going out of my way to get another.

As for the peanut butter cookie, it committed what I consider to be the greatest cookie sin: IT CRUMBLED APART IN MY FINGERS. This is the sign of a reduced fat, fat free, or vegan atrocity. I hate nothing more than a dry, cakey cookie that disintegrates into a thousand crumbs mid-bite. That’s what this one did. Sure, there was peanut butter flavor, but what’s even the point if you’re spending more time trying to keep the damn thing intact instead of enjoying it? Definite cookie fail on that front.

The good news is that Milk always has its ice cream to fall back on, and to that end, the place should do just fine. In fact, I might just go get myself a bowl of it right now. It’s wicked hot today, y’all!

To read Dessert Darling’s take on the cookies, check out the review here.