Long post alert, for Jeff Kolsin and co: This Sunday we held a Sufganiyot (jelly doughnut) tasting at CBT, and it was requested that I sum up our findings that were announced on Sunday, as well as giving a brief description of the customer service provided by each location. We scored doughnuts on Appearance, Texture, Flavor, and Overall liking of the doughnut. Each doughnut got a score between 1 and 4 for each category, with 4 being the best. I added all the scores together, and divided by the number of sheets I collected for the following scores: Angelfood Bakery (on Bushard and Warner): Appearance 2.3 Texture 2.6 Flavor 2.1 Overall 2.2 This was our last place doughnut. Frankly, Im surprised that the texture scored as high as it did, as these were very greasy-they left a lot of grease on the serving paper. Regarding customer service, I called them to reserve two dozen jelly doughnuts, and they happily took my order. When I pulled up to their drive-through window on Sunday, the person behind the counter recognized my name, greeted me, and then started filling a box with my doughnuts. In my opinion, when a person places an order for a particular time, they should ready at that time. There seemed to be no difference in service between making a reservation and just showing up and placing an order. Furthermore, my reservation of 24 jelly doughnuts included only 2 jelly doughnuts, with the rest a variety. Mags Donut Shop (in Irvine at Culver and Michelson) Appearance 2.4 Texture 2.4 Flavor 2.5 Overall 2.5 In third place, my neighborhood shop. I called ahead for two dozen jelly doughnuts, and they chatted with me on the phone a bit, and I told them this was for a synagogue. When I got there, my reservation was not there. Someone came in asking for two dozen doughnuts, and they asked him if he was from the church. He said yes (because he was picking up for his church, apparently), and they gave him my doughnuts. So out of two dozen they were able to give me, only two were jellies. An honest mistake, but still disappointing. Donut Bar (across from Costco next to CBTL) Appearance 3.1 Texture 3.1 Flavor 2.5 Overall 2.5 The Donut Bar is a new bakery to Fountain Valley, a satellite location from the original one in San Diego, where it is very, very popular. I think this would have taken first place all around if not for the fact that they gave me such a variety that personal preference came into play with flavor and texture (there were some selections that were very light, and others that were quite dense). As it stands, it took first in appearance and texture, which is no surprise. When you walk in, there is a huge array of different flavors, all of which are vibrantly decorated and beautifully displayed. They took an on-line order, which was awesome, but when I clicked next after the first screen, I got a message that said my doughnuts would be ready tomorrow, and I realized that this was a next-day ordering system only. Since I was not going to do this on Shabbat, I called and left a voice mail message explaining my error. They sent an email in response, telling me that they got my message, they completely understand, and that my two dozen jelly doughnuts would be ready on Sunday. They were not. When I got there, because they are so used to a next-day ordering system, the morning crew forgot about my order, and it wasnt ready. And they didnt have enough jellies to fill the order. To their credit, they charged me the jelly price for some that were more expensive that what I ordered. One thing that I particularly like about DBs jelly doughnuts is that they are smaller than average. Jellies are usually so daunting, and it is nice to have one that looks like a person could eat it without feeling sick afterward. The Donuttery (on Beach at Slater) Appearance 2.4 Texture 2.6 Flavor 3.2 Overall 3.1 Taking the lead is a doughnut place recommended to me by a doughnut blogger. She claims this is the best in Orange County (although she has not yet tried Donut Bar). I did not make reservations, and ironically this is the only place that was able to fill my order correctly. A variety of fillings inside included lemon, blueberry, and raspberry. They also have (but I did not bring) peanut butter donuts filled with grape jelly, and strawberry-filled doughnuts with a Nutella glaze. This place was packed with people on Sunday morning, and apparently the scores show why. No matter where we got our doughnuts over Chanukah, I hope your festival was filled with miracles, joy, laughter, and light. Happy Chanukah (we have about an hour left of the holiday), and have a happy New Year!
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 00:20:31 +0000
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