November 2006
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Holiday Gifts
by Celia Cheng
Doughnut Plant Seasonal Doughnuts
Doughnut Plant
379 Grand St
(Norfolk & Essex St)
212-505-3700
Lately, everywhere I look I see the seasonal favorites from Doughnut Plant, whether at Joe’s, Dean & Deluca, Whole Foods, or Citarella. And I’m thankful. Mostly because the Doughnut Plant is slightly out of the way for me on Grand Street close to Norfolk. Only when I’m throwing a party and need 4 dozen doughnuts will I make the trip there. Otherwise, I’m perfectly content to go downstairs to Dean & Deluca to pick up my Doughnut Plant doughnut.
Mark Israel started Doughnut Plant in 1994, following his grandfather’s doughnut making recipes, and boy, are they good. In the City, there’s the one and only original Doughnut Plant, but there are actually 10 Doughnut Plant stores and cafés in Tokyo. When I visited Tokyo last year, a friend was raving about the doughnuts from Doughnut Plant and I was so confused because I said, but it’s from New York! Well, the Japanese know good food and this is a good import.
The doughnuts at Doughnut Plant are handmade. There are two main categories of doughnuts: the regular (yeast) doughnuts and cake doughnuts. Cake doughnuts have more of a cupcake-like consistency, and yes, they are very decadent! Within each of these categories, there are more categories. For example, there are regular cake doughnuts and then there are the cream cake doughnuts (yes!). So most recently I had the black out chocolate and tres leches cream cake doughnuts and as you might have guessed, there’s creamy chocolate or milk cream oozing once you bite into these doughnuts.
I always save the best for last. Now I know most people probably gravitate towards the cake doughnuts but I like the regular doughnuts. So within this category, there are the staples like vanilla bean glazed, the jelly doughnuts like peanut butter and jelly, and then there are the seasonal doughnuts. Earlier in November, there were the most amazing pumpkin glazed doughnuts! Then right before Thanksgiving, the seasonal flavors changed to cranberry and roasted chestnut. I’m looking forward to whatever is coming next for the holiday season.
There are other pastries at Doughnut Plant other than doughnuts, like the savory butterfly roll, cinnamon buns and churros. They are open until they sell out of goods, which may or may not be the 6:30pm closing time. Call ahead if you plan to buy them by the dozens so they can pack them up and have them ready for you.
Doughnut Plant’s U.S. website is under construction but I actually found an enormous amount of information from the Japanese website, and a bit of "Engrish" to amuse myself. Even if you can’t read Japanese, there’s a good amount of English subtext and pictures to look at.
Select purveyors in NYC who sell Doughnut Plant goodies:
- Dean & Deluca
- Whole Foods
- Agata & Valentina
- Zabars
- Citarella
- Joe’s
- Orens
- Dishes
