Dunking Across America

Can I let you in on a Hollywood secret?

Daily donuts. While the Google elite get organic, whole-grain breakfast, us film folk keep it old school with the American classic. Each morning, the craft service table is decked with doughnuts, offering a sweet distraction to our 5 a.m.call. With coffee, the sugar & carb combo packs a potent, energy boost that revs you up for long days of shooting.

In my early days of costuming, I learned my favorite doughnut denomination: Vitamin O. Created by my co-worker, Jim, he used this nickname to trick himself into believing his glazed treat was good for him. What was once considered fattening suddenly became nutritious. Mind over fatter, right?

Tomorrow is National Doughnut Day (..and we are living in a material world...) Based on the Salvation Army's holiday honoring the women who served donuts to soldiers in WWI, the marketing wizards have dubbed the first Friday of June a Day For Dunking. Like mothers and valentines, I come from the camp that celebrating should not be a one-day deal. Nevertheless, I can't resist this doughy opportunity.

From my 3 most well-trodden cities, where to dunk your doughnuts:

Tres Leches

Doughnut Plant NYC
www.doughnutplant.com 

What began as a one-man, bike-delivery service has morphed into one of the Big Apple's best doughnut shops. Doughnut Plant handcrafts all natural deliciousness, excelling in filled and cake varieties, which they describe as "a texture somewhere near the intersection of a classic birthday cake and buttery pound cake". My favorite marriage of the two, the Tres Leches, was inaugurated on Cinco de Mayo in 2006. Like its namesake, this vanilla-glazed doughnut is filled with a dairy threesome of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream. As they sang in Schoolhouse Rock, three IS a magic number!

In addition to storefronts in Chelsea and the LES, find these dunkers at Joe cafes around town. Deal Alert: For National Doughnut Day, Doughnut Plant is giving a mini, rainbow sprinkle doughnut FREE with every purchase (while supplies last).

Randy's Donuts Los Angeles
www.randy-donuts.com

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a donut! It's hard to miss L.A.'s most iconic display of novelty architecture, the famous Randy's Donuts. Open 24-7, this classic drive-thru is my LAX pit-stop for on-board snacks or welcome-home treats.

Wheat & Honey and Buttermilk Bar 

My usual is two-fold. In the foreground, the dense, buttermilk bar is shellacked with sugary goodness. Tucked in the back, the wholesome wheat & honey is a fresh-baked spin on my preferred, childhood cereal, Honey Bunches Of Oats.

Deal Alert: Randy's will be dishing out FREE DONUTS for National Donut Day. Morning only - while supplies last.  Call for exact times 310.645.4707

Cinnamon Sugar Minis 

Market Mini Donuts  Seattle
http://ballardfarmersmarket.wordpress.com/

There's a bit of State Fair fried-ness at the Ballard Farmers Market. Nestled among the rainbow chard and golden beets, Market Mini Donuts fries up made-to-order, bite-size beauties. Opt for a dusting of cinnamon & sugar if you fancy.  Best when consumed piping-hot, the steaming bag doubles as a makeshift hand-warmer on cold mornings. Check out the action below (audio by my nephew, Robert)

24-Hour Pastry Party

Donuts are the new black.

The ubiquitous, frou-frou cupcake has been trumped by old-school goodness. It's only fitting--with the food scene going back to basics--that this old-fashioned orb is back in fashion.  In L.A., donut shops are a dime a dozen, most notably Randy's, the landmark shop (and my preferred LAX pit-stop) that is topped with a 3-story-high donut.  Donuts are no longer restricted to restaurants; this weekend, they star in their very own art show at ForYourArt's Around the Clock: 24-Hour Donut City II, LACMA's Choice

In conjunction with LACMA's showing of The Clock, Christian Marclay's epic, 24-hour film (a dazzling montage of time-related film clips), ForYourArt gallery is hosting an all-night fiesta, featuring donut costumes, a communal, coloring table, and FREE donuts from various shops around town.  What's the connection between clocks and donuts? In form alone, both are circular. Secondly, many donut shops are open 24-7, aka around the clock.

Freedom Of Expression

I attended the inaugural Around the Clock: 24-Hour Donut City in March.  Many art events reek of pretension, but this was utterly laid-back.  I mean, when was the last time you went to an art gallery and instead of black-clad, hipsters sipping vino, you get a convivial crowd clamoring for fried food? The guests consisted of an eclectic array of Angelenos, including kids and couples adorably feeding each other. 

Blueberry Cake Donut

During my visit, I sampled three tasty treats.  From SK's Donut & Croissant (a 24-7 joint nearby), I had the Blueberry Cake Donut.  It was moist, fluffy and sugary-sweet like kid's breakfast cereal. Thanks to Bob's (at the Original Farmer's Market), I devoured the Old-Fashioned and Cinnamon-Sugar donuts, both fantastically fresh and plump versions of these classic flavors.  This time around, ForYourArt queried LACMA employees for their favorite donuts, elevating the menu to a professionally-curated experience.

Dressed For The Occasion

The festivities run from noon Saturday, Sept. 22nd to noon on the 23rd.  Click here for the donut schedule.  Between the film and the fried deliciousness, make time to check out Levitated Mass, the ginormous piece, er, boulder on the North Lawn, and Metropolis II, Chris Burden's bustling, car-centric sculpture.  For your alcoholic pleasure, grab a hand-crafted cocktail at LACMA's Stark Bar.

On it's own, The Clock is a masterpiece. Coupled with donuts, it's double your pleasure. Add the rare treat of being out in L.A. after 2am, and this is an event you won't want to miss.  

A Daily Dose Of Vitamin O

Mighty-O Donuts Tangletown, Seattle
www.mightyo.com

These are the longest 8 days of the year. I'm talking about Passover, the Jewish holiday that honors their ancestors' exodus from slavery in Egypt. As the story goes, they fled with such haste that their bread dough had no time to rise. To commemorate this plight, Jews abstain from leavened bread and grains throughout the holiday. For some, especially carb-free folks like Atkins aficionados, this is--pun intended--a piece of cake. Yet, for me, a pasta-loving, beer-guzzling, pastry junkie, these are eight days of eternity (after all, a horizontal 8 = infinity). Since I can't consume my beloved baked goods, why not write about them? It's a bit masochistic, but considering I'm writing this post surrounded by a French Toast pop-up at Fix, my local, Echo Park cafe, perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment.

Having just returned from Seattle, I have donuts on the brain--and in my belly. The Emerald City is home to one of my all-time fave donut shops, the Mighty-O. For a dozen years, the Mighty-O has made their outstanding orbs in a surprisingly healthy way--they are organic AND vegan. When I first heard of these traits, I scoffed at the thought. Only in Seattle, the epicenter of eco-conscious living, would they dare to devise a wholesome donut. However, these are truly some of the freshest, most delectable donuts I've ever had. In spite of their fried nature, they are remarkably light and airy, yet still jam-packed with flavor. They transcend the processed norm --see Krispy Kreme--excelling to the exquisiteness of a fine French pâtisserie.


Our unanimous crowd-pleaser is the Cinnamon & Sugar, a traditional cake donut that is simultaneously fluffy and decadently doughy. The finger-licking topping, amazing on its own, gives good sweet to our Americanos. We also enjoy the Good O'L Glazed, which doesn't overdo it on the glaze, allowing for the old-fashioned flavor to come through. Simplicity is bliss.



Robert, my nephew, double-fists the Chocolate Top, a vanilla cake donut coated with cocoa frosting. As one would expect from a high-quality baker, the frosting is just the right mix of bitter and sweet, like a fine bar of dark chocolate from another local & organic fave, Theo's. We also dig the French Toast donut, a homey, and less-sticky, iteration of the brunch classic.



One of the downsides to an all-natural donut is that they don't keep well. While Mighty-O's are sold all over town, they are best consumed at their cozy shop in Tangletown. Come between 7-9am for freshly-fried goodness and grab a steaming cup of Stumptown for dunking. If the weather permits, Green Lake is just a short walk away.


For those craving a super-size version, hit the road for George's Bakery in North Bend, a 30-minute drive east. Their gargantuan glazed doughnuts are proof that size does matter. Perfect for pigging out solo or sharing with friends.

Be Italian

Osteria Mozza Hollywood 4 Jan 10
www.mozza-la.com
eat: Grilled Octopus, Crostini di Anatra, Agnolotti Burro e Salvia, Bombolini
sip: Soave Classico Suavia 07

"Be Italian. Live today as if it may become your last". These words were passionately belted out by Fergie in the "Nine", the starlet-packed movie-musical based on Fellini and his assortment of often scantily-clad babes. The film is an orgy of Italian iconography - sporty Alfa-Romeo convertibles, sensual women, high fashion, breathtaking villages perched on cliffs, and the architectural wonders of Roma - that transports the viewer to 1960‘s Italy. Dining at Osteria Mozza, a Los Angeles gem co-owned by powerhouses Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali, and Joseph Bastianich, has a similar effect; the magnificent food, attentive service, and bustling atmosphere combine to create a dreamland of Italian delicacies. Everything is bellisima - the soft lighting, the fresh ingredients, the tantalizing smells of braised meat and pungent garlic, even our fellow diners are beautiful.

In my opinion, a seat at the bar is the best view in the house. The traditional, zinc bar has been perfectly art directed with an array of rustic treats - a bundle of lavender sprigs, platters of roast tomatoes and leeks, white pumpkins, and an adorable menagerie of brass ducks. Behind the bar, aproned staff prepare plates of anitpasti; watching them slice a plump prosciutto is food porn, Italian style. After seeking ordering advice from our friendly & knowledgeable waitress, Julie, we are presented with a gift of ricotta, tapenade, and basil crostini. Since Mozza offers a tantalizing array of cheeses at their Mozzarella Bar, I wasn't surprised that the ricotta was creamy, fresh exquisiteness. Next, there was charred, dare I say "meaty", Grilled Octopus complemented by a lemony celery & potato salad. Usually, celery is an undistinguished ingredient in soups or stuffing, but here the crisp, crunchy veggie is raised to a culinary level and I'm longing to recreate this refreshing salad on a sultry, summer day. In keeping with my "greens at every meal" mantra, Market Lettuces with Crostini Di Anatra followed. The crostini were slathered with a fatty, flavorful duck rillettes (Italian vocab lesson: Anatra = duck) and the greens were perked up with a shallot dressing. Moving on to the carb-ilicious part of the meal, we have Agnolotti bathed in Burro e Salvia (sage butter); these little, pillowy pasta pockets miraculously stuffed with 5 kinds of meat, including veal cheeks, pork, and mortadella, are a new contender for the title "Heart Attack on A Plate", the affectionate nickname for Pasta Alla Carbonara. Honestly, this was hands-down one of the best pasta dishes I've ever tasted, a "last meal before you die", orgasmic dish. Perhaps the Tagliatelle with Oxtail Ragu was overshadowed by the awesome agnolotti, but I found the ragu to be overwhelmingly salty and mediocre, though the thick ribbons of homemade tagliatelle were divine. In spite of our bursting bellies, we couldn't resist the Bombolini, fresh doughnuts piled atop huckleberry compote, served with vanilla gelato nestled in lemon curd. The marriage of fried, tangy, sweet and creamy was a flawless finish to our magnifico meal. Throughout the meal, I savored glasses of Suavia Soave Classico 07, a medium-bodied, lemony, mineral-y white wine that complemented the hearty meal beautifully.

When I moved to L.A., I complained about the lack of Italian restaurants, which I blamed on both the absence of a large, Italian community and the carb-heavy cuisine's lack of appeal to fitness-obsessed Angelenos. Thankfully, Osteria Mozza, and the equally yummy sister restaurants, Pizzeria Mozza and Mozza-to-Go (their takeout joint) are here to satisfy my Italian cravings. Mozza isn't cheap, especially if you are an eater like myself, but it's worth the splurge. Deal Alert: A special menu is offered Sun.- Thurs nights at the Mozzarella Bar that includes a cheese, a pasta, a dessert, and a hefty glass of vino for only $35.