Hurt your teeth

Walking into a doughnut store sends my heart all aflutter. I’m sure it does so out of happiness and a tinge of anticipatory fear. I ask a lot of my heart, and it was already strained because I had 18 family members en route to Reno to celebrate my birthday. Thank god for Donut Bistro.

Bringing doughnuts home for the mob to devour seemed like the perfect solution, and it only made sense for my wife, Kat, and I to have a few all to ourselves.

Donut Bistro has only been open a couple of weeks, but that Friday morning, the blue collar community was making a run on doughnuts. I asked about business, and the counter guy said, “It’s pretty good. You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” I agree nothing signifies the start of a productive day like a buttermilk bar and a fountain soda. One word of warning, though—if you plan to eat at Donut Bistro in any of their comfortable booths, wear a jacket. The door spends more time open than closed, and it’s freezing in there.

Donut Bistro lays out all your sugary favorites in two large glass cases. They also make a couple of specialty treats like kolaches and apple or cherry burritos. One good ol’ boy in overalls took one look at the glazed, folded crepe-looking burrito and announced “That looks Danish, or um, maybe Mexican.” The one thing Donut Bistro’s kitchen hadn’t yet completed were the maple bars, and I’ve got to say your priorities need a shift when you have a entire tray of sprinkly deals and no maple bars.

Kat ordered herself a chocolate Bavarian crème filled doughnut (all doughnuts $.89), a small coffee ($1.19) and a single doughnut hole that they threw in for free. I ordered a raised glazed donut and a maple buttermilk bar. The coffee wasn’t particularly special, but they do give out free refills for dine-in customers.

I wish I could be more critical of doughnuts, but my enthusiasm and euphoria clouds my judgment. Here’s what I look for in a great doughnut: turnover—they should be coming out of the kitchen in a steady stream. I like my buttermilk bars with a slight crunch on the exterior and a center that just melts on your tongue. I like my raised doughnuts puffed up and springy, and, of course, everything should be so sweet it hurts your teeth. Check, check, check and double check.

After all that sweetness, I needed the savory sausage, jalapeño and cheese kolache ($1.49), which they warmed for me. I like the idea of a bun stuffed with all that, but the dough seemed overbrowned and gave off a slightly acrid flavor, and it needed more of the Swiss cheese to balance out what was a lot of bread and sausage.

Kat and I took a dozen mixed doughnuts ($8.99, or $4.99 for half a dozen) to go. Feeling it important to sample all of Donut Bistro’s selection I ended up in my kitchen cutting a quarter out of each donut. Lemon filled, old-fashioned maple, chocolate raised, plain buttermilk bar; I tried them all. Then I went back and tried them all again, which didn’t impress my wife or my family. Oh well, happy birthday to me.