Happy Glaze

The doughnut lives. It is the people’s pastry, the K-Mart of cakes, a taste treat that is, by definition, both a fried food and a dessert.

Oh, sure, the trendies have tried to knock the humble doughnut off its paper plate with an uppity array of scones, muffins, croissants, baguettes, and cinnamon twists.

But they can’t. The doughnut survives because it is good. And cheap. And it has existed since ancient times, its fossilized remains found in kitchens of prehistoric Native American settlements. It has proliferated ever since, spreading its glazed, round sweetness to mini-malls and coffee shops across the Golden State. Recently, a new brand of doughnut came to town. Krispy Kreme, a Southern doughnut maker, opened a store in La Habra in January and a second outlet in Van Nuys in September. At the Valley opening, Southern Californians lined up around the corner, enduring a two-hour wait to taste the new entry and see how it compares to the rest.

We decided to conduct a taste test of our own. We brought in glazed doughnuts made by Spudnuts, Winchell’s, Krispy Kreme and Donut Inn. We brought in testers who know a thing or two about taste: Joshua Cruz, a West Hollywood 5-year-old who dotes on doughnuts and is “very picky” about what he eats. Virginia Earl, a 30-something, self-employed Costa Mesa writer who has loved doughnuts since she was a kid. And Alice Broude, 80, an accomplished waitress and dessert-maker at the Redwood Saloon in downtown L.A. None had ever seen or tasted Krispy Kremes before. The doughnuts were placed on unlabeled plates. The tasters sipped water between tastes to cleanse their palates.

Here’s how it went:

Doughnut A (Spudnuts): Nice, but no smiles and no comments.

Doughnut B (Winchell’s): “Delicious,” Joshua said. “Better texture and sweeter,” said Earl. “Much better than the first one,” chimed in Broude.

Doughnut C (Krispy Kreme): First a taste, then silence. Everyone takes a second bite almost immediately. Earl says, “It’s a tie between B and C.” Joshua takes a quick third bite of Doughnut C and says, “This is the best.” He finishes his doughnut. Earl bites again and decides it’s her favorite too. Broude likes it but won’t commit yet.

Doughnut D (Donut Inn): Joshua and Earl both say “yum” but still prefer Doughnut C, the Krispy Kreme. Broude likes this last entry best. “It has a lot more body and substance,” she says.

Final Tally: Two votes for Krispy Kreme, one for Donut Inn--and all tasters vote Winchell’s a close second.