Lunch with Lauren: Donuts!

By Lauren Townsend for The Aha! Connection

Friday is National Donut Day which is one of the few food “holidays” I honor. Sadly, our Dunwoody DaVinci’s Donuts closed but you can find them at one of their nearby locations. DaVinci’s offers smaller, cake-style donuts in a variety of flavors. If for some reason, you can’t find a flavor that strikes your fancy, there is always the option to create your own.

Not far down Ashford Dunwoody in Brookhaven is Bon Glaze (3575 Durden Dr NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319, in the Pure Taqueria shopping center). Bon Glaze donuts are gourmet.

Of course they have the traditional donuts, but you go there because they do the fancy flavors right like blueberry sour cream (available in gluten free), salted caramel with balsamic reduction, meyer lemon and my favorite, chocolate pistachio. They also make donut holes “to order” meaning they cover them in cinnamon sugar or glaze and have a variety of candied bacon, so do with that information what you will.

Donuts worth the drive include but are not limited to Sublime Donuts, Paris Baguette, Scream ‘n nuts and Sarah Donuts. Sublime Donuts (2566 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30329 next to Newk’s with the original location on GT campus). I love the story of Sublime Donuts: basically, the owner learned to bake/cook in the Navy and then refined his skills at the Culinary Institute of America. Sublime was my first donut love in Atlanta. The donuts are fresh and the strawberry cream is SO good. Their chocolate/vanilla twists are perfect and they will make a box that spells out, “ Happy Birthday” in donuts if you give them enough notice.

Paris Baguette (5252 Buford Hwy, Doraville, GA 30340) not far inside the perimeter. They offer lots of beautiful desserts as well as specialty drinks and breads and pastries. I believe it is the closest place to get a cronut and they do it well. I’m also a fan of their (mostly consistent) chocolate croissant and their mocha cream cheese bread, but neither of those things are donuts.

Scream’n Nuts (5950 North Point Pkwy Suite 129, Alpharetta, GA 30022). If you really want to CELEBRATE National Donut Day, this would be the place. I love the ice cream at Scream’n Nuts…it’s good, but they make donuts, lots of them and they incorporate them in a number of ways. In addition to a hot sealed donut stuffed with ice cream, they also make donut bread pudding, a loaded donut shake, donut ice cream cones and each ice cream scoop is topped with an adorable donut hole that looks like a cherry.

Sarah Donuts (5860 Jimmy Carter Blvd #155, Norcross, GA 30071, closer to I85). Sarah Donuts are just perfection. No crazy flavors or gimmicks, just fresh, well executed, fluffy, delicious donuts that are super affordable ($9 a dozen). The Sunflower donut is my favorite but the sour cream donuts and all the kids donuts are a hit, especially the stars. They also serve sausage rolls that are reminiscent of the kolaches from home. Definitely a little bit of a hike from Dunwoody, but certainly worth the drive one morning.

If you are really trying to fill your arteries, there are a few restaurants around Atlanta that offer a version of the Luther Vandross, which is a hamburger or cheeseburger with a glazed donut bun. Cypress Street Pint and Plate has a Krispy Kreme burger and Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand has Da’ Bomb: chicken sausage patties, eggs, cheddar on grilled Krispy Kreme donuts. Finally, BeetleCat offers a Donut Brunch on Saturday and Sundays which obviously includes their version of the Luther in addition to fresh, warm donuts, donuts with fried chicken, donut french toast PLUS a lot of delicious non-donut cocktails. Alright, that should keep you busy on National Donut Day and beyond. Take your blood thinners and have a happy weekend!