Donuts

Who doesn't love donuts, right? Donuts are different here in Lake Charles than Pittsburgh. Or at least buying them is. In Pittsburgh, if you want a donut, or a dozen, you drive to the local Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donut, or hope that Giant Eagle's aren't leftover from yesterday. The grocery store bakeries here do sell donuts, but there are no chains. Instead, we have these amazing mom & pop donut shops that often sell them hot, just like Krispy Kreme. The photos below are only a sample. These corner confectionaries are everywhere here. As far as I know, most all the shops have drive through windows (so you can buy donuts in your pajamas and no one knows) and walk up windows. Some you can actually walk into and sit down at a table to eat your donuts.

One thing bothers me. I am seriously in the mood for what I call a bear claw. Now, they sell what they call bear claws here, but they're really apple frittery-type things. A bear claw, as I know it, is donut-ish, large, with cinnamon and walnuts, and topped with maple icing. Does anyone know where I can find one? Another bothersome thing is that they close so early in the day, usually when they run out of donuts, often by 11:00, but definitely by 2:00. What if I want a donut in the afternoon? Walmart, I guess.

Behind the glass cases lined up along the donuts are kolaches. I had never heard of kolaches before moving here, and it took me awhile to figure out what they are. Essentially, they are pigs in a blanket. But the pigs are hardly ordinary hot dogs. Cajuns take their sausage seriously. There are often several different types of kolache to choose from. Mild or spicy, at the very least. Boudin (boo dan) is a blog post all to itself. Some other day.

These first two shops are in Moss Bluff. This one is Dixie Donuts. I love Dixie Donuts. There used to be a sign, but I don't know what happened to it. Seriously, how could Dunkin compete with Dixie Donuts? Well, maybe the coffee is better at Dunkin, but who cares. I can make coffee at home.

I've been told that Donut Palace is actually a chain, but I'm not convinced it's nationwide. I could be wrong.

Dino's is in Westlake. I love Dino's, too. We rarely head west on I-10 without stopping at Dino's for a bag of road trip donuts. I actually met Mr. Dino when I stopped to take the photos. He seems like a great guy.

My guess, and it's only a guess, is that part of the sign fell during a hurricane and never got put back up.

Who could resist Happy Donuts?

I used to have a ring in the 70's that looked just like that yellow O. Actually, I still have it, but I wore it everyday for so many years the cheap metal finally wore through and cracked.

Do I have a favorite? I don't patronize any of these establishments often enough to claim a favorite. But do tell me, what's your favorite donut hole-in-the-wall?