Donut Shoppe on Avenue U: An Independent Survives in Brooklyn
The perfect neighborhood glazed donut.
Fork in the Road has bitched before about how Dunkin' Donuts has invaded Brooklyn, and the deleterious effects suffered by the borough as a result: independent coffee shops forestalling or even closing; the gobbling up of choice food-permitted retail property, resulting in a decline of such businesses as neighborhood pizza parlors and delis; and, of course, the propensity of national franchises for paying low wages, siphoning up local cash and sending it out of state. Well, there's another nasty Dunkin' Donuts effect, too: putting local donut makers out of business.
In fact, what was once a typical Brooklyn institution -- the independent donut shop, often making excellent donuts -- is now on the wane. As I propel around the borough, I see fewer and fewer of these places. The low-fat, low-carb craze has contributed to the dearth, too, but places like Peter Pan in Greenpoint have re-taught us to love the local donut.
Thus it was with some excitement that I stumbled on Donut Shoppe, an old-fashioned sort of place just under the B and Q tracks on Avenue U in Homecrest. The glazed donut -- bedrock of the menu at any of these places -- is superb, light as a single rolling paper and only partly shiny; in other words, it doesn't commit the cardinal sin of being too sweet. The cudgel-size cruller was similarly delectable and tasted freshly made. But my friend Mark, who brought his son Eli along, had one minor objection: "They forgot to twist the cruller; it's too straight." 1503 Avenue U, Brooklyn, no phone
Kids love donuts.
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