Ever since Frittelli’s closed earlier this year, L.A. has been lacking truly gourmet donuts. Places like Donut Man and Blinkie’s Donut Emporium are great, but their fried dough rings aren’t crafted with premium ingredients. I found temporary salvation at Mark Israel’s Doughnut Plant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and then Man Seeking Coffee pointed out Dynamo Donuts in San Francisco, which he said were at least on par with Doughnut Plant. They were.
Sara Spearin opened Dynamo Donuts a year ago in a space on the southeast fringes of the Mission District that used to house a Mexican restaurant and the Casa Sanchez salsa factory. She previously held illustrious pastry posts at Liberty Café, Bi-Rite Creamery and Stars, to name just three spots. Why donuts? Spearin said, “I was a pastry chef for a long, long time and wanted to find my niche.” Consider it found.
During our visit, Dynamo offered apricot cardamom, lemon pistachio, ginger orange, maple glazed bacon apple, vanilla bean and chocolate rose donuts, plus a sticky bun. We stuck with the first four options and they all delivered.
The dough itself had a unique texture, lighter and more pull-apart than the typically dense cake donuts, yet heartier than airy glazed donuts. Spearin didn’t use sugar sweetness as a shortcut to flavor, as so many donut shops do. Instead, she relied on her high-quality innovative ingredients. Surprisingly, maple-glazed bacon apple wasn’t the winner, even with crispy cuts of bacon on top; this was mainly because the apple flavor wasn’t as pronounced as advertised. Instead, apricot cardamom reigned supreme, with dried bits of apricot and great Turkish spicing. Lemon pistachio was another great donut, with crushed pistachios and a light citrus tang. Ginger orange was also great, with a light ginger kick and sweet orange icing.
Dynamo has one of the most elaborate coffee set-ups of any donut shop, with the front counter hosting a shiny four-group La Marzocco. Spearin sources fresh-roasted beans from nearby Four Barrel Coffee, a coffeehouse with one of the better reputations in San Francisco. The line was backing up and the counterwoman was looking panicked, but my Gibraltar tasted nearly as good as it was at Four Barrel, minus the artistry. Dynamo also produces donuts for Four Barrel, marking a cool community collaboration.
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Jane
August 22, 2009 at 2:49 PM
These were unbelievably tasty treats!
mattatouille
August 21, 2009 at 9:33 PM
I should have made the trip here, but I had a couple of their donuts at Four Barrel. Delicious donuts…i really miss Fritelli’s, they were the best.
Crasty
August 21, 2009 at 8:52 PM
Thank you! You often write very interesting articles. You improved my mood.