Donut Mania
Cronut
Buttermilk Bar
The King – Peanut Butter and Bacon Filling, Peanut Butter Frosting, Caramelized Banana
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Apple Fritter
Cherry Fritter
Rocky Road Bar – Chocolate Icing, Marshmallow, Walnuts, Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Whip Filling
Owned and operated by a former employee of Pink Box with a counter manned by his own flesh and blood it was just after 2:00pm that I noticed Donut Mania’s “Grand Opening” sign when driving down South Durango, and first scolded by the middle-aged owner for snapping a few photos for fear of me being a “spy” for his former employers it would be difficult to say that first impressions were favorable, though after brief conversation the smoky smelling man’s tune slowly changed.
Purportedly opening the new space simply out of his longterm love of donuts, first honing his skills at mom n’ pop spots before working at Winchell’s and then helping to establish Pinkbox, it was with faint praise tinged with disdain that conversation was held regarding other local donut purveyors and stating his total agreement with my assessment of Pinkbox’s cronut as an oily mess a free sample of the Donut Mania version was procured free-of-charge, the exterior glistening with glaze with well separated layers incredibly light, though not as texturally compelling as that of Ace, Coco, America, or Press.
Amused by creations contained in a duo of glass cases it was eventually on a half-dozen that a decision was made and offered 20% off the $6.80 total was admittedly a bargain, though the young woman who haphazardly slopped donuts atop one another inside the pink box could stand to learn a thing or two about presentation and the use of wax paper – the flavors of peanut butter and jelly all over the bottom of a rocky road bar not particularly desired, nor particularly fanciful for those wanting to take pictures of Donut Mania’s wares.
Getting into the flavors and textures, it perhaps goes without saying that the man who helped set-up Pink Box features a base quite similar to the slowly expanding chain and with the same bready consistency pervasive in all three filled options it was all the more unfortunate that toppings as well as fillings were extremely heavy handed – the cocoa cream inside the rocky road a lone exception while both the King and artificial grape PB&J were so heavily strewn with peanut butter that neither proved edible beyond a few bites.
Frankly appalled by the dryness of a buttermilk bar, perhaps an effect of ordering it so late in the day, it was onward to Fritters that the tasting progressed and although certainly not ‘typical’ with large bubbles of yeasted dough wrapped around a decent amount of fruit it was finally here that Donut Mania found its groove, both apple and cherry iterations decidedly delicious – though perhaps better termed a ‘pull-apart’ rather than fritter, the later achieving near-perfection at Ace Donuts, just up the street.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Happy to see another mom n’ pop donut shop attempting to do interesting things it is unfortunate that thus far Donut Mania only seems to be another Pink Box outpost with a few small tweaks. Interesting for their take on the fritter, and offering a fairly interesting selection of daily specials as well as enormous ‘party donuts’ there is no doubt I’ll be back to reevaluate in a few months – hopefully finding service issues and paranoia to be remedied, or at least scaled back.
RECOMMENDED: Fritters, nontraditional but delicious none the less – cherry moreso than apple.
AVOID: Anything featuring Peanut Butter and a worst-in-city candidate buttermilk bar.
TIP: Currently offering 10% with Social Media Check-Ins and early morning hours 7-days a week, those looking for a good deal and best selections are advised to arrive early with Smartphone in hand.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://www.donutmanialv.com/
