Pink Box Doughnuts on Durango
Mound’s Bar
Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Butterfinger
Lemon Meringue
Cheesecake
Continuing a torrid rate of expansion that has seen a single standalone expand to three counters and a kiosk in the past year it was through the serendipity of signage that I noted the new Pink Box Doughnuts in Spring Valley and with the flagship’s minivan parked in front of Fabulous Freddy’s delivering fresh goods I could not help but stop by, a quartet of flavors I’d not tried amongst the eighteen offered on South Durango that day. As always featuring friendly service from an all-female staff it was just as shelves were being loaded that I entered the large Convenience Store and soon followed by three more patrons who’d apparently been waiting in the parking lot we each asked several questions before orders were placed, boxed, and in my case taken to the curb for consumption. At this point fairly familiar with the brand and its propensity for options both raised and filled it was with modest expectations that I began my tasting with the Coconut-flecked Chocolate ‘Mounds’ and much like previous cake based options from Pink Box the result was middling at best; an overly dry crumb beneath light glaze proving far less inspired than any of the options to follow – a trio of brioche-style pockets each stuffed with housemade filling from which the weekly special of peanut butter tinged cheesecake soon shown the brightest, though the tangy lemon curd was not far behind with its punchy sour opening dissipating into a smooth and sweet finish.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Continuing to expand their production with no apparent drop-off in quality or creativity Pink Box remains my pick for best novelty donuts in the Valley and although most of the cake options don’t stack up to some of the well-established mom n’ pop shops around town the creative twists like Fat Elvis, Nutty Pig, and other filled options should be more than enough to keep people coming back for more.
RECOMMENDED: Peanut Butter Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue, and pretty much every filled option I’ve had at any of the three locations I’ve thus far visited.
AVOID: All cake options save for the sweet potato tend toward dry.
TIP: Delivered fresh at 7:00am and available until sold out one is well advised to arrive early on weekends in order to guarantee a good selection; two of the persons behind me in line purchased two-dozen each for events later that day.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
