*Note* Ben is my good friend and trusted donut critic. He and I have visited a few shops together and discussed the intricacies that make up a great donut, so I give my validating approval to whatever he says. Ben, I'm sorry to say that you really missed out. I recently visited Trisha's, and though the smell was not strong, the taste nearly drove me crazy. These little guys are "Lightning in a Bottle." We'll just have to go there together sometime soon and share in the donut experience.
From an email Ben sent me....
I read Andrew's guest donut blog about the pier 39 donuts, and I'm kind of angry.
When I was in New Zealand, the mini donuts were a life changing experience. Between the two islands, I only found them in the very first city and very last city I visited. And believe me...I looked. I only found the second mini donut shop because I smelled it. Kristen and I were walking through a mini-mall and the smell hit me. I got so excited I nearly lost bowel control. We were right next to a bakery, so I turned and stepped inside...and the smell ceased.
"They're not here...we must keep looking!"
I returned to the promenade and followed my nose a few doors down. Heaven again. Lightning in a bottle.
Then, on Kristen's birthday (last Thursday), I went to pier 39. I saw the mini-donut shop. And I didn't buy them. Because that smell was absent. I walked all around the shop, searching for that haunting fragrance. Nothing. I stuck my head as close to the window as I could, and still nothing. I saw some people buying and eating them, and they didn't look quite as sparklingly brilliant as the New Zealand ones. So I didn't buy them, because I couldn't risk putting mediocre mini donuts in a mouth that had tasted such sublime excellence.
And then today I checked your blog, saw that post, and wondered if I had missed out on more lightning in a bottle. And now I'm conflicted and therefore, as I mentioned above, angry.
Miss you brother. Take care!
-Ben
From an email Ben sent me....
I read Andrew's guest donut blog about the pier 39 donuts, and I'm kind of angry.
When I was in New Zealand, the mini donuts were a life changing experience. Between the two islands, I only found them in the very first city and very last city I visited. And believe me...I looked. I only found the second mini donut shop because I smelled it. Kristen and I were walking through a mini-mall and the smell hit me. I got so excited I nearly lost bowel control. We were right next to a bakery, so I turned and stepped inside...and the smell ceased.
"They're not here...we must keep looking!"
I returned to the promenade and followed my nose a few doors down. Heaven again. Lightning in a bottle.
Then, on Kristen's birthday (last Thursday), I went to pier 39. I saw the mini-donut shop. And I didn't buy them. Because that smell was absent. I walked all around the shop, searching for that haunting fragrance. Nothing. I stuck my head as close to the window as I could, and still nothing. I saw some people buying and eating them, and they didn't look quite as sparklingly brilliant as the New Zealand ones. So I didn't buy them, because I couldn't risk putting mediocre mini donuts in a mouth that had tasted such sublime excellence.
And then today I checked your blog, saw that post, and wondered if I had missed out on more lightning in a bottle. And now I'm conflicted and therefore, as I mentioned above, angry.
Miss you brother. Take care!
-Ben
