Doughnut Plant on 23rd St

Today I was working on a paper for my Wednesday class and I proposed the single, most greatest idea to my roommates: "Let's have doughnuts."

And so it began, the journey to Doughnut Plant.

I originally found this place when I watched an episode of the Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." and when I saw it, I just knew I had to go there one day. Since I live in the Upper East Side, it was quite the hike to get W 23rd St. We had to take the 6 train, catch the Time Square shuttle, then hop on to another train (I'm not very good when it comes to traveling by train. I just follow my roommate, Eli). Anyways, after a twenty-minute adventure, we finally made it to the Doughnut Plant.

Doughnut Plant - 220 W 23rd St, New York, NY

This was actually a pretty cheap place. My donuts cost about $3.50 so it was a great price for a delicious treat. It was like a cute, little café and you can tell that they put a lot of work into the place. A nice hole-in-a-wall kind of place.

Even their pillows look delicious!

I was even surprised by their variety of doughnuts you can choose from.

Doughnut Plant's Menu

Like seriously, there was a good amount to choose from.

This is only half of their selection!

But there were two that truly caught my eye:

1) Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam

and 2) Valrhona Chocolate

Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam

This beautiful doughnut is one of the most unique doughnuts that I've ever seen. I mean, I'm not one to hop from one doughnut shop to another, but have you ever seen a square doughnut filled with jam? You have? Oh, well I haven't! I was so surprised when I took my first couple of bites and discovered this hidden treasure. 

Yes, that is jam!

This doughnut was really delicious. I devoured this peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich-inspired treat as if it was nothing. The nuts it's coated with really complimented the texture of the soft dough and jelly with its crunchy bites. If you guys ever go here, this doughnut is a MUST try! This was so good, even my roommate Eli ordered one.

Now comes round two: Valrhona Chocolate and Whole Milk

Valrhona Chocolate (It has a pink thong!)

I can tell you one thing: looks CAN deceive you. This is a direct quote my friend Christian told me when he took a bite, "This taste... this kinda taste like old people." and old people it tasted. The chocolate was so unexciting that it is comparable to a Dunkin' Donut's Chocolate Frosted Donut. For a nice place like this, this basic chocolate doughnut wasn't very good. Thank god I had bought the milk to drain down this disappointment. I mean, yeah, it's cool that it has a little thong, but taste is a HUGE part of the pastry.

Overall, Doughnut Plant is pretty great though I gave the Valrhona Chocolate a bad review. All of my roommates enjoyed their doughnuts and the café was well decorated and a social butterfly with people coming in and out. Doughnut Plant is a place where the bolder you go the better of an experience you will get. The Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam is not a common flavor for a doughnut, but it's taste was amazing. Unfortunately I can't say too much for their basic chocolate doughnut.

Lesson learned: Try something new and be bold.

"I worship scones and danishes. If I never had another meal, I wouldn't care as long as I could eat pastries and jelly doughnuts."

--Gene Simmons (KISS)