Dough (Brooklyn)
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“Just a sandwich and a soda,” the man outside repeated over and over again outside—sometimes tacking on a ma’am or sir at the end. He’d said it to me too as I passed through the mint blue door frame.
The young man with the twist outs running the shop offered to shut the door. “I’m just so used to it by now...” I said it was fine to be left open. His constant request went in one ear and my brain just registered Brooklyn. The shop itself is simple, spiced up by a mint blue continuation along the cabinets and counter wall. Interestingly, they have a tiny table and chairs along with a chalkboard covered in magnetic letters. What I’m trying to say is: they have a children’s area. Two hanging cloths, one sparkling silver and one a delicate blue tie dye, acts as contextualization for this unmarked area’s in an odd twist of fate for this photo shoot backdrop. Children’s cries are common for this cafe and so is finding yourself in a back-and-forth bobbing situation at the door, kids both seeing knees and also being unable to register your intentions to get by. There’s a bench pressed into a neat right angle at the front, so it’s easy to sit for a few moments (or until a parent arrives). There are even some pillows, patterned with brush strokes of a complementary blue palette and a more abstract tan version with elliptic elements, adding colors but also comfort. There are some tables; you can stay in the space, lit primarily by opaque schoolhouse pendants. The tunes will include Omarion, One Republic and of course, the track at the top of the 2023 Billboard chart, “Just a sandwich and a soda.”
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Drink: Coffee
In the United States, BONJOURNO COFFEE is carried exclusively by Dough Donuts. It says it up on the menu board as well as proudly on their website. They bill the specific Royal French Blend, what they brew, as being a light/medium roast. As far as the flavor, I can’t help but compare it to the drip coffee I had from their Rockefeller Center shop. That brew was punchy and obviously light. The one at the Brooklyn location was less expressive, as though someone brewed older beans or ground the beans too finely, overextracting and landing it a bit on the bitter side. It’s still a decent cup of coffee, but I’d love for the two stores to exchange notes. That being said, having the coffee run a little bitter at a donut shop is much better than running sour. Pastries’ sweetnesses balance better with bitterness, in my opinion.
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Food: Ube Cheesecake Donut
When I bite into a filled donut, my every thought surrounds the filling. I mean, it’s an obvious thing to focus on. Yet, unlike other aspects of the pastry, it definitely warrants the attention. The ube cheesecake filling is no joke. Essentially, it isn’t a misnomer. There was a good amount, and it’s not just whipped up creme with a purple dye. The texture didn’t drown out the ube flavor—a blessing that takes talent. What I was precisely expecting, I don’t know. The purple registers in my brain as needing perhaps a smidgeon more flavor, but at least it came in hot on the visual smack. The purple sugar dusting does end up melting into the dough when they wait on the rack to be purchased. So, it might lose a little vibrancy, but it’s PURPLE. And—let’s be honest—that’s what I came for.
Oh, and once more thing…when your finished/during those delicious bites, check your face.
You’re welcome.
Price: Royal Blend Drip Coffee (12 oz.)=$3*; Ube Cheesecake Donut=$5.95
*The menu says a small is $2.75, but they charge you for the large. It’s fine, I just wish they taped over the menu with the update like they did for the Hibiscus Lemonade and the Passion Fruit Mint Cooler.