REVIEW: DONUT PRINCE

WHERE: 1721 West Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506
OPEN: 24 Hours
PAY: Cash only (ATM on-site)

So why "Donut Prince" to kick off an ill-conceived series of confectionary critiques that will no doubt lead to weight gain and/or diabetes?

From the time I was an assistant on "Smallville" until the time we turned off our lights and closed the doors, three of us would take turns bringing donuts every Friday: Brian Peterson (Executive Producer) would grab some from a joint in Echo Park; Andi Armaganian (one of our editors) would pick some up from her favorite spot in near Marina Del Rey; I'd grab from Donut Prince (which I only found by accident on a supply run one afternoon). If you are/were a fan of the show, it's safe to say that a good percentage of stories broken between seasons seven and ten involved metabolized sugar from this establishment. Plus...

Tom Hanks has eaten there. I know this because his picture (with the owners) is on the wall. George Lopez has also eaten there. In fact, Mr. Lopez apparently loved his experience so much that he had the owners visit his talk show (a picture of this also graces the walls). There are also pictures of family scattered about - it's a very welcoming shop, and every-bit a "mom and pop." 

It's rare that you'll be greeted and served by someone other than the husband and wife duo who own and operate.  To be fair, I've never been there in the middle of the night (at which point I assume vampires or Nicolas Cage on B12 shots take over [as a subset of parenthesis, ten points to the person who gets that last reference]).

Available seating is limited.  Though there are only a handful of booths in the narrow space, I've visited enough times to know that you won't have much problem finding a spot on the weekend. During the work-week, however, you may have to wait. Or, you can grab-and-go.  During the week (specifically toward Thur/Fri), morning-time sees Donut Prince with a line usually backed up to (if not out of) the door. So the bigger question for you, Dear Reader - is it worth your (believe me, I'm hating this as I type it, but it applies) dough? (NOTE: he feels shame, but the amount of sugar he's just consumed has taken hold.)

Three toroidal solids, edible, shall be presented for valuation. One that I'd never eat of my own volition. One that I'd probably always eat over anything else. One that stands as a control element, found wherever donuts are sold. 
 

The WILD CARD: Powdered, jelly

Let's get this out of the way now - I've never been a fan of jelly donuts. Just know that I'm doing this for all of you, reading, out there in the dark. Or on the bus.

After two bites and still no jelly, I rotate the beast, then attack again. This is where the jelly has been hiding. Raspberry, from the taste of it. Not as much jelly as I was expecting, but it isn't bad. The consistency of the donut itself is fairly light and bready, and the powder reminds me of those tiny (awful for you) powdered donuts that came by the bag from the grocery store when I was little.

The STANDARD: Glazed

Every donut shop has one, so it's only fair to have this be the constant through all reviews henceforth. 

This particular glazed came fresh from the rack (as a side note, Prince generally always has glazed, twists, maple & chocolate iced bars fresh and ready on the rack). Though I've been exposed to plenty of dried-out glazed, this one is just the right amount of moist on the inside. As for the outside, the coating is thin, not-too-sticky, and just a bit flaky. As a bonus, it in no way feels like I need to wash my hands before returning to my keyboard between bites.

The GO-TO: Old-fashioned, with chocolate icing

And then there's you, my Precious. My go-to in life used to be cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles. Donut Prince changed all that for me.

As always, the donut itself is like flash-fried angel food cake.  Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. The icing up top is smooth, a little on the thick side and has some crystallization. This is the only donut of the three I have eaten in its entirety. I am sad that it is gone.

I chose to visit the Prince first for a reason - it is awesome. As always, mileage for the individual consumer will vary. If you're in Burbank for any reason and like donuts, you would be remiss to not give them a shot.

OVERALL (out of five):