Pillsbury Doesn't Do it Best

Have you ever had a best experience and a worst experience on the same day? That was my day yesterday. Part two of my root canal, I never even saw coming. Part one was bad enough, but at least it relieved the god-awful pressure built up in tooth number twenty. The pain however, the next day was excruciating. Surprisingly, said pain was not from #20 but rather from all of the novocaine and from keeping my tiny mouth propped open for so long. (Yeah, yeah, feel free to make all of the small mouth jokes you want). So yesterday, when I saw that novocaine syringe coming toward me again, I almost lost it. The endodontist explained to me that I wouldn't receive as much this time, so I shouldn't have quite as much soreness at the injection points. To console myself afterward, and to help me forget about the almost $1,500 that I got to spend (Do you know that's 3 Vince sweaters, or 15 dinners for two, or 1500 donuts at Gladstone's?) I walked next door to Scarlett's Cupcakes. There was no way I was leaving Pacific Palisades with out at least four cupcakes. And I didn't. At $3.25 each, I have to say, these are the tastiest cupcakes in the city! Each cupcake was better than the next! Cake tastes old fashioned and Scarlett's uses only the freshest fine ingredients available such as Belgium chocolate, unsalted butter, brown sugar, eggs, whole milk, buttermilk, sour cream, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, vanilla beans, and homemade caramel sauce. Vegan ($3.50) and gluten free ($4) cupcakes as well as French Macaroons ($3.25) and Weaver's Organic & Fair Trade Coffee ($1.50)  are also available. My favorite cupcake was the Vanilla Bean. Vanilla Bean cake was frosted with Vanilla Bean frosting and topped with rainbow sprinkles. This is by far the best cupcake I have ever tasted. The Chocolate Pearls cupcake with ganache filling and Belgium Chocolate Frosting Topped with Chocolate Crisp Pearls was shared by four of us and rated outstanding by three and a-okay by the fourth. The fourth will not be invited to our cupcake party again. The Black & White was a hit amongst everyone! Moist Devil's Food Cake filled with Oreo cream and frosted with vanilla icing is topped with chocolate flakes and a mini Oreo. This sounds disgustingly sweet, right? Wrong. It is the perfect balance of flavors and was a winner! Finally we tried the S'mores cupcake which needs no explanation at all.  Next time you need cupcakes, drive the extra mile(s), Scarlett's is worth it! Scarlett's Cupcakes 857 Via de la Paz Pacific Palisades (310) 454-0290 Hours: Monday-Saturday 7:45 a.m. (muffins and coffee) 10:00 a.m. (cupcakes)- 7:00 p.m.) Closed Sunday. Sunday Orders delivered free of charge. 

Recommended: Vanilla Bean cupcake, Black & White cupcake, S'more cupcake, Chocolate Pearls cupcake.

I am the first to admit, and you can read for yourself in my past blog, A Tale of Two Donuts, that I am not above visiting two donut shops in one day. I'm not. And I did. Again. Today. (I am never going to Farmer's Market without stopping at Bob's Coffee & Donuts...ever!) On our way to Farmer's Market, my husband insisted we make a stop at Blinkie's. Now most people who live in the area have made a quick dash into Blinkie's on Topanga Canyon once or twice before, as I have too. But have you tried their crinkies yet, have you? Forget cronuts and all of the hifalutin expensive wannabees because Blinkie's nails it with their delicious selection of $2.75 crinkies. What is a crinkie, you ask? A crinkie is a combination of a croissant and a donut. A cronut is actually a trademark of the Dominique Ansel Bakery in NYC. Choose from different flavors and you will be in crinkie heaven. These are some of the best I've had. While I'd rate the regular donuts at Blinkie's about a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10, the cronuts are a perfect 10. I mean a Bo Derek 10! Today I had the chocolate and vanilla. This was the most perfect chewy, flakey, moist, buttery cronut I have tasted. We are going back next weekend to try some others! Service is very friendly too. Cash only. 4884 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Woodland Hills (818) 884-4456. Hours: Sun-Mon: 6:00 a.m.- 12 noon.

Recommended: Crinkies, Glazed Bars, buttermilk glazed donuts. 

I love WeHo, I really do. Once you get your Master's Degree in reading parking signs, you will love it too. Next time you are in the area be sure to stop into Glazed Donut Bistro for a luscious sweet or savory donut or bar. If you crave Stumptown coffee, like I do, you can get your fix and buy one of GDB's adorable big red mugs ($9) while you're getting caffeinated. Sit. enjoy your sugar/caffeine fix at one of the adorable bistro tables and people watch and contemplate whether or not you'll get another donut for the road. (You will.) I have 4 words for you dear readers, Brown Butter Maple Bacon. Yep, that's right. I think this place is the sure-fire winner for Maple Bacon Bars ($4). The bar is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The donut is light and airy, yet chewy. The brown butter maple glaze tastes like pure, fresh maple and makes the thick cut maple bacon really stand out. Perfection! We also had the Cinnamon Girl Crumb ($2), a yeast raised donut glazed and covered in a cinnamon crumb topping. This was paired with a vanilla and probably the best homemade caramel sauce I've ever tasted! The donut had enough stand-on-it's-own power so I took home the caramel sauce. Truth be told, I'm going to eat it on some Mc Connell's vanilla ice cream, or maybe right from the plastic cup. It's that good! We're going back later in the week for a Jimmy Carter & Jelly and a Milk Chocolate Malt! We love you Glazed Donut Bistro! Glazed Donut Bistro 8807 Santa Monica Blvd W. Hollywood. (310) 360-0221, Hours: Mon-Wed: 8:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m. Thu-Sat: 8:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m.

Recommended: Brown Butter Maple Bacon, Cinnamon Girl Crumb, Stumptown Coffee, Caramel sauce.

Susie Cakes never lets me down. I have been getting dreamy delights here since it opened in Brentwood. You can imagine my elation when the Calabasas store opened a few years ago. This is the perfect place to get a mini cupackae ($1.95/3 for $5/ $20/dozen), a daily selection ($3.25), a specialty layer cake (starting at $36), or a great sampling of cookies and bars ($2-$5). Yesterday, after lunch at Rosti, we stopped in for a few cupcakes. I love the Vanilla with Pastel Frosting. Frosting is fluffy buttercream, not too sweet, just perfect, (European) buttery, and the right amount. Cake is dense and moist and tastes like homemade cake should. The Chocolate Chocolate is always a winner in my book. Luscious chocolate buttercream covers rich chocolate cake. Don't forget to wash your face afterward. Banana Pudding lovers won't want to miss the smooth, creamy comfort-food dessert ($5.50) topped with fresh whipped cream. For a birthday celebration we recently ordered the Old- Fashioned Layer Cake ($49) with vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream frosting. A personal inscription is $3. Be sure to pick up a Whoopie Pie ($5), Chocolate Chip Cookie ($2), Lemon Square ($3), or Classic Chocolate Brownie ($3) on your way out! I also love that every year (during a specified time) kids can bring in any test with an A or 100% and get a free cupcake. It's motivation, however you look at it. Susie Cakes 23653 Calabasas Road (In the Courtyard Mall across from The Commons) Calabasas (818) 591-2223. Hours:  Mon-Sat 10:00 a.m.- 7:00p.m.

Recommended: Cupcakes, Banana Pudding, Birthday Cake, Whoppie Pie, Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Lemon Squares. 

It was the best of donuts, it was the worst of donuts. It was the age of fried, it was the age of baked. This is the Tale of Two Donuts. For this story, I am going to play the role of Charles Dickens' Sydney Carton, who placed little value on his own existence. I did, at first place little value on Gladstone Donut House a run down little donut shop in Pasadena. Instead of believeing my husband who shall for this blog be named Charles Darnay (a character of notable wisdom and honor) I insisted we also drive to Beverly Grove to get Fonuts for last night's desserts. Let the tale begin. So Charles, I mean Ron, had a property showing yesterday on Lake Street in Pasadena and he asked me if I wanted to tag along. Hell yes I did. because you know what's right down the street? The Hat! And because I love him and we do that stuff for each other. Anyway, we stopped off for a donut at Gladstone Donut House and we enter this no-frills, and I mean no-frills at all shop and I see these huge Apple Fritters, Bear Claws, Glazed, and Buttermilk Maple. I cannot even explain what you get for $.80. Yes eighty cents! Donuts are crispy in all the right places and perfectly fried. They are not too sweet, huge and quite possibly some of the best donuts I've ever eaten. So I do have to say thank you to my husband, Charles Darnay. Gladstone Donut House 1332 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena. (626) 794-3867

Now fast forward about two hours, to Beverly Grove, home of the hipster Fonuts. We were going to someone's house for dinner. Because I didn't have enough donuts during the day, and against the sage advice of my better half, we stopped in at Fonuts on West 3rd. Here's where my attitude adjustment problem comes in. Enter the charming little shop and get swept up in the old-fashioned stove that holds coffee stirrers, etc and the gleaming glass cases full of, you guessed it...fonuts. What exactly is a fonut you ask? Fonuts is the creation of pastry chef Waylynn Lucas and gluten-free baker Nancy Truman. Fonuts are baked or steamed, never fried donuts, which explains a lot. Gluten-free and Vegan options aboud but are made with almond flour, so for those with nut allergies, that leaves you out. So here's the deal with the flavors: Gluten Free: Peanut Butter Chocolate, Vanilla Latte, Banana Cinnamon, Chocolate Hazelnut, Pumpkin, Lemon, Coconut Passion Fruit, Chocolate Coconut, Chocolate With Sprinkles, and Banana. ($3) Vegan: Peanut Butter Chocolate, Vanilla Latte, Banana Cinnamon, Lemon, Coconut Passion Fruit, Chocolate Coconut. ($3) For Gluten-Meat-Eaters choose from Vanilla Cream Filled, Red Velvet, Strawberry Buttermilk, Rosemary Olive Oil, Salted Caramel. Maple Bacon, Glazed, Cinnamon Sugar, Blueberry Earl Gray or Chorizo Cheddar ($3). Okay, here's the lowdown. You cannot bake or steam a donut. It is wrong on so many levels. Donuts are not meant to be healthy food. And I still don't get Olive Oil donuts! Why? When do you eat olive oil with a donut? Never. Donuts were also a big flop at the dinner party. Frostings were sickeningly sweet and cake was dry. Now get on over to Gladstone's and stick with the real thing! Fonuts 8104 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, (323) 592-3075. Open M-Th 7:30 am- 8 pm Sa 8 am- 10 pm Su 8 am- 8 pm