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Photos: Glazed Donut Bistro Brings Artistic (And Savory) Donuts To West Hollywood
We've had cronut and cragel mash-ups reign over 2013, but the donut craze isn't over yet. The folks behind Glazed Donut Bistro in West Hollywood make their donuts as beautiful as the cupcake kings of Sprinkles and Crumbs—and they also throw in some savory donuts on the menu while they're at it.
Glazed Donut Bistro is bustling with employees on a weekday afternoon, a few days before their grand opening on Feb. 13. The glass counter is filled with trays of elegantly glazed and colorful donuts; some are topped with fresh berries, others with pearl white chocolate designs and crumbled Tutti Fruity cereal. It feels like you're in a candy shop.
The owner Harry Ben-Zvi is excited and anxious; after all, he is launching a familiar yet new take on the average donut at his shop nestled in the heart of Santa Monica Blvd. His tagline for his shop is "Donuts For Grownups."
Chef Gena Lora, who was previously a 12-year pastry teacher at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, uses house-made ingredients such as cookie butter caramel glaze and ricotta cheese for her plethora of donut designs. Some of her donuts will only be seasonal because she wants to keep the fruit she uses as toppings as local and fresh as possible. (Her Apple Crumb is sadly only a feature for fall since that's when the fruit is in season.)
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If these donuts aren't already sweet enough for you with all those toppings, they also have a separate menu for their extensive dipping sauces. Some of the flavors include whisky caramel, salted caramel, Mexican chocolate, and balsamic strawberry reduction. You can also make your donut a la mode by asking for a scoop of Dr. Bob's Handcrafted Ice Cream.They'll also be serving Stumptown coffee exclusively to pair with the sweets.
However, what makes Glazed Donut Bistro stand out is its creative savory donuts menu, including items such as the Fried Chicken Beignet to the Shrimp Roll (Lora's take on a New England Lobster Roll). Lora even breaks up donuts and makes them into croutons for her Chicken and Gouda Salad.
But don't fear, the donuts in the savory menu aren't sugary like you would imagine. Lora marvels at the versatility of the dough. "You can make bread pudding out of it, savory bread pudding, french toast," Lora tells LAist. "It's a really super huge canvas with what you can do."
Glazed Donut Bistro will have two different vibes: a typical shop where you can grab a donut and a coffee, and an evening hangout where you can sip on a glass of beer, wine or champagne. The alcohol list was partly the inspiration behind creating a savory donuts menu, so they could have something to pair the drinks with.
The idea behind Glazed Donut Bistro was implanted in Ben-Zvi's mind, who has his background footed in hospitality and marketing, when he was living in Las Vegas. "One night I was having dinner and for dessert I had a plate of donut at one of the restaurants on the [Las Vegas] Strip and it floored me," he says. "This is the ultimate comfort food."
Glazed Donut Bistro is located at 8807 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, (310) 360-0222. Hours are Monday through Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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