Doughnuts at Dottie’s Diner

Dunkin’ Donuts is Ruined Forevermore
Dottie’s Diner, 740 Main St South, Woodbury

Cost: 80 cents each, $8.00 a dozen

dd5Wow. I’ve lived almost 37 years and have had a fair amount of doughnuts in that time. I like doughnuts (or donuts) plenty, but usually opt for the unfrosted, less sweet varieties – much to Hoang’s consternation. Yes, I DO still get the old-fashioneds. And I like ‘em.

I thought I’d had good doughnuts – and I have; notably closer to home at Tastease. But those beautiful, frosted mini-doughnuts are a different species than Dottie’s.

Dottie’s produces something arguably more difficult than Tastease: Absolutely perfect simple doughnuts. Roadfood’s book from which I’ve taken this list specifically mentions the cinnamon doughnuts – so that’s what we got.

dd2

And we are all better people for it.

The Roadfood Experience:

dd3We were sad to hear in 2006 that the Phillips family was getting out of the restaurant business. Their little place along Antiques Row in Woodbury had been a destination diner for decades, its donuts and chicken pies without peer. We miss Bud and his daughters and in-laws and the late Mrs. Phillips and the kibitzing they encouraged around the counter, especially early in the morning…

…The donuts, which we have long maintained are among the nation’s best – if not THE best – they are, if possible, better than ever. Cinnamon donuts are creamy inside with a wickedly crunchy exterior; chocolate donuts come loaded with vast amounts of the glossy dark glaze that so perfectly complements the cake within.

dd4

Fashioned from baking powder batter and cooked until the outside is dark brown, encasing creamy cake with enough body to pleasure teeth as well as taste buds, they are heavily coated with cinnamon sugar while still hot, so the first thing your teeth meet is the sandy-sweet veil that clings to their crisp skin.

The CTMQ Experience:

ddIt’s sort of tough to follow a professional food writer’s take. I could just say, “Everything Michael Stern said directly above,” but that would be lame.

Dottie’s is somewhat difficult to find; hidden away in a plaza with a slightly washed out color scheme on their sign. (It’s in the plaza across from Carmen Anthony’s.) Regardless, if you have to deign to ask someone for the exact location, suck it up – it’s worth it.

I must also note that Dottie’s makes Stern’s list for two more items: Their chicken pot pie and the doughnut bread pudding. We didn’t try either of those on this visit, so we can look forward to a return trip.

[Which we’ve now done: Donut bread pudding and Chicken pot pie.]

The diner has actually changed ownership in the last few years, but the new owner (Dottie) has striven to keep the old beloved place’s menu highlights intact. From most reports, she has. Foremost on that list? You got it: Doughnuts and chicken pot pie.

dd1I bought three cinnamon doughnuts and Damian immediately tore into the bag and took a bite. Hoang and I held off until the parking lot. Once I bit into mine I hit myself for only buying three. What was I thinking?

These things are awesome. The fried crunch of the cinnamon and doughnut skin on the outside is a singular pleasure I’m not sure I’ve ever had before. (20 miles north in Bantam I thought I had the best variation of baked cinnamon treats with the Bantam Bread Company’s Dirt Bombs. While those were incredibly good (and 20 cents more), I think I’m giving the crown to Dottie’s Doughnuts. For now. Perhaps another taste test is in order. Or ten.

Woodbury is a far-flung little antiquing town but has a bunch of top notch restaurants for some reason. Carol Peck’s Good News Café is among the best restaurants in the state – and is within walking distance of Dottie’s.

Heck, I could definitely see a day of Dottie’s and Carol Peck’s with some museums in between. In fact, that hypothetical day should be required of every Connecticut resident. Perhaps then they’ll stop whining so much.

dd6
Up the road from Dottie’s at Sunset Meadow Vineyard’s Fall Festival

Roadfood review

CTMQ Eats through Roadfood’s Best of List

2 responses to “Doughnuts at Dottie’s Diner”

  1. Day Trip in Woodbury, CT says:

    [...] (Next time: I’ll hit Flander’s Nature Center for the outdoorsy-ness and Dottie’s Diner for some famous doughnuts) [...]

  2. Day Trip in Woodbury, CT says:

    [...] (Next time: I’ll hit Flander’s Nature Center for the outdoorsy-ness, and Dottie’s Diner for some famous doughnuts.) [...]

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