Underwest Donuts

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I love donuts. Like, so much. I tried to go to Underwest Donuts about a year ago, when they first opened. However, I made the mistake of arriving a little tardy for the party, and they were all sold out of donuts. Saddest day. And while it’s taken me an eternity to get back there, I finally made it (cue the noise makers and confetti). 

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So, one of the things that makes them unique and noteworthy is their location. They’re right inside a carwash, so, you know, get your car washed and snag an artisanal cake donut while you’re at it.

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I tried four of their flavors (clockwise from upper left), Halva, Maple Waffle, Carwash Donut, Brown Butter.

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First up, we’ve got the Carwash Donut, paying homage to it’s location. It has a light flavor, the simplest of the bunch, and a nice texture, a balance of airiness and density from the cake consistency.

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Up next is the Maple Waffle. You immediately smell the warm maple scent. The maple flavor itself is subtle, and I enjoyed the addition of texture from the crumble on top, along with the Stroopwafel, topping it off like a little angel on a Christmas tree. 

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Then, I had the Brown Butter. I really liked this one, you get the brown butter flavors, and the shaved almonds on top add a nice contrast of texture and added flavor. 

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Finally, I had the Halva, which was my favorite of the bunch. Topped with halva itself, the sweet sesame flavor is on point, delivering one delicious cake donut. 

The Shorts:
Name: Underwest Donuts
Location: 638 West 47th Street, NYC
The Long and Short: Would I go back? Even though I don’t have a car, I’d come back for the donuts. Grab a little bag of them and head across the street to the Intrepid to snack with a view.
Would I recommend it? While the location isn’t the easiest to get to (if you’re not driving), it’s definitely worth the trip. 

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Jeni’s

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My SXSW food tour in Austin can never have enough sweets included. So, I stopped at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for a bowl. While Jeni’s isn’t actually from Austin, they’ve brought their truck down for the festival to spread the ice cream gospel to all the party people. 

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All of their unique flavors are made with quality ingredients starting with grass-grazed Ohio milk. I tried their Salty Caramel and Brown Butter Almond Brittle. Wow, these were really great, and went so well together too. The ice cream itself is rich and creamy. The Salty Caramel has a really nice flavor, perfectly balancing the sweetness of caramel and the slight hint of saltiness. The Brown Butter Almond Brittle was my favorite of the two. It has a wonderful sweetness of brown sugar, and then you find pieces of almond brittle in there adding texture and crunch with an amazing toffee quality. 

The Shorts:
Name: Jeni’s
Location: Locations and retailers can be found nationwide here.
The Long and Short: Would I go back? Now that I’ve located where I can purchase pints near me, you can Brown Butter believe it.
Would I recommend it? Yes, quality ice cream worth sampling.