Sunday, March 22, 2009

Divalicious Restaurant Reviews: SK's Donuts & Croissants



It all started last night. Having wolfed down a huge plate of my herb crusted pork tenderloin with grits & greens (recipe coming this week!), my boyfriend, Kuzak, began to have a massive donut craving. I'm not sure what brought it on - clearly he can't cop to PMS or pregnancy - but he began to fantasize about running out of the house at 1AM in search of the sugary little beasts. Laughingly, I dismissed his fantasy, thinking it was sure to pass. See, while I love food, I've never had a massive sugar tooth.

Sure, I had the most amazing churros at Cobras and Matadors on Friday night - lovely, thick doughy twists thickly coated with cinnamon and sugar served with a melted chocolate dipping sauce - but I've always found donuts to be either too heavy or too sweet for my taste. Even as a kid, when I'd attend slumber parties and awake to find the loving parents had deposited huge, greasy boxes of the fried delights in the kitchen to placate us ravenous children, I'd refuse them, opting for plain old cereal instead. Yes, I was a weird kid, and as Kuzak pointed out when I told him this gem from my childhood, my donut phobia probably didn't help my popularity. That explains a lot.

Kuzak, on the other hand, has always professed a deeply abiding love for fried dough coated in sugar. He was also always much more popular in school than I was, and as I write this it occurs to me that donuts may be the missing link. I must research this further! But back to my story. Last night, as we went to bed, I informed Kuzak that he was on morning doggie duty, and drifted off to sleep having forgotten all about the donuts. Not true for Kuzak. I imagine that sugar plum fairies must have danced in his head all night, because when the Adorable Monster miraculously slept in until 8:30am (why does he only do that when Kuzak has doggie duty?), Kuzak sprung out of bed and informed me that he was off in search of donuts.

Through sleep crusted eyes, I wished him well on his quest, and promptly drifted back to sleep. Meanwhile, Kuzak scoured the internet and found a lovely little 24 hour shop called SK's Donuts & Croissants. On a side note, why are donut shops always 24 hrs? Do a lot of people want donuts at 4am? Kuzak loaded the Monster in the car and the two of them zipped off to procure their bear claws, returning with a lovely box stacked with 5 types of donuts and 1 huge, flaky croissant for one sleeping Diva. See, while I don't love donuts, I LOVE croissants. I rose from bed and entered the kitchen to find Kuzak chomping on a bear claw literally the size of his face. And that sucker was heavy too, stuffed with apple filling. Kuzak promptly presented me with half a cup of regular coffee and my croissant, a romantic gesture that sent my heart fluttering (or maybe that was the caffeine - I rarely ever for the sake of my sanity and the sanity of those around me drink regular coffee).

While we munched on our breakfasts, and the Monster pined after the donuts longingly, Kuzak recounted his field trip to me. The Monster, having overcome his initial fear of car rides, clambered excitedly onto his lap and stuck his head out of the window, bringing to mind Falkor from The Neverending Story. Kuzak said the donut shop was roughly the size of our small kitchen, but that the donuts looked super fresh. While there, a man asked to photograph the Monster, wanting to show our celeb dog to his wife. He really is an adorable little creature, but I hope he doesn't let it go to his head. As I munched on my donut, I smiled at the fact that life really doesn't get much better than a cup of coffee, a pastry, a good story and an Adorable Monster curled up at your feet.

While I'm not a donut connoisseur, Kuzak loved his bear claw and still has a box of treats left to eat the rest of the day. However, I am a croissant lover, and this one from SK's was nothing short of delectable. Flaky, buttery and doughy on the inside, it melted in my mouth. The pastry was also so large that I cut it in half and saved the rest for lunch. I plan to make a turkey croissant sandwich to go with my leftover organic cauliflower soup (recipe is here) for lunch today. So if you're having donut fantasies or simply want a gorgeous croissant, I highly recommend checking out SK's. Who says Los Angelenos don't eat carbs??

SK's Donuts & Croissants
5850 W 3rd St

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 935-2409

2 comments:

  1. Wooot! I agree. SK's gets a solid 3 stars from me as well.

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  2. Thanks for your comment! I loved my croissant and am sure I'll go back there. Now I'm off to make my turkey sandwich! xo

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