Spudnuts, Los Angeles

While walking to the LA coliseum recently, I noticed an oddly named donut establishment in a crammed, laundermat-liquor store complex on Figueroa. Normally, these places get a lukewarm shoulder and are avoided- however, I did a little research and discovered that Spudnuts makes donuts entirely of potato flour. I became very excited about this prospect and days later Dana and I drove down to sample the delicacies. The Spudnuts franchise started back in 1946 with the promise of delivering a superior product. Spudnuts' began popping up nationwide by the 1960's, but due to unknown reasons the Spudnuts train ran out of steam. Currently there are about 35 locations nationwide- a few scattered around LA. As previously stated, Dana and I try to avoid places that rate below "A", serve alternate foods, or are using donuts as a front. Spudnuts got a "B" and also serves ice cream, but it seemed to be clean enough so we preceded. Here's what we got: Dana- a dozen donut holes, or tater-tots if you will. Me- 1 glazed twist, 1 chocolate raised.
The verdict: Spudnuts simply doesn't deliver on its promise. The donuts weren't light, fluffy, or even tasty for that matter. On the outside the donuts appear like any other- however, once one bites into the slightly crusty glaze shell, the textural difference becomes apparent. Normal donut dough has a distinct texture and solubility when in the mouth ranging from fluffy to chewy. A spudnut becomes granular and resembles hash browns when in the mouth. We both agreed this was not a desirable quality. The chocolate coating was decent, but again was overridden by the odd texture. About 10 minutes after we left, it was feeling more like we'd just had a waffle house breakfast instead of a couple donuts.
Cup Holder Change--or--Bust out the Wallet: Cup Holder Change
Destination Donut--or--Keep it Local: Keep it Local, however- I do think it's worth it as an educational experience, and offers another perspective on America's breakfast staple.

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