Designer Doughnuts in the North
Doughnut fever spreads to McKinney with new Voodoo-style shop
We have designer doughnuts in the south (well, Deep Ellum) via Glazed Donut Works. We have designer doughnuts to the east via Hypnotic Donuts. Now there are designer doughnuts in the north, thanks to The Donut Kitchen, newly opened in McKinney.
This mom-and-pop shop in McKinney's Stonebridge Ranch serves breakfast, lunch, coffee and, best of all, gourmet doughnuts in the "extreme" style first popularized by Voodoo Doughnut (who know how to spell the word!) in Portland, Oregon.
The Donut Kitchen features 14 flavors every day, including a dozen standard and two that rotate. Though less extreme than Voodoo — no sour gummies, at least not yet — Donut Kitchen still features unusual flavors and toppings.
Texas sheet cake is a chocolate doughnut with chocolate frosting and chopped walnuts. There's a doughnut with strawberry glaze, raspberries, pecans and chocolate chips; a chocolate doughnut with crumbled Oreos; a chocolate doughnut with mint icing and chocolate chips; and a chocolate peanut butter doughnut topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and a drizzle of raspberry.
The Donut Kitchen comes from Michael and Leslie Davis, 14-year residents of McKinney and doughnut fans who wanted to bring gourmet goods to their town. Leslie is a former hairdresser, and Michael is a contractor.
"Michael loves doughnuts, and we didn't want to have to drive to Hypnotic every time we wanted to get something different," Leslie says. "It seems like most doughnuts all taste the same way."
Once they began experimenting with flavors and icing, they got hooked. They do cake doughnuts only, no yeast/raised, and they use two flavor bases: regular and chocolate. The variations come from all the toppings and icings, which they make themselves.
"We've been keeping it small because we wanted to get it right," Leslie says. "We were hoping to bring in a red velvet doughnut, but we've been overwhelmed with business since we opened."
There are mini doughnuts, rolled in cinnamon or powdered sugar. There are breakfast sandwiches, kolaches and blueberry strudel. There are also soups such as butternut squash and sandwiches such as grilled cheese.
"We found a great location on the west side of McKinney, and it had more space, so that allowed us to do lunch, as well, with soups, salads and sandwiches," she says. "The west side of McKinney needs it. It's a lot of bigger chains.
"We wanted a place where families can come and sit and eat together. We already have regulars who come in once or twice a week."
All we need now is a gourmet shop for the west. Fort Worth, we're looking at you.
