Michael Krondl, a fun NYC food historian and prolific book author called in to The Food Show today to chat about donuts on this, National Donut Day. In his daily Almanac, Tom gave the credit to National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, which surprised me. He is not much of a chocolate guy and is very much a donut guy. How did that slip past him?
Maybe because every day is donut day to Tom. These circles of empty calories are a real weakness for him. He is powerless to resist. The treats in the picture belong to two stand-alone shops that are wildly popular in Covington. One is much younger and less wildly popular, but still very popular.
The Butter Krisp Diner is a local institution dating back to the last century, but not too far back. The joint opened in 1979 and reopened again after a complete redo post-Ida. The reconstruction seemed endless, but it was easy to know when it returned. Cars were lined up in all directions to get donuts of all varieties. These lines put all chicken sandwich lines to shame.
Donuts are not the only thing available at The Butter Krisp Diner. It’s a full-service diner and a cute one at that. Donuts are available in cases at the front, and through a drive-thru. Before the renovation, I was certain I’d get something in my tire driving through, but that has improved as well.
On this visit, I got a basic glazed donut, which is made to order, and a cinnamon cake donut as well as a jelly donut filled with strawberry. Since I don’t eat donuts I can’t vouch for their goodness, but Tom will, as will the legions of regular donut patrons who keep this place hopping every open hour.
From there I went to Hoodoo Ice Cream, a somewhat new shop in downtown Covington on Columbia Street. Hoodoo started out at a farmer’s market vendor and has been a brick-and-mortar for a few years. The offerings are limited but adequate. The menu has about eight flavors, including a Creole Cream Cheese and Mint Cacao as well as Butter Pecan. They do malts and shakes and sell packaged flavors and ice cream cakes. The lovely girls behind the counter are always busy making waffle cones, and the place smells great. We’ve done an ice cream flight here which is a great way to sample the rich flavors. This chocolate was intensely dark. Hoodoo is a charming addition to the downtown scene.
It behooved us to honor this delicious dessert day by dropping in on these two local sugar spots. Maybe we’ll even try Michael’s idea and make a sandwich of the two.
