Kane's Doughnut House

120 Lincoln Ave.

Saugus, MA 01906

( 781) 233-8499

Who spends an hour and 15 minutes in a hot car driving 62.15 miles for a donut? New England Bites - that's who! After busting out the new Tom Tom GPS system that my parents got me for graduation, Mom and I poured our melted bodies into my steamy ride and headed for Kane's Doughnut House in Saugus, MA. Are we insane? Maybe, but after reading so many wonderful things on the Internet about how good the donuts were, Mom and I were feeling jealous. With the Tom Tom right on target, we pulled up next to the building which had an old-fashioned neon sign that might have made Homer Simpson say, "Mmm ... donut." Peeling ourselves off the car seats, we headed into Kane's at just around 3 p.m.


Once inside we were automatically facing the large bakery counter. The rest of the small eatery was made into a diner which consisted of a large counter area and a few scattered tables and chairs. Hanging above me was a row of Kane's t-shirts, and on the back wall behind the counter was a donut clock with the Kane's logo for sale. So cute! I was trying to take it all in while Mom was pushing her way through the small crowd so that she could place her order with the friendly staff. She ordered a box of mixed donuts, a Bismark, and one of their famous coffee rolls. The total came to $20.19 which is a lot for pastry, but with the wonderful Internet reviews still fresh in our minds, we were certain that the money spent, and the drive, would be justified.



When we took the boxes back to my car, I took photos of the donuts in case the long ride home took its toll on their appearance. Before driving away for good, Mom and I ate the Bismark because a) it was made with real cream and would not have made it home, b) it came highly recommended, and c) we couldn't wait to try it. Once we took a bite - WOW! What a delicious pastry! Both Mom and I thought that we'd never find a real cream donut that rivaled Butler's in Westport. Who knew it was in Saugus the whole time? The Bismark is a long, flaky donut with a stripe of jam (we think blackberry) inside, covered with real whipped cream, topped with a dollop of jam, and sprinkled with powered sugar. Surprisingly, it is not overly sweet. It was cool, creamy, and delicious. You could actually serve one of these for a dessert. They're that good.


When we got home around 6 p.m., we still had more errands to run. Not wanting to leave the box of donuts and the coffee roll alone with my hungry father and sister, I grabbed a few ice mats, threw them into a cooler bag and placed the boxes inside. When we finally arrived home at 11 p.m. (yes, we had the donuts in the car for almost eight hours), Mom and I were nervous to see what shape our donuts were in. They were PERFECT. No bumps, bruises, melted icing, broken pieces, or lost filling. Kane's Doughnuts definitely traveled well ... but how did they taste? Dad was the first to try one of the donuts and he loved it. I was the second. I chose a chocolate glazed one from the box and took a bite - fantastic! It was so chocolaty and moist, not to mention humongous. It was almost like two Krispy Kreme donuts got together and formed a giant, tastier version. Mom had the honey glazed crueler which she found to be delicious. It was huge, had a slight crisp to the outside, and was very soft and cakey inside. She loved both the texture and the taste. Other donuts in the box included a coconut with raspberry filling, a powdered sugar blueberry filled, an old-fashioned, a cinnamon, a jelly, a powdered jelly, a chocolate frosted with sprinkles, and a few others. Not included were the vanilla cream and the lemon filled which we had read so much about. Oh well, maybe next time.


Now let me explain this coffee roll - the Big Foot of all coffee rolls. It is about the size of a personal pan pizza, and a mystery as to how Kane's gets it to stay so soft. It has just the right combination of cinnamon, cake, and icing. You can easily cut it up and feed about six people. Notice how tiny Mom's hand looks near the roll. Rumor has it that some men can eat a single one all on their own while washing it down with their morning coffee. Well, we may be pigs, but I don't think any of us could eat that by ourselves. I personally would be in a coma afterwards and would have to take a day off from work. However, the taste of the coffee roll was out of this world. We all cut a piece for ourselves and enjoyed the soft roll and its tasty icing.


The World Wide Web may be filled with pervs, identity thieves, and x-rated sites, but without the Internet, Mom and I would never have known about the deliciousness that is Kane's Doughnut House. Sure, we'd probably be about 100 lbs. thinner, but then what would we blog about? Exercise? Yeah, right! Mom hasn't bent down in six years! Kane's Doughnuts may just be the best donuts that we've ever had, and they were definitely worth the drive and the price. These huge donuts are a must have for any New England bakery connoisseur, and we know you will not be disappointed.

Kane's Doughnut House is open from 3:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday, 3:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 3:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Starbucks

www.starbucks.com

What can I say about Starbucks? Their coffee is too strong, their prices are too high, and you need a cheat sheet just to order a beverage. However, their Frappuccinos are outstanding! Since Mom and I had recently fallen love with one of their newest items, the Blueberries & Creme Frappccino (with Blended Creme), we decided to stop by the Commerce Way location in Seekonk, MA, at around 6 p.m. to get another taste of this fruity delight.


I've been to this Starbucks a few times because it's the closest one to Fall River (I believe there might be one in the Dartmouth Mall, but I haven't been there in a while). To get the full effect for this review, I decided to skip the drive-thru and go inside. I parked in the tiny lot, and went inside the even-tinier building.

When I got inside, it was just as I remembered. The design is very modern to make the place look like the trendy coffee houses in Boston and New York, even though Starbucks is a very large chain. The interior was extraordinarily clean. To the right of the entrance is a large seating area, and down at the far end of the building is the ordering counter. Of course, this is where all the action was today. Although Starbucks is usually crammed with artsy college kids talking about the symbolism in paintings, it was pretty empty ... except for "the family."

This family consisted of a grandfather, a mother, a father, and about five small children. As I waited patiently in line to place my order, I noticed that the parents were letting each precocious child order a coffee drink (yes, coffee drink) and then correcting the order once it had left the child's lips. The oldest girl was about seven, and she ordered a large (vente) coffee Frappuccino. Once the poor waitress started making it, the father changed the order to a small (tall) decaf Frappuccino. The waitress, looking drained, stopped what she was doing and started to work on the "revised" order. This happened when each child stepped up to the counter. Parents, if you're reading this, please note the following: 1) Don't let your child drink coffee; 2) If you see people waiting in line, don't let your pompous kids place the order; 3) Perhaps you should have some sort of a game plan as to who goes to the order counter so there isn't a group of eight hogging one cash register while everyone else has to stand there like cattle waiting for the slaughter.


While I was standing there boiling with hate over this group of idiots, I started looking over the menu at Starbucks. Aside from their famous coffee blends (which I find too strong), they have lattes, frozen Frappuccinos, espressos, teas, and classic favorites like white hot chocolate and hot vanilla cremes (a winter favorite of ours). Mom and I, through a suggestion from my friend, Scott, previously tried the White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino and loved it! It was almost like a dessert rather than a drink. I've also had their Banana Frappuccino (I'm not sure if this is still available) and it was to die for. With a strong banana flavor, this drink was cool, creamy, and just what I needed after a long day of errands. As for food, Starbucks offers brownies, cookies, bars, coffee cakes, a few doughnuts and bagels, muffins, croissants, and seasonal treats like pumpkin loaf and the maple nut oat scone. I read somewhere that they started serving breakfast sandwiches, but I hadn't noticed this option while I was reading the menu inside. They also have a juice area that includes waters and tea drinks, and mostly all their coffees and Frappuccinos can be made "light," which will save on calories if you're watching your figure.

Since my figure wasn't a factor when I was eating that entire pizza at Riccardi's, I decided to order the regular blended creme Frappuccino ... that is, if I could ever get to the counter. While these arrogant people agonized over the difference between tall (small), grande (medium), and vente (large), I peered over at the helpless waitstaff as they were trapped behind the counter. Did you ever notice that every Starbucks hires an ecclectic group of people? There's almost always the tall, slim, surfer-type guy who wears hemp braclets and ties his long, blonde hair back with a bandana. There's also the heavyset, cynical girl with black hair and the Buddy Holly glasses, the metrosexual guy who weighs just over 110 lbs., and the requistie bimbo that is so busy flirting with the surfer guy that she's forgotten what you ordered ... again. Either way, I had enough of standing around and went to my car. Mom was sad when she noticed that I had not yet gotten the blueberry drinks, but I told her that I would go through the drive-thru because I thought that it would be quicker. I was right! I ordered my drinks, and got them in about three to four minutes. The total came to $9.03 for the two grande Frappuccinos ($4.30 each plus tax), and they were just as good as I remembered. The blueberry taste is not bitter at all as it's mixed with the blended creme. We ordered it without whipped cream, but you could always add that on for something extra.


I really do enjoy Starbucks, but the customers, and sometimes the waitstaff, leave a lot to be desired. I'm the "just give me my coffee and get me out of here" kind of person, and I believe that the Starbucks way of life is to hang out for hours just talking about yourself and how much the coffee reminds you of the time you went backpacking through Europe. If it weren't for the Frappuccinos, I think I'd just be heading to Dunkin Donuts.

Sip N Dip Donuts

2175 S Main St.

Fall River, MA 02724

(508) 677-4847

68 Mink St.

Seekonk, MA 02771

(508) 336-3303

775 Hope St.

Bristol, RI 02809

(401) 253-7970

309 Market St.

Warren, RI 02885

(401) 247-4797

487 Metacom Ave.

Warren, RI 02885

(401) 247-1060

I don't really have much to say about this small chain. They have a few stores around New England, but I've never actually eaten anything from any of them. Laura and I have, however, been through their drive-thrus a couple of times to get a drink. The coffee was not outstanding, and I find Dunkin Donuts much better. For some reason, all the Sip N Dip exteriors look rundown, which is not inviting and makes me not want to go there. I guess I'd say it's my desperation stop when there's nothing else around.

Dunkin' Donuts

www.dunkindonuts.com

I love me some Dunkin Donuts!!! First of all - the coffee. This place has the best tasting coffee, hot or cold. Better than all the little chains and, I think, better than Starbucks. To me, it seems their donuts are better than ever. They're much larger than the Krispy Kremes, and not as sweet. Lately they've been tasting really fresh, and the variety is huge. Our personal favorite is the chocolate glazed (formally chocolate honey-dipped). Those things are addictive. Their flavored iced coffees are delicious, and I can OD on their coffee Coolata. Their breakfast sandwiches are delicious. Laura loved the maple cheddar sandwich (with no egg) on a croissant. I love the classic bacon, egg and cheese biscuit (or on a croissant). Sometimes we even get the croissants plain, and eat them as is. What's great is that you can get the breakfast sandwiches all day long. So here's to Dunkin Donuts - the best coffee shop in the Northeast. And they're cheap, too! Except for those smoothies, which come to find out, aren't very healthy. Ha, ha.

Ocean Coffee Roasters

22 Washington Square

Newport, RI 02840

(401) 846-6060
www.oceancoffee.com

I really like this place. They have delicious fresh ground coffees, coffee drinks, teas, and an assortment of delicious homemade pastries. I particularly love their scones. The scones are large, surprisingly moist, and the apple walnut is my favorite. I also like the cranberry, blueberry, and a few others. The prices are very reasonable. Laura and I will often get two large scones and two cups of coffee, and it's often just around $10. Not bad! If you want a more meal type breakfast, there's a little dining room set up in the back of the place where you can order eggs, toast, pancakes, omelets, and the typical breakfast fare. You can sit, relax, and enjoy! I still love to get the scones and take them to a nearby park on a nice day and sit and look out over the water of beautiful Newport. There used to be a second Ocean Roasters in Middletown that recently went out of business. Maybe it was because of the girl who, when I asked for a chai, asked me if I wanted it regular or liquid??????????? Not knowing what she meant, and her not explaining further, I said, "What?" And she repeated again, "Do you want it regular or liquid?" Again, with a big question mark on my face, I had to admit to her that I didn't know what she meant. With a huge sigh, she explained to me that regular was a teabag filled with chai spices to dip in your cup of hot water, while liquid was a ready-made chai/milk combination that came in a bottle and was chilled. Ohhhhhh ... why didn't she say this in the first place? Personally, I think this is why the place closed.

Tim Horton's

www.timhortons.com

Tim Horton's is rather new to my area, but from what I've tasted so far, I think they'll be a success. They have a delicious iced cappuccino, and they have new supreme cappuccinos (butter caramel and mint chocolate) that are outstanding. Surprisingly, their hot coffee is really good, too. Usually the only hot coffee I like is from Dunkin Donuts, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted this one. It's not too strong and bitter like I find Starbucks, and not too weak and tasteless like I find Honey Dew. I haven't tried anything to eat here, but Laura has. She's had a few bagels and their new chicken salad wrap. She said everything was fresh and tasty. I really look forward to trying some of their pastries because from what I've heard from other people, they're pretty terrific. I'll definitely be paying Tim Horton's another visit.

Honey Dew Donuts

www.honeydewdonuts.com

I don't know how you can screw up coffee and donuts, but Honey Dew gives it a shot. I really don't know what to say, except that the coffee is lousy, and the donuts are just not up to par with other local donut shops. I know they're a little chain around New England, but frankly I never see it that busy; at least the one in our neighborhood. Even their iced drinks are just not up to par with the other coffee shops. I really don't know what the problem is, maybe they need new chefs (who knows), but I end up avoiding this place and waiting until I see a Dunkin Donuts.

Tiverton Coffee House