The list of first-rate doughnut shops in New York City seems to get longer by the month, with newer places like Underwest Donuts (the one in the car wash) and Gossip Coffee (in Astoria) and Dun-Well (vegan, in Bushwick, and amazing) joining long-time favorites such as Peter Pan (possibly the absolute best), Dough, Orwasher’s, and Doughnut Plant. Pies-n-Thighs, by the way, in addition to their excellent fried chicken, also bakes up terrific sourdough donuts. Anyway, we now have a new doughnut destination, on quiet Morton Street in the West Village, featuring an ever-changing menu of both classic and crazy varieties, and it’s called The Doughnut Project.  

Troy Neal’s The Doughnut Project

The Doughnut Project is the love child of sorts conceived by Troy Neal, who used to tend bar at Eataly, and Leslie Polizzotto, who befriended Neal while drinking with her husband their some three years ago. And now, after the agonies and triumphs of a million rounds of recipe testing, securing a physical location–a nice little spot on Morton, with a wide, windowed frontage–and designing the interiors (think “urban meets Paris art salon”, Neal told Gothamist), and learning how to operate a small business, we have this first-rate donut-and-coffee shop to enjoy. So thanks for all the hard work guys!

What To Eat at The Doughnut Project

I popped into the Doughnut Project during its first week, and tried four of Neal’s flavors, all of which were pretty great. The most obvious first choice–as well as the most Instagrammable variety–is the Bacon Maple Bar, the west coast classic topped with an actual strip of bacon, and which is as delicious as it sounds. My other top favorite was sweet-‘n-spicy Pineapple Habanero (aka the “Bulletproof Tiger” for some reason), followed by the “Pumpkin” (topped with a cinnamon glaze and sprinkled with pepitas), and “These Beets Are Dope” (beets and ricotta cheese, and , while interesting, didn’t really hit that doughnut sweet spot). Neal’s doughnuts are all of the yeasty sort, and they’re more chewy and dense than fluffy, but the glazes that make these treats really shine, bringing intense and true-to-life flavor (meaning they actually taste like the real thing they’re supposed to taste like, not just “sugar”) to your treats. The next time you’re in the area, the Doughnut Project is definitely worth checking out.

For Menu and More Information on The Doughnut Project

The Doughnut Project is located at 10 Morgan Street between Bleecker and Seventh Avenue South, and is open from 8:00 a.m. to whenever they sell out on Monday through Friday, and from 9:00 a.m. on the weekends.

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It wasn't that long ago, actually–call it the late aughts–when any nightlife to be found around the Allen-Canal-Division Street triangle was mostly about rats running willy-nilly between garbage piles. And that Ling Kee Beef Jerky place, too. That was sometimes open late (and, by the way, is really good, if you like chewing on various meat squares).  Today, though, it's like a mini restaurant row around here, beautiful-hipster edition. There's the shambling, stoner-ish Forgetmenot, with solid nachos, pasta, and grilled salad. There's Dimes, which serves excellent California skinny-people food (pick hits: the Buratta, the Harissa Salmon, the Nicoise). There's the smoking-hot–spicy-wise and two-hour-table-waits-wise–Mission Chinese. And now, joining in on the scene is the spanking new outpost of Williamsburg's much-loved fried chicken joint, Pies-n-Thighs. 

Finger Lickin' Food At Pies-n-Thighs

I ate dinner at the Canal Street Pies-n-Thighs twice during its opening week, and the basic review is this: Do you like the Brooklyn Pies-n-Thighs? Then you'll like the Manhattan Pies-n-Thighs. I do (in fact, it's one of my all-time favorite spots), and I did. And if you've never been and enjoy fried chicken, I'm not sure what you're waiting for, because these fine young women–Erika Williams, Sarah Sanneh, and Carolyn Bane–have put a ton of energy and love into making you not only some of the best bird in town, but also first-rate sides and excellent baked goods.  

Chicken Fried In The Lower East Side

The new Lower East Side Pies-n-Thighs is smaller than the rambling Williamsburg restaurant–the front room is all counter space and two-seater booths, but it's comfortable, and there are some larger tables in the back dining room. The menu, too, is slightly abbreviated, though all of the most important items are here; mainly the Fried Chicken Box entree, which doesn't come in a box but DOES feature three perfectly-seasoned, crunchy-juicy pieces of chicken (pour on the vinegary hot sauce at your table!), a wonderfully dense biscuit (pour on the honey at your table!), and your choice of side. Another Pies-n-Thighs go-to of mine is the Chicken Biscuit, a breaded-and-fried cutlet sandwich doused in hot sauce, slathered in honey butter.  

Splendid Sides at Pies-n-Thighs

You can't really go wrong with the sides, but I usually rotate from among the mac and cheese, the greens, the burnt-end baked beans, and the spicy black-eyes peas. Two specials are also well worth an order: the bright and ribbony Collard Green Salad, tossed with avocado, pickled onions, and–winning secret ingredient alert!–coconut flakes; and the warming and satisfying Chicken Dumpling Soup, filled with noodles and lively little chicken meatballs, which they call dumplings for some reason. Whatever, it's delicious.         

Sweet Treats to Comlplete Your Meal

Leave room for dessert though, because everything's great here. I almost always get the Bourbon Pecan Pie, with a hunk of melting dark chocolate hidden between the filling and the crust, but the Banana Cream Pie is also heavenly. The Pies-n-Thighs team is equally adept at doughnuts, and the Manhattan location features a new iteration, the heavily-glazed Sourdough which you should definitely eat, and soon. Note: the doughnuts were all sold out by the time I got there for my second dinner, so a daytime trip seems to be order.

Menu and More Information on Pies-n-Thighs on the Lower East Side

The Lower East Side Pies-n-Thighs is located on Canal Street between Ludlow and Orchard, and is open daily for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner. For more information and the Pies-n-Thighs menu, see here.        

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It's getting to the point where there's really no excuse to eat a mediocre doughnut ever again in your life. Sugar-bombs from the chains? Processed boxed nonsense from the supermarket? You can if you want, I guess, but given the number of first-rate bakeries slinging first-rate doughnuts there days, wolfing poor pastries is more of a choice than a necessity. Peter Pan, Doughnut Plant, Dough Loco, Pies-n-Thighs, Cinnamon Snail, Babycakes… the list of "favorite" spots is long and wonderful and now includes two newcomers (well, one's just a new branch of old standby): the great Dough, now in Chelsea/Flatiron; and, get ready for this one, Underwest Donuts, located in a car wash (yup) along the West Side Highway.

Brooklyn's Dough Brings Delicious Donuts To Manhattan

The original Dough, in Bed-Stuy on Franklin and Lafayette, has been around for more than five years now, and it's a great success story. The Brooklyn spot is always busy with locals and doughnut pilgrims, and their vibrantly-glazed yeasty beauties (that pink one that you see on all the Instagrams is the excellent Hibiscus) have become a welcome fixture at food festivals and gatherings. And then last fall they opened a comfortable new outpost in Manhattan, on 19th Street just west of Fifth Avenue. All the usual fresh, handcrafted amazingness is here: the Dulce de Leche (which is still my personal #1 fave), the Passion Fruit, the Chocolate Salted Caramel (also my #1 fave!), the Cafe au Lait, the Mixed Berry, on and on.

What To Order at Manhattan Dough

Manhattan Dough has a medium-sized communal table where you can chill and gorge and sip your Intelligensia coffee. Or grab a half dozen or so and be a hero in your home. The Manhattan Dough is open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, and from 7:00 to 6:00 on the weekend.

UPDATE: Dough will be introducing their first-ever cake donuts (they've only eve done the yeast ones before) sometime in February! Flavors are rumored to include apple-pear cider, chocolate malt, and buttermilk, though this last one might possibly be sour cream, more info on the Brooklyn Dough website.

Unbeliveably Tasty Doughnuts at Underwest Donuts

Meanwhile, over at Westside Highway Car Wash on 47th and the Hudson River, some of the city's best new doughnuts are available in a hallway side by side with, well, you know, a car wash. Yes, it's a 100% legit, working car wash, (an extremely busy one at that) so if you own a car, and you need it cleaned, this seems like the obvious place to go. Because doughnuts!! And not just any pastries, mind you: Underwest Donuts master baker Scott Levine used to be the sous chef at Chanterelle, and his obvious skill in the kitchen is apparent here. These are all the "cake" kind of doughnuts, and they are dense and moist and so much more bursting with flavor than they look. I've eaten basically the entire Underwest Donut menu at this point, and while there are no duds here, my favorites were probably the Halva, which I'm pretty sure is the only such doughnut in town; the intense Brown Butter; and the Coconut Lime. The location's a bit odd, to be sure–a member of Levine's family owns the car wash, so he had an in–but especially once the weather warms up again, and you're biking or running by the river, and want to put all those calories you've just burned off right back in, Underwest Donut is just the ticket. For more info check out Underwest Donuts on Facebook and Twitter.   

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