Dottie's Donuts

Dottie's Donuts
4529 Springfield Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA 19143
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It's a Saturday morning that started out pretty gloomy. Despite the sweltering humidity, the sky was a dismal shade of "how is it not actually raining right now" grey. Honestly, what better way is there to brighten up a gloomy day then to munch on some sugary goodness?

And that's exactly what you get with absolutely everything served up at Dottie's Donuts; sweet, sweet goodness.

For the past two years Dottie's Donuts could only be found sold wholesale through coffee shops, and other eateries throughout the city. But in March of this year owners Jeff Poleon, and Matt Quinn finally took the plunge, and opened up their very own brick & mortar shop in the heart of West Philly's Spruce Hill neighborhood. And this vegan right

HERE

could not possibly be any more happy.

Flavors shown in photo (Boston cream, apple fritter, maple pecan, cherry pistachio)

Offering up seriously creative, and delicious flavors like Cherry Pistachio, Blackberry Almond, Matcha Glazed, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel, and even Crème Brulee. Their flavors are always inventive, and always changing. Though there are a couple standards which you'll see offered up almost everyday, like Cinnamon Buns, Apple Fritters, and Boston Cream. To see the full scope of their creative genius, and to get your mouth watering, check out their Instagram page to see all the beautiful new flavors they're concocting on the regular.

The shop boasts more than just donuts too, and they hope to continue expanding their grab-and-go selection. Though for now you can snag a bagel with your choice of different Tofutti cream cheese flavors, both sweet and savory, and of course an iced coffee from one of my absolute favorites, Elixr Coffee Roasters; with your choice of either soy or almond milk creamer.

Honestly, I'm not typically a fan of black coffee, but this is so good that I never feel the need to add any creamer, or sugar. Cold, and black is how I take it, and on an inescapably hot day like today, this hits all the right spots.

And the icing on the cake? Their cups are even vegan, made from plants, compostable, and made right here in the USA!

Over the years I've had the opportunity to try many of their various flavors, and I've yet to be disappointed. The donuts themselves have a light, almost airy quality about them. Which I've noticed has been a difficult texture for other vegan donuts to achieve. Dottie's Donuts are not what I've found to be typical vegan donuts, ones that are overly dense, and cake-like. You'd have to be told that these donuts are egg, and dairy free to believe it.

Today we made our trip a family affair, and my staunchly omnivorous Mother thoroughly enjoyed her Boston Cream donut. She actually said she enjoyed it even more than most others specifically because of how fantastic she thinks the cream filling is. I definitely agree with her. Again, any omnivore would need to be told that these donuts are vegan to believe it.

Today I tried two flavors that were new to me; Cherry Pistachio, and Maple Pecan. I actually wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy the Cherry Pistachio because I'm not typically a fan of cherry flavored anything, though I love actual fresh cherries. As a bit of a surprise, I really loved it, and the pistachio topping made a perfect combination.  Though honestly, how can you ever go wrong by throwing pistachios on any sweet, bready treat right? This flavor actually ended up becoming my daughters new favorite flavor, which used to be "The Homer," a Strawberry glazed donut with jimmies sprinkled on top to look like, you guessed it, the Simpsons donut.

(On National Donut Day they even made enormous, basically cake sized versions that were being sold at the storefront.)

With the Maple Pecan, I knew I couldn't go wrong. It's always been one of my most favorite flavor combinations, and this was particularly great because it didn't taste anything like a synthetic "maple flavoring." It was legitimately maple, you really can't beat that, and with pecans you've got yourself a no-brainer, all star donut. It's one of their more simple flavor combinations, by comparison, but it's absolutely one of my all time favorites.

Speaking of all time favorites, they didn't have them today unfortunately, but I've gotta say that their cinnamon buns are truly some of the best I've ever had. Again, one of their more basic flavors. But they do it so very well that it shines even amongst the delectably "out there," seriously inventive flavors. If for nothing else, and if you're not into non-traditional flavor combinations, definitely go just for the cinnamon buns. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with anything here at Dottie's Donuts. They do what they do extraordinarily well, from the basic everyday donut shop flavors, to the new and creative combos. They're consistently turning out quality food that's so scrumptious you can't even feel guilty about gorging on a few or more, or an entire box full. And the fact that someone like my Mother, who's still quite weary of vegan food, can seriously enjoy these fantastic donuts makes everything so much better.

If you're feeling inclined, come follow me on Instagram for lots more posts of my everyday vegan life!

The Tasty [restaurant review]

So I wanted to start doing something a little bit different around here. This blog has always mainly been a personal outlet for me. I've written about some very intimate truths, and the inner workings of my mind, and life. Health and wellness has always been, and will always be a huge part of that. I'm extraordinarily passionate about living a vegan lifestyle, and eating a whole food plant based diet for the health of not just the planet but for ourselves.

I also very much believe that indulgence is a part of a healthy lifestyle. Even "bad" things in moderation can be part of an overall healthy diet. I'm a huge foodie, so going out, and getting to experience new flavors is something that I love, and very much need in my life. I'm extremely lucky to live in the suburbs of one of the most amazing vegan city's in the country, Philadelphia.  As much I adore nature, and need lush green scenery with fresh air and foliage, I'm also completely invigorated by the hustle and bustle of the city. In recent years there's been an explosion of entirely vegan eateries which have opened up all throughout Philly, and the surrounding suburbs. Even in Omni restaurants you'd be hard pressed not to find at least a few vegan options, if not entire vegan sections of menu's. From Cuban, to Chinese, to traditional American diner food, donut shops, and raw organic health food; there really is something for everyone.

But the one thing that I noticed my beloved city was seriously lacking? Vegan food/restaurant bloggers. With such a vibrant food scene, and ever burgeoning vegan food scene, I was pretty surprised when I went looking for blogger reviews on the many restaurants that I wanted to try and came up empty. So I figured why not do it myself? It would give me a great excuse for my daughter and I to get out of the house, and eating some (hopefully) delicious new foods.

After a brief but intense storm yesterday, it was startlingly sunny and humid today. But still not quite hot enough to keep us inside all day long. So off we went to check out a brand new restaurant that opened up in South Philly, in the East Passyunk Ave neighborhood (pronounced Paa-Shunk for locals). Serving classic diner foods like pancakes, waffles, and "egg" dishes alongside sandwiches and BLT's made with your choice of either tempeh or coconut bacon. Just make sure to go after 10am if you want something other than breakfast foods, and for a delicious assortment of pastries make sure to get there on the weekends.

This place is so cozy, with mismatched tables and chairs, and a quintessential diner feel without being at all gimmicky. When you walk in you're handed menu's, and told to sit wherever you like. There are no waiters here, you order food at the counter, and clean your plates up yourself. Which to some may be a turnoff, but I can't say that I minded it at all.

Honestly, there was so much on their menu that I wanted to try, everything sounded fantastic. But ultimately I went with a few things which I'd never had before, either at another restaurant, or that I'd made myself.

I ordered the biscuits & sausage gravy. Admittedly, I've never met a biscuit I didn't like. Except from Whole Foods, their vegan anything is absolutely terrible, at least in my area.

Biscuits from The Tasty were exactly what I was hoping for. They were the perfect balance of light and dense, and the gravy that they were paired with had just the right amount of seasoning and spices.

This dish was very satisfying all by itself, and I really didn't need anything else to fill me up, but I just had to try a little more, so I ordered a side of tofu scramble with onions and coconut bacon. For all of the time that I've been vegan, this was actually my first time eating tofu scramble, and I have to say that it was really good. Again, the seasoning was spot on. Now I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting from the coconut bacon, but I wasn't let down. It added a nice touch of smokiness, and crunch to the scramble.

My boyfriend ordered the Greek omelet, which is made with a chickpea flour base. Personally, I've never been a fan of olives. (I know, I'm horrible at being Italian; a vegan who hates olives!) Aside from that, I enjoyed the omelet, and the tofu feta was especially good. Now if you're expecting an egg-y consistency or flavor, you'll be pretty disappointed. This definitely doesn't taste anything like eggs, but was good nonetheless. Though, I don't think it was anything to write home about, and that's not a reflection of the restaurant. I think it's really more of a personal taste issue. My boyfriend was not a fan of the omelet, but agreed that it probably had more to do with his palate than the food itself.

My daughter ordered the buckwheat chocolate chip pancakes, of course. Now, pancakes are pretty difficult to completely screw up, but a lot of the time even non-vegan pancakes can come out dry and crumbly, which I really detest. But these were truly perfect pancakes. Sweet, but not too sweet. Moist, but not mushy, and you get a nice filling plateful. I'd honestly come back just for coffee and pancakes. But really the biscuits and gravy were the star of the show for me.

Overall, I think that The Tasty is a fantastic little diner, with some really deliciously filling food that you probably can't find very many other places.

Check out The Tasty's Facebook page below with their hours, and full menu.

The Tasty

1401 S. 12th Street, Philadelphia PA

(267) 457-5670