Whiskey Doughnuts
I was pretty excited to learn that Johnny Brenda’sin Fishtown served Whisky Doughnuts for weekend brunch. I forwarded the link from Fries With That Shake to quite a few of my friends and fellow doughnut connoisseurs. Based on some of their other food and pretty solid beer offerings, I was expecting these to be amazing. After a couple of weeks of anticipating, it was finally time to go.
Doughnut Hole Detail
Large Doughnut Detail
We pulled up to Johnny Brenda’s about 2 in the afternoon on a Saturday. My mouth was watering when I viewed the menu. Johnny Brenda’s does get some cred points for spelling doughnuts correctly, not like those hacks at Dunkin’ Donuts. Pretty much our table of five all wanted to give these things a go. From the photos accompanying the previously linked story, I was hoping for a small platter of doughnut holes. When our whiskey doughnuts arrived, they were a regular full-sized, possibly even over-sized, doughnut with a doughnut hole perched on top. I was excited as I tore into the doughnut hole. My first tastes were sweetly sugary with a faint hint of whiskey, not too strong, very well balanced. The main problem is that a sort of off metallic taste lingered. The table got to work on follow up bites and we compared notes. Sure enough, metallic taste all around. I went with the full-sized doughnut next and realized that this was a pretty dense, heavy doughnut. After further bites, Jessica suggested that the off taste was due to too much baking soda and we all came around to her idea. I was the only one at the table who managed to finish the larger doughnut, pretty much everyone else abandoned theirs. A couple of folks just picked at the best part, the sugary whiskey glaze, which seemed to deliver the right stuff.
Whiskey Pickin'
Unfortunately, these doughnuts were way too dense and definitely had too much baking soda. I’m not sure if we just showed up and had a bad batch or if this is the way they roll with the doughnuts. I hope someone figures out the error and tweaks the batter because the glaze really isn’t that bad. We sadly paid our bill and retreated elsewhere for the rest of the day.
Tags: doughnuts, philadelphia
May 14th, 2009 at 10:02 am
dude i miss the days that nikki cooked there!
May 14th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
as one of the members of the afore mentioned party, i’ll chime in by saying that hatchy is holding back; these things were flat out terrible. first of all, they weighed too much – the batter was just not right. secondly, the main part of the doughnut tasted vile and that metallic taste just got stronger and stronger as you worked your way through the doughnut. and finally, what you did manage to get down wound up sitting in your guy like a weight – not at all good. there are awesome eats to be had in Philadelphia but these rise (sink?) to the level of “who put that on my plate?”.
May 14th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Credit for identifying the baking soda taste has to go to Jane, because she said it before I did, but it’s a classic Failed Baked Goods taste – that unpleasant metallic sensation that stays with you long after you’ve swallowed the food itself.
I have to agree with jscott, though, that you’re understating just how disappointing these things were. Maybe someone else can go and report back on whether their experience is the same or whether there was just some problem in the kitchen the day we went there.
May 15th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Well, I guess I am understating their awfulness. I was really hoping they would be good and Johnny Brenda’s normally has some decent stuff on the menu. Am definitely a fan of their fries. I’m kind of thinking that this had to have been an off batch, this can’t normally be the case. But who knows…