Jeni's Frozen Dessert Sandwiches

A product about as high quality as my photo skills.

Maybe it's the holiday spirit getting into me, but these were ho ho ho hum. Now for the airing of grievances:

First off, "frozen dessert sandwiches"? Not "ice cream sandwiches"? Jeni, you done me wrong. You wouldn't serve these in your shops, so why are you pumping them out nationwide. Jeni, you are lending your luxury ice cream name to a low-end product.

Second, the options are basic. Mint chocolate, sure. But is there a mix-in or imaginative twist I have come to expect from Jeni's? Nope. As for "bramble berry," let's call it what it really is: "mixed berry." And key lime? ...Okay, that is still pretty uncommon. But theirs offers nothing new.

Third, the actual flavors are nondescript, totally lacking depth. Does the mint ice cream use actual mint? Nope; it's peppermint oil. The mixed berry is is vaguer than vague. Miscellaneous tartness. The key lime is run of the mill as far as key lime stuff goes, which is to say it's mildly sour, but primarily sweet.

Fourth, the cookies part, while good, is the dominant flavor. Why might that be? Because these are teeny tiny. The size of the product is the only part that actually resembles fancy pants food because it is downright dainty.

Fifth, how dare you.

Jeni's Frozen Dessert Sandwiches. Skip 'em.

Parlor Doughnuts (located in multiple states)

Pictured: Cookies N' Cream, Cherry Cheesecake,
Coconut Cream, and Hibiscus Glazed

I have seen the future and it is Parlor Doughnuts. Just as Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams has grown from a humble Columbus, Ohio operation into a nationwide phenomenon, so will Parlor Doughnuts take over the USA. They are already off to a good start with locations in 13 states. Happily, I have eaten at them thrice: twice in Indiana (including their headquarters in Evansville) and once in Kentucky on my recent tour de south.

So what makes Parlor Doughnuts so special? Creative flavors, new spins on classics, and a donut design that is guaranteed to please.

What is this doughnut design, you ask? Beyond being gigantic, these doughnuts solve the cronut problem. Parlor Doughnuts makes layered doughnuts, fried to perfection with a crisp exterior and a flaky, doughy middle. Whatever they have done to seal the exterior successfully keeps the oil from seeping into the center--my biggest complaint with cronuts. They are neither a yeast doughnut nor a cake doughnut. Appearance-wise, Parlor's doughnuts are like croissants baked into a circle, whereas cronuts looked like doughnuts, only taller. And best of all: ALL of their doughnuts are made in this style, unlike cronuts which were always a specialty doughnut in short supply.

In my three visits to Parlor Doughnuts, I have tried a bunch of flavors: Strawberry Shortcake, Cookies N' Cream, Turtle, Coconut Cream Filled, Raspberry Pistachio, Hibiscus Glazed, Cherry Cheesecake, and their best seller, French Toast. Some of their doughnuts have filling, while others offer creative toppings. My favorites have been Hibiscus Glazed, which is their classic doughnut with no filling, and French Toast, which has cinnamon on top and layers of maple within. A lot of their flavors skew in the dessert column vs. the breakfast column, but for an occasional treat I will make an exception and eat dessert for breakfast.

Another cool thing is that each Parlor Doughnuts location has a unique logo. My only complaint is that the headquarters in Evansville, IN was out of their location-specific XL shirts.

Louie & Honey's Kitchen in Winston-Salem, NC

Photo from Louie & Honey's Facebook page.
Ours didn't last long enough to take a photo.

I went to a wedding in Winston-Salem. It was the centerpiece of a grand tour de south my sweetie and I went on. Friday night included a welcoming reception for the wedding guests and I was lucky enough to get the bride's ear for a short conversation. (She had, like, a hundred people to talk to over the course of the evening.) Naturally, that conversation had me asking for her tips for sweets in Winston-Salem. Without hesitation, she directed me to Louie & Honey's Kitchen for their cinnamon rolls. The one catch: I needed to get there early because they sell out.

I couldn't tell you if it was the excitement of all of my family being together for the wedding or the prospect of life-changing cinnamon rolls--it was the former--but I didn't sleep very well that night. But you know what they say: The sleep-deprived bird gets the cinnamon rolls! I was able to be at Louie & Honey's shortly after 8am, squeezing in just before the line stretched out the door.

Growing up, we had a saying in the south when you feel a food so deeply that you know it is the best version of itself. That food is "the truth." And, let me tell you, these cinnamon rolls were the truth. The dough was perfectly chewy, enough that it made you savor each bite. The seasoning complemented everything else, rather than overpowering. Best of all, the frosting tasted like it had caramel in it, but not cloyingly so. (Before you ask, it was not a cream cheese frosting...and all the better for it.) And, let me tell you, these cinnamon rolls were huge.

Let me put it another way: I purchased four cinnamon rolls from Louie & Honey's Kitchen as well as a dozen doughnuts from a different local spot since my family would all be eating breakfast together. Everyone at the table, and I mean everyone, kept coming back to the cinnamon rolls, unanimously agreeing it was the best of the bunch. So, if you find yourself in Winston-Salem, wake up early, skip the doughnuts, and buy enough cinnamon rolls that you get a whole one for yourself. You may not be able to eat the whole thing in one sitting, but it is a feat worth trying.

Butter & Cream in Decatur and Atlanta, GA

Years ago, I was in Decatur with some friends for a wedding and the bride and groom declared I "had to try" some ice cream place they liked. Now, as a loyal patron of Morelli's, I had my doubts. What could possibly be worth foregoing a trip into the city to eat ice cream there? The answer: Butter & Cream. And after trying it for myself I too was a believer.

On my recent tour de south with my sweetie, we spent a couple days in Atlanta. We went to museums, ate soul food, shopped, checked out parks, and, of course, made detours related to my sweet tooth. (Emily has a sweet tooth, too, but typing "sweet teeth" felt awkward.) When I discovered that Butter & Cream had expanded into Atlanta proper it felt worth a second visit. This time, I was doubting myself. Was it really as good as I remembered? After all, what are the odds one city has two standout ice cream purveyors?

We decided to test our luck and drive to the Atlanta scoop shop. As GPS struggled to get us there, we figured out that this location of Butter & Cream is on Atlanta's BeltLine, a former rail line converted into a public park. (Unlike Chicago's 606/Bloomingdale Trail or Manhattan's High Line, Atlanta's BeltLine is an incredible 22 MILES LONG!) So we parked and took a little stroll amongst the locals walking, jogging, and biking along the BeltLine.

Butter & Cream was easy to find. On a warm summer day, just look for where the trail of happy ice cream consumers are coming from. And happy they were. While I don't remember the specific flavors I had back in 2016, the standouts of this trip were my Brown Butter & Toasted Milk and Emily's Chocolate Sorbet. And with that, Butter & Cream proved once again that two outstanding ice cream purveyors can co-exist in the same city.

Gibson's Donuts in Memphis, TN

Photo courtesy of Gibson's Facebook page.
My photos from Gibson's are missing, sadly.

Gentle readers, my research is never over. Every time I go on a trip, I research "best desserts," "best ice cream," "best doughnuts," "best bakery," and more. Often I arrive at a place that is good, but is missing that je ne sais quoi that makes it blog-worthy. Sometimes the destination is everything I wanted it to be and more. But rarely do I come across an instant classic, something so positively wonderful that not blogging about it would be a crime. Keep that final category in mind and I ramble on in my next paragraph...

My sweetie and I arrived at Gibson's Donuts between 8am and 9am on a Sunday and were greeted by a line out the door. The kind woman in front of us chatted with us about Memphis before marveling at how my sweet tooth brought us arrive at Gibson's. (My research is unparalleled.) She assured us that Gibson's is home to the best glazed doughnut anywhere. I tried not to pre-judge; I've heard such declarations before. Once our friendly line neighbor reached the counter, she ordered a dozen glazed and single blueberry cake doughnut. My order would be more modest, trying to check all the boxes one finds in a classic doughnut shop (fruity, custard-y, chocolate-y, etc.) in just four doughnuts--two for me and two for my beloved. Oh, and one of them had to be the aforementioned plain glazed, a solid choice for any classic doughnut shop.

Much to our delight, once it was our turn at the counter we were greeted with one free glazed each because we were first-timers, one warm and one room temperature. Both were as good as advertised, though I felt the room temperature offered slightly more of a flavor journey. I'll be honest that I don't remember much about the other doughnuts we got. Why? Because our friend from the line was correct: Gibson's glazed doughnut is home to the best glazed doughnut anywhere. Period.

This doughnut is the perfect mixture of the traditional yeast doughnut found at one of those classic mom 'n' pop doughnut shops (meaty and filling with that hint of something special in the glaze) and Krispy Kreme (sweet, airy, and gone in seconds). But how does Gibson's accomplish such a mixture of meaty and airy? It's just another secret of Memphis, the crossroads of country, soul, and rock 'n' roll.