Archive for the ‘Round Rock’ Category
Well we are back from a wonderful weekend in Nashville celebrating my lil’ brother’s wedding. Needless to say due to the business of all of that I apologize that this post is a little bit tardy.
Pop Culture Cuisine is officially a year old and we can hardly believe how fast time has flown! Adam and I have loved incorporating all these wonderful culinary adventures into our travels, mostly because of the great memories it has made for us. We have compiled a list of some of our favorite and not so favorite spots to share with you with links so you can read our reviews for yourself. We love food and hope to continue to share lots of great finds with you all along the way.
SIGNATURE DISH
1. Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous’ “Ribs” – Memphis, TN
2. Round Rock Donuts’ “Round Rock Donut” – Round Rock, TX
3. Lucky’s Sandwich Co.’s “Stuffed Sandwich” – Chicago, IL
TASTE
1. The Salt Lick – Driftwood, TX
2. Louie’s – Dallas, TX
3. Twisted Root – Dallas, TX
AMBIANCE
1. The Silver Palm – Chicago, IL
2. Keller’s Drive-in – Dallas, TX
3. The Salt Lick – Driftwood, TX
SERVICE
1. Blue Ash Chili – Anna – Blue Ash, OH
2. Pinkberry – Christine – Orlando, FL
3. Avila’s – Dallas, TX
PRICE
1. The Salt Lick – Driftwood, TX
2. Keller’s Drive-in – Dallas, TX
3. Blue Ash Chili – Blue Ash, OH
OVERALL TOP 5
1. The Salt Lick – Driftwood, TX
2. Manny’s Delicatessen – Chicago, IL
3. Keller’s Drive-in – Dallas, TX
4. Blue Ash Chili – Blue Ash, OH
5. Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous – Memphis, TN
TOP 5 BIGGEST LET DOWNS…NOT WORTH THE HYPE!
1. Jim Neely’s Interstate Bar-B-Q – Memphis, TN
2. Willie Mae’s Scotch House – New Orleans, LA
3. Acme Oyster House – New Orleans, LA
4. Drago’s Seafood – New Orleans, LA
5. Juan in a Million – Austin, TX
BEST OF THE REST…HONORABLE MENTION
Best Burger – Twisted Root – Dallas, TX
Best Pizza – Giordano’s – Chicago, IL
Best Sandwich – Lucky’s Sandwich Co. – Chicago, IL
Best BBQ – The Salt Lick – Driftwood, TX
Best Bar Food – J. Gilligan’s “Irish Nachos” – Arlington, TX
Best Cocktail – Pat O’Brien’s “Hurricane” – New Orleans, LA
Most Outrageous Dish – The Silver Palm’s “Three Little Pigs Sandwich” – Chicago, IL
I want someone out there to tell me they don’t like donuts! I am pretty sure I have never met a single person who didn’t enjoy at least one kind of donut. I mean, what’s not to like?…sweet fried dough usually covered in even sweeter yummy glaze! All around….sweet. I know you health nuts out there might say, “oh…I don’t eat donuts; they are full of sugar, fat, and all that other stuff I can’t eat on my diet.” But let’s me honest, and I mean HONEST…donuts are down right pure awesomeness and one of the many culinary enjoyments in life; and while we are in honesty land, although I don’t let myself have them all that often, when I do it is pure joy and I make sure to savor each and every bite.
So I am no donut connoisseur, nor do I really think there are many “superior” donuts out there. It’s typically one of those foods that’s got a threshold for good (pretty low ;)) and once you meet “good’ the distance to “great” is not that much more. I really have rarely ever found one that I think is the down right best (well maybe the chocolate glazed at Dunkin, but that’s another story :)), not to say they haven’t all been yummy good. All I’m saying is that I’ve never been blown away by a donut that it was left standing above any other. Well…that all changed after our visit to this week’s feature establishment…Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock, TX.
We saw Round Rock Donuts on an episode of Man vs. Food (Austin). Open since 1926, under the name Lone Star Donuts, they have been tempting locals and visitors alike with their orange hued world famous “Round Rock” glazed donut. The first clip below will show you a bit of history on the famed donut masters prior to their name change from Lone Star Donuts. And then I have given you a clip so you can see for yourself what put Round Rock on the ‘must visit’ list the next time we traveled to Austin…a new menu addition for them, but one worth seeing…
Sources: “Round Rock Donuts, Texas.” [Video]. (2008). Retrieved August 5, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEHqXby7XH0&feature=related.
“I Really Really Like Donuts!!!” [Video]. (2009). Retrieved August 5, 2010 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEpEXndDRQI&feature=related.
I mean that is a site to see…that donut is the size of human head, if not bigger! I know it was certainly something I was interested in seeing for myself; and lucky for us it was not long after we saw this episode that were planning a trip to Austin so we figured it would be a perfect stop on our way back to Dallas.
So on our way out of town while headng through Round Rock on U.S. 35, we set out to find this behemoth of pastry. Lucky for us we arrived just in time…their lobby hours on Sunday are only until 2 p.m. and we arrived at 1:45 (their drive thru is open everyday until 8 p.m. so we would not have been completely out of luck, I just was glad we were able to see the inside). Their building is very cute and rustic looking, not like any other donut shop I have ever seen. Apparently they had to rebuild in 2000, after a fire completely destroyed their original location. That being said, their current building is beautiful and a fun change from a typical bakery site.
Inside are glass cases filled with yummy donuts and other baked goods that appear perfectly hand crafted with care. I wanted to seriously try each and every kind they had, but came with the intent of purchasing their original glazed; and for fun, we bought one of those giant Texas sized ones too. I mean…you can’t go somewhere with donuts the size of your head and not buy one right! 🙂
Since we bought a small glazed donut as well, we decided we would share that one and save the large one for Adam to take into work the next day. I will say now that the large donut could feed his entire office for breakfast and was quite a hit! 🙂 Also a big hit was the one we shared…I’m talkin’ out of this world good. There is a hint of citrus flavor, orange or lemon in their dough and the glaze provides just a hint of extra sweetness and flavor that is amazing. Also, the slightly crispy outer texture with the super soft doughy center, likely from the yeast they use, is pure donut genius; and all I can say is I wish I could get my paws on these donuts more, because they are truly worth the splurge.
SIGNATURE DISH: I am pretty sure from the name of the place that you figured out what they are known for…donuts, donuts, and more donuts. But like any good donut bakery, they also have a wide variety of other yummy baked goods to try. Still, when a place has donut in the name, I want one of them; and when they have a “TEXAS” sized behemoth donut, lemme’ at that big boy!
TASTE: What impressed me so much with these donuts is it truly tasted like no donut I have ever had. I know a glazed donut is a glazed donut, but I am telling you there was something extra about these. Their texture was doughy and hints of crunch all in one, and their glaze had flavor nuances that were not only good, but added a wow factor. Yes…I just used “wow factor” to describe a donut, so it must be THAT good!
AMBIANCE: The building exterior is quite cute and unexpected, while the inside is also very well kept, while still familiar. Not ever expecting much when I go to a bakery, I would say it exceeded my typical expectations as far as appearance in that you can tell they truly have pride for their business and want people to feel at home, welcome, and comfortable while they are there. There is no seating inside, but tables outside where you can enjoy your donut and relax. They also offer drive thru, which if I lived in the area would find awfully convenient (maybe too convenient ;)). All is all…very nice.
PRICE: I thought their prices were very decent and pretty typical of most smaller bakeries I have been to. At $.59 for a glazed donut, I would hardly say that is breaking the bank of breakfast. The Texas sized donut is $5.99, but again when you consider it feeds 5 or more people, I would still hardly call that outrageous.
SERVICE: Since this is your typical bakery, you simply place your order at the counter and they present your with your order. All the employees were very friendly, chatty, and quickly able to produce our order to us. They were even so kind as to let me photograph the inside and chat with them about the bakery after they had closed, which I was very thankful for.
Round Rock Donuts was a quick side trip, and I’m glad Adam persuaded me to stop for. After a weekend of gluttony, I was hardly in the mood for a fried pastry, but after one bite my mind was quickly swayed. True…I may never get to have one again or find one quite the same, but at least I now have a donut measuring stick. It was truly like no other glazed donut I have tried, and that’s not to say I won’t still give others I come across a fighting chance. 😉 But for now, I will leave it at a lifelong great tasting memory and give Round Rock Donuts and Sweet 5 ‘Little Piggies’
