AlwaysInvestigating: “Hole Foods” on the LES

The Gluttoness — April 28, 2009

I was admiring the proximity of Kossar’s Bialys to Doughnut Plant, when I wondered what other “hole foods” could be found nearby on the Lower East Side. I decided on five food items. Camera in hand, I set out for Grand Street with a whole lot of hunger to find them.

Though Kossar’s is famous for it’s virtually hole-less Bialys, I began my mission with their old school bagels. This wasn’t as easy as expected. The bagels expand so much in the oven that the holes practically disappear from most of them. Thankfully, the people at Kossar’s looked kindly on my mission, and after searching the metal bins they located a Sesame Bagel with a hole-some (for our purposes) center.

This hole excursion could easily be misconstrued as an excuse to go to Doughnut Plant. Since their yeast donuts have large holes, I chose a seasonal Cashew Doughnut. Its delightful sweetness is followed by a salty crunch and makes for extra sticky fingers. Though I almost always go yeast, when it comes to chocolate, don’t rule out the cake donuts. The Blackout Cake Doughnut is on a whole different level than the Valhrona yeast alternative.

The scene outside Russ & Daughter’s was epic. This mecca of smoked salmon was the focus of a press conference about its green efforts to transform cooking oil into clean-burning biodiesel. I sidestepped the madness surrounding the podium and headed inside for Pineapple Rings. A little known secret is that they have the best dried fruit in NY.

Finally, I got to Clinton St. Baking Company. I salivated for thirty minutes while smelling the wafting scents of nearby stacks of Blueberry Pancakes as I waited for an order of Onion Rings. When they arrived they were truly superb, definitely a Top 5 competitor, and worth the wait.