There's A New Donut Shop In Town

You may recall a few weeks ago when we posted about the upcoming opening of a new donut store in town...well, Holey Donuts is officially open an Awesome-approved!

We got a sneak peek of the new West Village location (101 Seventh Avenue South) and met with owner Frank Dilullo to get the inside scoop a few days before the grand opening. Holey Donuts serves a broad selection of fresh made, filled, and decorated donuts that are, get this, low-fat! We learned that while regular donuts can range from 30-50g of fat, the donuts made here have only 2-5g. They also range from between 150-300 calories each. That's a huge difference! Frank told us the method to the madness is top secret, although he did say it was a 22-step process that isn't simply "baking" the donuts because then you "just get bagels." 

Holey Donuts is also different because they have nothing on display (meaning, no waste) and your donuts are made right in front of you (Chipotle style!). You can choose between a traditional frosted donut ($3.85) or filled ($3.95), and a myriad of different toppings. I tried the coconut cream filled (definitely one of my favorites!) and chocolate glazed. They also gave me a half dozen to take back to my office, which everyone seemed to appreciate.

While the texture is not going to be exactly like the donuts you are used to, they are still mighty tasty and the fillings make all the difference. Frank was insistent I take a bite of my donut right away since they are so much better warm. These aren't meant for sitting around the office kitchen all day people! Get 'em while they're hot!

Holey Donuts also serves cinnamon buns and mini cinnamon buns made out of the same dough, so you get the same low-fat, low-cal benefits if you're craving a morning bun over a donut!

Lastly, Holey Donuts carries a line of non-GMO, kosher, vegan, and gluten-free juices from the Miami-based RAAW juice company and Novus teas (I highly recommend the Wild Encounter flavor!).

Be sure to bring your credit/debit cards with you to Holey Donuts, because they are a cashless establishment. I've started to see this more and more, and I think it's a great idea, lowering risk and increasing hygiene (do you have any idea how many strains of bacteria live on a dollar bill?). Better not to think about it and just munch on a coconut cream.

Free Cheese...FREE CHEESE!!

Life without cheese just wouldn't be life. I should really frame that quotation and hang it in kitchen. Anyway, don't you agree though?

One of my favorite cheese stores in the city, Murray's Cheese, is celebrating the opening of their 100th nationwide store by giving away free delectable creamy goodness in the form of grilled cheese sandwiches to the first 100 people who visit their flagship West Village store (254 Bleecker Street) on Saturday February 1 starting at 11 am. Their website says they will have other snacks to nosh on and beer will be poured.

In addition, Murray's is hosting a contest to win one of 10 $100 shopping spree in their store. You can enter here. So who's ready to get their cheese on?

AWESOME ALERT: The Iconic NYC Jazz Club You Knew Existed But Have Never Been To

Jazz clubs. They are about as New York as it comes (well, if you don't count New Orleans). But have you every actually step foot in one? If you have, give yourself a pat on the back. If not, you owe it to yourself to tap your toes and sip a glass of wine at one of the city's musical gems.

My friend invited me along to the speakeasy-like Smalls Jazz Club, tucked into a basement space on West 10th Street, for their free Tuesday night show. I honestly went in with no expectations. I'm not ashamed to admit that I never liked (or thought I liked) jazz because I associated it with old people. I don't exactly know where that came from, and yes, older people do seemingly like jazz, but I digress.

When we walked in, a trio comprised of the piano, guitar and bass were playing upbeat tunes and taking turns showing off crazy skill with their solos. I know practically nothing about music theory or "why" music is "good," but it sure as heck sounded amazing. We grabbed seats a few rows from the front and had fun watching the cat (I'm told her name is Mina) sleep on the piano with intermittent breaks for cleaning herself.

Mina (Photo Courtesy Rachel Reed)

The music was so good that we decided to stay for the paid show at 9:30. Good thing we did too! For only $20, we got an intimate concert with the Scott Hamilton quartet, a pretty big deal in the jazz world (or so the Internet tells me).

Scott Hamilton Quartet

You can find the Smalls Jazz Club schedule here. Most shows are either indicated as "no cover" (aka FREE!) or cost $10 or $20. Looking for last minute Valentine plans tonight? The club is featuring 2 quartets and a quintet playing late into the night and I'm sure your date will be pleasantly surprised.

Tasting the West Village

I love food. You know that by now. I also love the West Village. Put the two together, and I'm pretty much in awesome heaven. Group buying site The Dealist recently organized a food tour called Taste of the Village: West and I was all over that. I especially liked how the title left open the possibility of a sequel in either of the Villages Greenwich or East. 

The deal, if purchased through the site, was $17 for six tastes at W. Village establishments plus drink specials at different bars along the way. My dad was in town for the weekend so he came along on my culinary tour. 

First stop was the hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese sandwich shop, Num Pang. A huge crowd gathered outside in line to participate in the tasting and we were able to select from either the Duroc Pulled Pork or Veal Hoisin Meatball slider. We tried one of each and they were delicious. The meat was moist and the bread was not too overbearing, as it can often be with these sandwiches. I thought the little eating nook up the spiral staircase was charming and felt like a little hideaway from nearby Union Square. The outside line reminded me of a drive-thru of sorts, without the cars obviously, but that just made it all the more New York.

Sign at Num Pang welcoming food tour participants

Duroc Pulled Pork and Veal Hoisin Meatball Sliders from Num Pang

Me enjoying the sliders

Next we walked south to Cabrito. I've heard about this colorful Mexican joint before so I was eager to try it. Although not on the menu, they were offering fish tacos for the tour and I love a good fish taco. The fish was nice and crispy on the outside but definitely not too oily, which I appreciated. With cabbage, avocado and radish slices on a fresh flour tortilla, I felt not to far away from the beaches of Cabo. My dad went for the spicier pork taco, and while it was tasty, the spice was far too overwhelming and even after the one bite I had of his, I felt the heat all the way through the next stop on the tour. They were offering $6 margaritas, and though we passed on them, I'll definitely be back because they use the real stuff - no syrup there.

Fish and Pork tacos from Cabrito

Just down the block was stop #3, Spunto thin-crust pizza. I've never been much of a pizza afficionado, but I like a good thin crust (almost as much as a juicy thick-crust). There's something so delicate about a crispy crust that still maintains a bready consistency with flavorful sauce and gooey cheese that strings from your mouth when you take a bite that I can appreciate. Spunto has perfected this. We were each able to sample (an understated word in this case) a piece of cheese and a piece of pepperoni. This could have been a whole meal in itself! Out of all the stops, this was my Dad's favorite and we'll definitely be back.

Thin-crust pizza from Spunto

Next, we made our way north to the long and skinny Satay Junction. The sample choices here were two satay sticks with a choice of chicken, beef, pork, lamb, shrimp and tofu. Since satay is on a stick and meant to be eaten easily and quickly, and with only 45 minutes left in the tour, we figured we'd be quick here and make our way on. However, this was not the case. After placing our order, we waited 15 minutes before we even got an update on our food. While it did feel good to sit down for a bit, we were weary of missing our last stops, and I decided to walk up to the Donut Pub to pick up our samples there before the tour was over. Of course the satay came minutes after I left, as it always does, but honestly, it wasn't that good. Oh well.

Half-eaten lamb and shrimp satay

Donut Pub - what a great name - excited me because they had advertised red velvet donut bites. When I got there however, all they had left were glazed and powdered sugar. After the long satay debacle, I wasn't going to turn down donuts.  WIth only five minutes left in the food tour, I picked up four mini donuts for my dad and I and headed back to Satay Junction.

Impressive donut display at The Donut Pub

We took our treats up to the Highline for a fantastic sunset. I love the architecture around the old elevated train tracks and I love showing it off to visitors even more.

Although we didn't make it to Pasticceria Rocco for mini-canolis, I was full and happy from a successful tour. Thanks to The Dealist, my dad and I had a wonderful afternoon and I can't wait for (hopefully) Part 2 and 3!

AWESOME DEAL: 47% off "Tastes of the Village: West" Food Festival this Weekend

Whoever thought up the food festival was a genius. Honestly, the concept of sampling all different culinary concoctions in one location for one meal must have been an idea before it's time.

If you also appreciate this awesome tradition, you're in luck. This weekend six different iconic West Village restaurants are teaming up to make your day. By offering a 47% discount off tickets, The Dealist, a new group-buying site, wants to make your wallet cheer as well.

A $17 ticket (normally $32) will get you the following:

• Num Pang - 1 Slider (choice of Duroc Pulled Pork, or Veal Hoisin Meatball)
• Spunto Thin Crust - 2 Slices of gourmet thin-crust pizza (1 Cheese, 1 Pepperoni)
• Cabrito - 1 signature taco (tinga de pollo, skirt steak, or marinated pork with pineapple)
• Satay Junction - 2 Satays (choice of 8, incl. chicken, beef, shrimp, tofu w/peanut dipping sauce)
• Pasticceria Rocco - 1 mini-cannoli, classic italian with chocolate chips
• The Donut Pub -  2 mini-doughnuts (choice of Red Velvet, Cinnamon Sugar or Honey Glazed)

After you've stuffed your face, find yourself some discounted liquid fun at the following bars:

• Fiddlesticks: $4 beer, house wine and well mixed drinks
• Blind Tiger Ale House: $1 off beer
• Half Pint: $4 domestics, $5 well drinks, $6 craft beer
• Cabrito: $6 marguarita
• Galway Hooker Downtown: $5 beers, house wine and well mixed drinks

To get this deal, you have to hurry! Discounted tickets are only available until Thursday. The Dealist will email you your ticket with instructions on how to get your food and drinks. You can use your ticket to get your samples all at once or spread out on both Saturday and Sunday from 12-6 p.m.

I'll definitely be checking out this event and posting a recap with pictures. Thanks The Dealist and happy eating!