The best kind of donut is one that is so beguiling that you absolutely believe that the sweet, fried dough that’s been dipped or rolled or packed full of sugar is actually good for you. Bad donuts, on the other hand—the kind that weigh so heavy in your hand so you have to think about lifting it to your mouth–have guilt baked right into them. Bad donuts are dusty, grease-laden representations of dough that are better tossed in the nearest garbage pail than eaten. Great donuts, like the ones I sampled at SK Donut, are so appealing you’ll want to do nothing but savor each and every incredible bite.
Located in a tiny strip mall on 3rd Street just west of La Brea, SK Donuts and Croissants is a 24-hour donut shop visited day and night by locals on foot, business folk, mom’s, police officers and happy Yelpers.
SK’s Donuts has perfected the art of fried dough and frosted confections—and well they should, considering this family business has been around for more than 20 years. SK’s Regular glazed donut or “honey dipped” in New England parlance, is a hole-in-the-middle wonder whose airy dough deflates upon applying even the slightest index finger/thumb pressure. A perfect ratio of frosting to doughnut, the sugary topping is lightly poured over the top, leaving the under belly of the donut unadorned.
One bite of the regular glazed and it was if I were Proust tasting his Madeline all over again. With one soft-sweet bite, I became a five-year-old on a sunny morning, distractedly dropping sugary crumbs onto the Sunday Morning Funny Page favorites of Garfield and Bloom County. I recalled my habit of pressing soft layers of the honey-dipped donut between my fingers until the dough was flat enough to be a sweet stand-in for my make-believe communion ceremonies.
Sigh…I digress.
There are so many other donuts to try. Though I’ve lived for some eight years just blocks from SK’s Donuts, I haven’t allowed myself the indulgence. I’ve really only just begun my exploration of all the SK donut varieties. There are still chocolate dipped, crullers, chocolate with sprinkles and bigger-than-your-hand apple fritters to sample. I won’t be trying the jelly donut again. The jelly is too cherry-pie-filling-like for my taste. If I’m going to go for a filled donut, I prefer a true strawberry or raspberry jelly filling in the center.
But after that revelatory culinary moment at SK’s Donuts last weekend, I fear I may never eat anything but SK Donuts every Sunday morning from now on.
SK’s Donuts
5850 W 3rd St # A
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 935-2409
Open 24-hours
(Gosh, I could really go for a donut right now!)