Donut Villa: Uh Huh, This My Sh*t

GREAT news, guys. I finally found a down-home breakfast/lunch diner near me! I've been on the hunt for one of these places since moving to Medford, and last weekend I discovered where my hood has been hiding one. And believe it or not - it's less than a mile from me. #FacePalm.

God only knows what was going wrong the last 10,000 times I Googled "breakfast near Medford" during the last several months, but prior to last weekend, the only results I'd find were for Dunkin Donuts. Now, Y'ALL KNOW I love my Dunks, but it's hardly the breakfast diner atmosphere that I require on my Saturday mornings. From Pittsfield to Amherst to Boston to Cape Cod to Portland to Vancouver - I've always managed to find a local breakfast diner that could make my morning by serving me up a spectacular-yet-basic plate of over-medium eggs, bacon, wheat toast, home fries, and maybe even some French toast. And now, Donut Villa in Malden, MA has claimed that coveted spot in my current neighborhood. Hoozah!! Cue the "Thank God I Found You" dedications.

And you're welcome for the reminder about that song's existence.

Situated inconspicuously in the middle of a small strip mall on Highland Ave in Malden, Donut Villa is a low-key breakfast/lunch diner and bakery with a no-fuss menu that features not one single item over $10. In other words, uh huh, this my shit.

You can choose to sit at a table or at the counter on diner-style stools. I've been twice now and experienced both. Sitting at the counter gave me the opportunity to chat with the person beside me, a really charming older woman named Muriel who has been coming to Donut Villa for nearly 30 years.

Each time that I've been into the diner, I've ordered The Hungry Girl Breakfast. It comes with two eggs, choice of sausage/bacon/ham, toast, homefries, choice of two slices French toast/pancakes, coffee, and your choice of milk/OJ. SO MANY CHOICES. I go over-medium, bacon, wheat toast, French toast, coffee, OJ, and ask to hold the homefries. It's a completely sufficient amount of food for $9.95. I've cleaned my plate each time... What can I say? I was a hungry girl.

John, the old gentleman who owns the joint and cooks all the food, is a huge Patriots and Red Sox fan, with memorabilia and championship plaques proudly hanging on the walls of the diner.

Maria and Dawn, the two sassy women who make up the waitstaff, come off a bit tough at first but I got a softer vibe from both of them upon my second trip in to the restaurant. It's obvious that they have a lot of regulars, and they know most of the people who walk through the doors.

The diner is cash only, but if you accidentally go there cash-free (like I did on my maiden trip), there is a Dunkin Donuts next door with an ATM that you can run to use. Ironic that that's where I had to head to get cash for my Donut Villa bill, but... YA WIN SOME, YA LOSE SOME, DUNKS.

Oh, and obviously... Donut Villa also serves up donuts. Made in-house by John daily for the last 25+ years, they are the first thing you see when you walk into the diner. Did I get a picture of them? Well no, I didn't. But I'm not making them up, guys. They exist. And they're good. I had a powdered cinnamon sugar donut the first time I went in, but was too full  to indulge in dessert after my second breakfast there. In retrospect, it's a regret of mine. Should've gotten the donut...

Anyway, this place is definitely my new jam. I've told all my friends about it, and now I'm telling you guys about it too. They're open Monday through Sunday, 5:30am - 2:00pm, and you should go give them your money in exchange for food and donuts, pronto.

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Cartems Donuterie in Vancouver

So about a month ago I was in downtown Vancouver waiting at a bus stop when I looked across the street and realized there was a donut shop there that I'd never seen before.

I was all, "Whaaaaaa!?!" and nearly ran across the street right that instant, dodging cars Frogger-style and abandoning my plans to get onto any bus that would take me further away from this donut shop.

I've got a bit of a thing for donuts.

Well I didn't launch myself into traffic that particular day, but you can bet your sweet ass that Cartems Donuterie went into my mental pocket and stayed there. I knew I'd be back.

A couple of weeks later I was downtown running errands and decided to bop into the donuterie to check it out, which was - as you can imagine - an amazing decision on my part. The place was hoppin'!

The bright white high ceilings and exposed brick make the place seem pretty big, and the open bakery in the back of the room extends back even further:

Look at this clever table and chair situation they have in one of the front window corners:

So Cartems is the kind of donut place that serves really special flavors - not just the "chocolate glazed" or "raspberry filled" type of stuff. While Cartems doesn't seem to feature outlandish toppings like that of, say, Voodoo Doughnut, they do have some interesting combos and tantalizing flavors. During that first afternoon trip to the donuterie (yes, the first - I've obviously gone back again since), I picked up a Citrus Dust donut and a Salted Caramel donut... Guys. They were both really, really, really good. I ate the citrus one on my way home that day.

From the Cartems website:

Citrus Dust: Four citrus fruits, that we juice ourselves, and essential oils make up the glaze. Peeled and dried citrus zest is then blended into a dust and sprinkled on top for an extra kick.

Salted Caramel: A chocolate donut topped with sweet buttery goodness and course sea salt. Sweet and salty deliciousness.

And when I say that these donuts were "really good" I do not only mean that they tasted fantastic. I also want you to understand how soft and fluffy these donuts were. We're talking very well-made donuts. These guys know what they're doing! The second one was even still super soft and fluffy the next day!

Other flavors included Earl Grey, Maple Walnut, Chocolate Sweet Snow, Triple Chocolate Threat, Canadian Whiskey Bacon, Mexican Mole, Classic Vanilla (with vanilla bean frosting!). There are vegan and gluten free flavors available as well. They also have different feature flavors daily. You can read descriptions of all of these amazing donuts on their website here.

You definitely pay for the quality of the donuts at Cartems...

.  nawt cheap  .

But..... delicious fried dough and sugar.

Fast forward a couple more weeks and I found myself on a bus heading all the way downtown with one thing on my brain: DOZE DONUTS DOE.

Yep, I was going back. And, I mean... if you're going to go all that way just to get a donut... you might as well get half a dozen of them, right? So I did.

WHOOO!

.  LIKE A BOSS  .

Clockwise from top left: Raspberry Lemonade, Apple Crumble, Chocolate Sweet Snow, Triple Chocolate Threat, Salted Caramel, and Chocolate Glazed. So good, so good, so good. 

It says on the Cartems Donuterie website that the business is about three key things: smiles, conversation, and donuts.  I can vouch for the first and the last - I didn't converse with anyone either time that I was there.

Also... they freaking DELIVER via bike to the downtown area. Perhaps you noticed their delivery bike propped up against the window in some of the above pictures. So get your donut delivery on, ladiiiiies!

Are you as crazy about donuts as I am?

What's your favorite donut flavor?

If you don't like donuts, what's wrong with you?

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This isn't a sponsored post, I just really effing love donuts.

A Few Good Things

A new coffee and donut place opened up this past weekend on 4th Ave, just a few short blocks from my apartment! 

.  lucky's doughnuts/49th parallel coffee roasters  .

.  toasted coconut w/ coconut cream filling  .

I tried my first papaya:

.  you would never guess what this looks like on the inside...  i'll leave you with the mystery .

I filled my new blue glass bottle with some fresh flowers...

... and had fun with the exposure tool in one of my photo-editing programs:

.  not low  .