We Need to Talk About Brooklyn Commune’s New Donuts

Patch readers, there's something we need to talk about. Sit down. Get comfortable. We have news of the greatest import: is now serving donuts.

We learned of The Donuts from the restaurant's Facebook page, which regularly features photos of seductive-looking sandwiches or sprightly salads. But when we saw the donuts—which, by the way, come in maple glazed with smoked applewood bacon and Valrhona chocolate ganache with toasted pecans and cayenne pepper—they called to us with a force so violent that we were out of our house with an urgency normally reserved for life-threatening fires.

Let’s first discuss the donut’s weight: This is no airy Dunkin' Donut we're dealing with. This donut is hefty, the dough pliable and chewy. It makes a satisfying plop sound when you drop it on your plate. It also makes people look at you when they see you dropping a chocolate ganache donut with toasted pecans and cayenne pepper on your plate. So perhaps just take our word for it.

We're sorry to say that we've only sampled the chocolate version (we briefly contemplated ordering the maple glazed as well, but resisted on the basis that it would have killed us.) The already subtle chocolate ganache is further muted by the spice of the cayenne, leaving in your mouth a confusing sensation of lard and pepper. The pecans add a needed crunch to what might otherwise be an overwhelming expanse of dough. In sum, if you're looking for a standard, saccharine donut eating experience, save this for another day. This is a donut For Grown Ups.

Chris Scott, Brooklyn Commune's head chef, said the donuts are made locally by Josh Lagniappe, who until now had been selling them exclusively out of the Hester Street Fair in the Lower East Side. 

Scott said the very mission of Brooklyn Commune is to serve food that is not only tasty, but healthy. He shakes his head.

"It just goes to show—people still want elements of fish and chips," he said. "It breaks my heart."