Posted by Michael Stern on December 17, 2001
Le Cave’s is a bakery that has been around forever (actually, since 1935); and it is known for two things: decorated cakes and donuts. The cakes look fantastic, although we regretfully confess that we have never tried one. We come to Le Cave’s for donuts.
According to signs posted outside and inside the huge old bakery, these are “vegetable” donuts, which we assume means they are cooked in vegetable oil as opposed to lard. Whatever, they are superb: cake-textured, crisp-edged, with a good clean flavor that makes you want to keep eating more. Several varieties are available, the house specialty being a glazed donut that puts Krispy Kreme to shame. We also recommend the chocolate-frosted, maple-frosted, powdered-sugar, and cinnamon-sugar varieties. We buy a box full of six or a dozen in the morning shortly after 7:30 when Le Cave’s opens, and our sweet tooth is happy for the rest of the day, no matter where we roam.
Overall: Worth a major detour
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Reviewers "Must Eats" List
Mexican Wedding Cookie
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Donut
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"Le Cave's Vegan-friendly donuts are made without animal fat or dairy products. Virtue never tasted so good."
Michael Stern
"A Mexican wedding cookie is melt-in-your-mouth shortbread, infused with cinnamon. Great with coffee!"
Michael Stern
"Le Cave's deco-lettered sign is a genuine legacy of the early 20th century. It remains a ship-shape bakery, inside and out."
Michael Stern
"Clockwise, from the top: cinnamon, powdered sugar, maple, chocolate"
Michael Stern
"Racks of glazed donuts early in the morning. One of these is scarcely satisfying; it only stimulates the appetite for more, more, more."
Michael Stern
"At about 8am, these apple fritters were still almost too hot to hold. Dotted with plenty of syrupy fruit and yet lightweight in its sheath of sugar, one of these babies only stimulated appetite for more."
Michael Stern
"Name your pleasure, cake-wise, and Le Cave's will make it for you."
Michael Stern
"Le Cave's occupies almost a full city block, but the retail store is pretty cozy."
Michael Stern
