donuts

Dutch Door Donuts, Carmel, CA., 7/11/25

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entrance – Carmel Plaza, 205c, Carmel, CA 93921

Dutch Door Donuts  is on the middle level of the 3 story Carmel Plaza.  They are a small place with seating at a counter, tables or you can find seats around the shopping center.  Named for the Dutch doors you see on so many of the Carmel shops, it wanted to honor the charm of the city.  Each yeast donut is cut and shaped by hand and fried after you order it.  They are light and airy inside with a fabulous crisp to the exterior.  There were a number of containers with the toppings and the hot donut goes in and then is placed in a box ready for pick up.  After we placed  and paid for our order we snagged a counter seat to watch the action.  They offered a good range of options that apparently change with the seasons.  They offer a selection of of coffee drinks as well as water and a few soft drinks to go with your hot donuts.  It’s a fun place to sit and have a snack but more importantly the donuts are delicious.  Don’t miss this one when in Carmel. Continue reading →

Primo Restaurant, Rockland, ME., 9/26/24

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exterior –2 Main St, Rockland, ME 04841

Primo Restaurant is a chef-owned place by Melissa Kelly who was the 2013 James Beard Foundation Award winner of the American Express Best Chef, Northeast.  She also won this award in 1999 making her the first 2 time winner of the same award.  It started as a small venture with one greenhouse and one acre of gardens to 2 greenhouses, 60 staff and 3 acres of gardens as well as chickens and pigs. It is a huge place with a 2 story house being the main eating area with a roaming parking lot to the side that goes up by other buildings and gardens.  It was dark and rainy the night we went so it was hard to tell what was what.  There were tables on the porch around the large house but the weather did not allow these to be seated.  Some rooms had white tablecloths and others bare wood.  We were seated in a small room upstairs with old wood floors and bench seating around the walls and small tables.  Art for sale was on the walls and I saw 2 bars upstairs.  The server told us the place was named for the chef’s grandfather when he had a brief moment to chat.  The menu changes daily and yet specials were verbally delivered by the server.  The food was good, the ambiance a bit hectic and my overall impression was once was enough. Continue reading →