July 5, 2007
Houstonist Bites: Beignets
After Krispy Kreme donuts left the Houston market early last year, finding a satisfying piece of fried dough got a little harder. Enter the beignet. Now, we’re not saying that the beignet is a substitute for the Krispy Kreme. Nor is the Krispy Kreme a replacement for the beignet. But if you happen to crave something sweet, doughy and fried, the beignet fulfills all three requirements.
In a perfect world Café Du Monde would expand it’s New Orleans roots to open a Houston franchise and shower us with the favorite Cajun cravin'. However, a couple of substitutes provide Houstonians with their fill of fried goodness…but alas and alack, it’s just not the same.
Crescent City Beignets on Westheimer used to be the premiere beignet café in Houston. In recent years, customers have experienced a continuous decline in food, quality and customer service. On a recent visit we waited a remarkably long time for our order – not surprising since there were only three people working the entire restaurant on a busy weekend night. The café au lait (hot milk with a rich, chicory coffee) was weak in the coffee department, absent in the chicory flavor and finished with a strange aftertaste. The beignets were even more disappointing. We were looking forward to the crisp exterior and the soft, airy and chewy interior. What we got was reminiscent of a hockey puck with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Shy of making the pilgrimage to Café Du Monde, Chez Beignet on Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet has an exponentially better beignet than Crescent City. This little neighborhood cafe is run by a German couple who often play Vietnamese music as they serve their French coffee and New Orleans donuts. The donuts are fried to order and come out light and fluffy with a hint of nutmeg (though on occasion the nutmeg can be a little overwhelming). The chicory coffee is also good. Out-dated posters in cheap frames and plastic chairs don’t contribute to a cozy ambiance, but Chez Beignet has a strong following of regulars who crave the satisfying square puffs of fried goodness.
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Crescent City Beignet: 3260 Westheimer Rd (713) 520-8291
Chez Beignet: 5243 Buffalo Speedway (713) 592-9777
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Just say no to nutmeg in beignets! -- "a little overwhelming" is a bit of an understatement when it comes to Chez Beignets... especially when comparing them to Café du Monde. I do however agree that Crecent City used to be much better back in the day. It looks like our beignet options in Houston are a bit limited (save for the box of nutmeg-free Café du Monde mix in my kitchen!).
JB
I agree with the nutmeg issue. Rachel Ray would say that it's that extra little something that makes people go 'Mmmm, what IS that?' Except Chez's beignets are more like, "Dude, there's nutmeg in there." I chalk it up to the fact that they're not trying to recreate the Big Easy classic but making it their own.
You write this article as if no other donut option exists in Houston. Let me tell you, while KK has come and gone, the original Texas donut, Shipley's is still in business and still serving some of the best donuts in town.
Also, Christy's on W. Gray is really good too!
(I assure you, the nutmeg/non-nutmeg controversy is far more important than the Krispy Kreme/Shipley's issue... But I think one thing we can all agree on is that Jumbles was terrible. Terrible. How hard is it to screw up a donut?)
I wonder if Crescent City Cafe is under new management -- because they used to not be the best of friends
JB
Either a problem with firefox, or user error... That link was supposed to be:
http://www.houstonpress.com/1999-03-04/dining/battlin-beignets/
JB
If Crescent City is under new management then I will not be going back because the place is terrible. If they aren't under new management, then I will not be going back because I'm on Team Jantzen (after reading that article). Thanks for the article link. And re: krispy kreme v shipleys - really? Shipleys?
"And re: krispy kreme v shipleys - really? Shipleys?"
Hell yes. Specifically the Shipleys on N. Main in the Heights. I can't vouch for the many little stores that are scattered around the city.
I always found Krispy Kreme (beyond the stupid spelling) to be a bit too synthetic (in both looks and taste). Shipley's is the real deal.
There are very few things that can beat a hot Shipley's donut, including hot Krispy Kremes — KK was all right, but like Crystal said, Shipley's is the real deal. Mmm.
That's odd, because I had beignets at Crescent City just yesterday, and had no problem whatsoever. I don't know about new management either as the same crew has been there for the past couple of years that I have been going. I do grant you that it can take some time to get my order, but I haven't ever had any serious problems. Besides, I prefer jazz when eating my beignets to Vietnamese music; just doesn't seem proper.
As for the nutmeg, wha? Nutmeg has no place in a beignet. It's dough, hit grease with a healthy dusting of powdered sugar!
All I gotta say is...Whatever happen to all the Dunkin Donuts?!? Their chocolate-filled, powered doughnuts (I like to refer to them as the cocaine-covered doughnuts because of how addicting they were) were the best thing since sliced bread...or fried bread for that matter. Now you can find a handful around, but they are just not the same as what Dunkin's use to be. :(