Battle of the dishes: East Side Donuts

​We’ve laid our hearts on the line for this one — literally. In this battle of donut — or doughnuts, our Food Lover’s Companion accepts both spellings — shops, we pit East side favorite Jack’s Donuts (2400 S. Lee Summit’s Road, Independence, Missouri) against the Boulevard Bakery (2815 Independence Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri). We sat down in The Pitch offices, tempted our colleagues with cinnamon sugar and chocolate coconut, and then got down to the business of determining which cake donut … took the cake.  

First impression:

Once you get past the idea that both stores are on streets with city names different from their city addresses, you’re faced with two identical white paper bags. Jack’s bag had the telltale grease signs that Dr. Nick of The Simpsons assures us is “the window to weight gain.” The donuts from both shops had terrific visual appeal: the cinnamon-dusted cake donuts glistened, even the typically boring frosted cake versions looked especially tempting, just begging to be dipped in a mug of hot java or a glass of ice-cold milk.

Jack’s Donuts:

The donut holes might have been the star of the bag. A healthy smattering of sweet glaze that was described as “nice and tender” by one taster. The powdered donuts had the same quality as those dreadful store-packaged “Donettes,” sucking the moisture from your mouth before you’re finished chewing. The cinnamon sugar was reminiscent of a churro — lightly fried and worth the drive. These donuts had a classic quality, clearly made by a baker who knows his dough: in this case, “Jack” is the current owner, Abdul Hameed, who purchased the business from the original owner two years ago. Prior to purchasing Jack’s, Hameed — who is from Pakistan, where donuts are almost unknown and, he says, “If you can find them, they are expensive” —  made the pastries at Winchell’s for nine years and at Hy-Vee for a decade.

Boulevard Bakery:

We opted for the glazed variety and one festive-looking frosted chocolate coconut. At the venerable Boulevard Bakery — an iconic store on the historic Avenue — cake donuts are split into two categories: “Cake” and “Fancy Cake.” The chocolate-iced creation with the dusting of sugared coconut flakes fell in the latter category, of course. The boxy-looking glazed yeast donut was much sweeter than Jack’s — if you’ve got a real sweet tooth, this is your glaze. The chocolate coconut was a winning combination — delicious and a nice compliment to the thick cake underneath. As one of our tasters noted: “How can anything with coconut flakes be bad?”

The Verdict:

Abdul Hameed knows his donuts

​Comparing donuts is a bit like having to choose which our your children is your favorite. I mean, yes, you have favorites, but it just seems wrong to acknowledge that out loud. Jack’s Donuts appeared to have the edge; however, it is probably best if we continue to eat both varieties in an effort to verify the results of this small sample.