Bespoke Doughnuts for Fancy Gluttons
For whatever reason, $4 toast caught on to be the indictment of foodie culture at its most decadent. (But it's really good.) And now, like a bid on The Price is Right that just edges out the previous contestant's bid, come $5 doughnuts from Bespoke. They are also really good — and have nothing to do with the "Bespoke Donuts" Krispy Kreme made for 2011 UK Fashion Week, although Bespoke's proprietors do wear charming bow ties.
I tried a Tacoughnut and a Thyme Travel. The Tacoughnut comes with tinga (chipotle-braised chicken) on a tortilla chip, chipotle salsa and cilantro and onion as a garnish, with avocado crema inside. It's savory, surprisingly spicy, and most delish, if a bit messy. The Thyme Travel (Meyer lemon pudding, a lemon thyme shortbread crumble, thyme gel, thyme-infused glaze, and a crisp meringue stick) is certainly tasty but not quite as balanced. For all that thyme, it's the citrus that comes through.
As for the doughnuts themselves, they're on the bready side, substantial enough to support all the fillings and add-ons but not heavy in the stomach. And one is a meal. Having eaten two, I couldn't go back for a Horchata (arroz con leche, cinnamon glaze, cinnamon-dusted rice crisp, chocolate and vanilla powders, and marshmallow and puffed rice treats) even though I really wanted it. (There is a deal on bulk: Two for $9, three for $13.)
There are a couple of downsides. First, Bespoke only pops up twice a week. It appears at Beaux in the Castro on Sundays 1-6 p.m., and, as of March 1, on Saturdays at Melange Market in the Mission. And these aren't the doughnuts you take to work to neutralize your passive-aggressive co-workers; they're made to order, served hot, and basically have to be eaten right away or you'll be sad. Lastly, the avocado crema is injected with an actual caulking gun, which is on the one hand sort of sexy but possibly a turn-off to some people.
Still, if the future holds nothing more than everyday bread products gussied up to the nth degree, sign me up. Nothing exceeds like excess, and Bespoke is a winner.
