Sidecar Doughnuts - Gourmet Doughnuts are In, Cupcakes are Out

For the past year there has been rumors of a unique gourmet doughnut shop opening up in Costa Mesa called “Sidecar.” During the Locale Magazine party, I was able to try their doughnuts for the first time from the back of their 1959 Bakery Delivery Van. I was impressed with the flavor of their doughnuts and their overall hipster swag. The wait is over and Sidecar officially opened their doors this morning on 270 East 17^th St, Costa Mesa with the smells of doughnuts wafting out the door.

Sidecar’s doughnut selection rotates weekly and seasonally They plan to bake fresh doughnuts every hour to ensure the best freshness and flavor. The characteristic of their doughnuts that stood out the most was the crisp exterior and the warm soft center. Fresh always tastes better. Sidecar’s founders, Brooke De Prez and Sumter Pedegrast, wanted to make a cool hang out in Orange County that served “cutting edge coffee” and Chef Brooke’s near perfect doughnut. After experiencing Sidecar, I think they have accomplished their goal.

As I stood there chomping away at my doughnut samples, I was taken aback by the freshness and fruit forward flavors of the doughnuts. Since they make “seasonal” doughnuts, many of the flavors are made with fresh fruit. I had many favorites, although the best example of natural flavor fruit forward flavor was their Huckleberry Doughnut. Made with fresh huckleberries, this purple cake doughnut had a pleasant balance of yeast cake flavor and natural berry sweetness. Their doughnuts had a balanced sugar profile that is round on the palate, making it easy to eat many doughnuts without realizing it. Be warned, you might eat more than you expected. If you like naturally fruit flavored doughnuts, be sure to try the Meyer lemon doughnut as well!

One of my other favorite was the Malasada doughnuts. If you recognize the name, it is probably because you took a vacation to Hawaii. They are a sugary puff style doughnut without a hole. Sidecar’s Malasada is coated with sugar, yet still retains a balanced flavor. You have to try their Malasada filled with a haupia (coconut) cream. If you like cream filled doughnuts like me, this will be your new doughnut crush.

Another exciting doughnut was the Bacon Maple Doughnut. Providing a subtle nod to the the Orange County Fair, this puff doughnut is topped with a sweet maple glaze and topped with bacon of course J. I took some Sidecar doughnuts to work and this one seemed to be the crowd favorite. According to one of my co-workers, “it was a nice balance of savory, salty and sweet.” Everything tastes better with bacon.

Be sure to try their Stumptown Coffee, which is small-batch Portland based roaster. Sidecar plans on rotating different Stumptown roasts each month, to so that the coffee’s flavor complements their seasonal doughnuts.. I got a very serious coffee buzz from their coffee. I am not sure if it was the coffee or sugar in the doughnuts, but I am still wired.

The Sidecar’s ambiance oozes coolness. I know it is hard, but just stop for a second to appreciate the ambiance. When I visited the hip sounds of Jimmy Cliff was being played on an 1970 record player and noticed that they had deer antlers mounted on the coffee menu board. Keep an eye out for the doughnut shaped décor and the daily doughnut menu on the peach plate glass mirror. The X factor that made this place fun was the positive energy of the staff. As I stood there enjoying my doughnut and coffee, I discovered that I had a smile on my face. Sidecar is my kind of place. www.sidecardoughnuts.com