The Place: I arrived at Blazing Bagels’ brick and mortar location in Bellevue planning to do a post evaluating the bagels at their home port, rather than at the grocery stores and coffee shops where most are sold. But on arrival I was immediately distracted by a tray of donuts at the counter–glazed, fritters, cake, old-fashioned, they were all there. “Do you make the donuts, too?” I asked the cashier. “No,” she explained. “They come from Hot Hot.””Oh, Top Pot,” I replied. “Makes sense.””No,” she corrected. “Hot Hot.”Turns out there’s a donut maker in Tacoma distributing under the name Hot Hot. (3579 E. Portland Ave., 253-476-0991.)The Hole: A chocolate-covered old fashioned and The Chevy, an everything bagel covered in cheese.The Shit: Top Pot makes large, flavorful, cakey-but-not-too-dry donuts. The bakery caught the eye of Howard Shultz and has made appearances on nationally televised reality television. It’s probably a little unfair to Hot Hot that its name so closely resembles a donut powerhouse like Top Pot, because it invites, even demands, comparison.The chocolate-covered old fashioned was fine. It was clearly fresh and there was no skimping on the topping. But it was small, didn’t quite burst with sugary flavor, and was a touch dry. In short, it was no Top Pot donut. Perhaps the solution isn’t recipe alteration, but a name change to avoid the comparisons.Like all Blazing Bagels, The Chevy was totally indulgent.Follow Voracious on Twitter and Facebook.
More Stories From This Author
For 50 years, Zeke’s off US 2 has served delicious burgers
It’s been a popular pit stop in Gold Bar for skiers and hikers, and the same family still runs it.
With ‘Game of Thrones’ ending, it’s time for a proper feast
How to make a meal inspired by the Lannisters’ and Starks’ world, fit for the King in the North.
Stash Box: 2016-2019
Time to roll one for the road …