Really awesome donuts in the Eastern Townships (Eastman)! Must stop...

[moh]

So we happened to be in the Eastern Townships yesterday for a really awesome cabane a sucre day courtesy of a friend. I was a little hopped up on sugar! Anyways, on our way to the cabane, we saw this donut shop called Beignes Dora in Eastman. The lot was full of cars, and we thought, well hopefully it will be open on the way home. Thank goodness it was!

We got there at 5:45 pm (they close at 6:00), but there was still a reasonable selection of products. The real find: homemade donuts! So hard to find donuts that aren't massed produced crap!

I immediately squaffed a chocolate cake donut. Moist, dense crumb, rich chocolate dough, not too sweet, this is a lovely donut. I haven't had such a homey old-fashioned donut like this in a while. Took me back to childhood, before all you could get was those crap balls known as TH...

I also tried their yeast chocolate glazed donut. Nice rich good quality chocolate glaze, not too sweet, but delicious chocolate. The yeast donut had an interesting chewy quality, not as yeasty and soft and pillowy as other yeast donuts I've had, but it was still appealing. This morning, I had a cake donut with icing sugar coating. I think I like their cake donuts best. Again, rich dense moist crumb on the icing sugar donut. Very tasty vanilla-flavoured cake donut.

These donuts are really special. It is impossible to find donuts like you might imagine Grandma might make anymore (well, not my grandma, Koreans don't really do donuts).

We also bought a tourtiere made there, we will try it tonight. They also sell various hot meals ready to heat up (lasagna, canelloni, beef stew, etc.), artisanal jams and ketchup aux fruit (bought some to go with the tourtiere), jars of homemade caramel. They have muffins and breads that look as appealing as the donuts. You can buy a coffee or hot chocolate with foamed milk to accompany the donuts.

I loved this place. It will be a must-stop for me any time I am near Eastman. I wouldn't want to make anyone drive out just to go here (although I must say that I'd be tempted too, I loved it so much!). But this is one of those special places that are getting harder and harder to find in our world of mass-produced food. This is so much better then those TH crap balls. SO if you like TH, don't take my rec so seriously, don't want to mislead. I'm kind of relieved they are so far away, otherwise I might turn into a daily donut consumer.

Beignes Dora
805 Rue Principal (Route 112)
Eastman, Qc
[phone]

There is some debate about the exact address, I've seen several addresses listed for this place. On their card they say 799 route 112, but that is right next to 805 rue Principal, so I think it is the same place. Anyhow, it is on rue Principal or Route 112, same thing. You really can't miss it, it is a big building, and there are usually a lot of cars outside. I love this place!!!! I am sure this post will disappear very quickly in to the Interweb,never to be read again. Another one of my posts that speaks to no one. Too bad. This place is awesome.

[TheSnowpea]

Au contraire, your posts always speak volumes!

I've had few chances to stop in Eastman since my folks sold their summer cottage, but next time I go in the area for snowshoeing, I'll make sure to stop by!

I have generally given up on commercial doughnuts because I never find them very satisfying, but your description of the chocolate cake doughnuts is really making me salivate! And clearly the trip is worth it.

[moh]

Thanks TheSnowpea, you are kind!

I had the tourtiere. Very nice crust, although perhaps I like it to be a bit more crispy, but flavour was good, and texture very nice. Filling simple but good. I would get this tourtiere again, it isn't the best I've had, but it was certainly very good. The fruit ketchup was too sweet for me, I prefer a little more acidic punch to my fruit ketchup. So I won't buy the ketchup again.

Next time we stay out in the townships, I'll definitely stock up on bread, donuts and prepared meals from this place.

[kpzoo]

Thanks so much for sharing this find - I'll have to check it out if I'm in the area. Even though I'm not a huge doughnut nut (dough-nut?) you made them sound so yummy (as usual!) that I'm compelled to try them now. ;-)

Oh, and kudos for having the sugar-stamina to go have doughnuts after a day of sugaring-off: you rawk!

[moh]

Hoo daddy, I crashed pretty hard that night! It was a lot of sugar. But so worth it. I feel a little sorry for my friends, I was a little out of control.

[jhersk]

Long long time reader, first time poster but couldn't miss an opportunity like this. After having read this review I realized I would be in Sherbrooke this weekend and loved the sounds of the donuts. THEY DID NOT DISAPPOINT! My personal fav was the apple cinnamon but sampled many (stopped on way up and way back the next day) and many were VERY good.

This was a REALLY great find Moh thank you so much for all your posts that were so helpful over the years. This one though needs to find its way back the front page today!

[moh]

yay! Another donut lover! Aren't they special? You just don't find these special donuts anywhere anymore. They aren't for everyone, TH has infected a lot of people. But we have to fight to keep gems like this around. We can't let them disappear.

Fried foods are special. They need to be made in small batches, with lots of love and lots of patience and time. We eat mediocre fried food all the time, because fried food just tastes good. But we have forgotten the joy of the perfectly fried food that is made with patience and love. You can't rush fried food, you can't make it in huge batches, you got to pay attention to each piece of food. When someone makes fried food especially for you, it is the ultimate act of food love.

We need to get back to lovingly made fried food. These donuts bring me back to a different time, when fried food was truly special. That's why I love them! Fight the corporate crap! Eat real food! Make your own french fries, donuts, pakora, egg rolls, fried chicken - especially fried chicken, in a shallow pan, turning each piece over just at the right time, small batches, high heat, lots of love! We need to make fried food a special event, not just a default we get with our burgers.

Goodness, all this excitement over donuts. But there is no point eating food that isn't wonderful. Life is way too short to eat garbage I've decided. Here's to joy in eating!

[anachemia]

i hope this won't get zapped for being off-topic, but it needs to be said: moh, i love you. :-)

this post needs to be bronzed and sent to every new member of chowhound.
(and old member, for that matter.)

[moh]

Anachemia, you are very kind... thanks very much...

I do hope you get a chance to try these lovely little things...

[stak]

I second this!