If the corner of Hillcrest Road and Northwest Highway is on your way work (or geographically convenient on any of your driving routes), you may find a new love in Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts. The new shop opened earlier this week with a sunny dining area, attractive-looking doughnuts and a great coffee service.
If you've ever made doughnuts yourself, the hammer-wielding metal worker in Top Pot's logo seems a little out of place. Doughnuts are fragile things, to be treated delicately, at least if you want to protect their airy texture. And maybe that's why Top-Pot's basic glazed doughnut seemed a little overwrought.
If you like the light-as-glazed-feathers doughnuts that you can buy at Krispy Kreme and most Korean doughnut shops, Top Pot's glazed version may not be your favorite. It's big, for one, and with its thick, sticky glaze it's a little difficult to pick up and eat. My nose was sticky when I was done. Actually, despite some aggressive napkin work, my face was still sticky after I left the place.
The cake doughnuts, on the other hand, were a high-calorie dream. A nice crumb, a little bit of chew, and a lightness you only see in the better cake doughnuts you find around town.
You can't have doughnuts without coffee, and since Top Pot is a chain out of Seattle you can bet these guys take their coffee seriously. There's an espresso machine hissing away, you can order pour-over if you're inclined, and the entry level cup, referred to as drip coffee, is brewed in a French press.
There's plenty of seating, everything is served on shiny plates, and there's a massive patio. Consider Top Pot for all of you dignified doughnut experience needs.
Top Pot Hand-Forged Doughnuts, 8611 Hillcrest Rd., (469)-232-9911
