I Got Some Strange...Donuts

I visited Strange Donuts in Maplewood on the day after their grand opening. I've been hearing about this place for months and anxiously awaiting my chance to try some unusual donut creations. I would call myself a donut fan, and while St. Louis has never lacked excellent options, I've always felt like there was room here for a more eclectic take. However, if I'm being honest (and I always am) Strange Donuts did not entirely live up to the hype. Overall, the strangeness could stand to be turned up a few notches. 

Source: Feast

The only donut that was remotely strange to me was the gooey butter cake, and for the wrong reasons. Aside from the fact that the one I had was chocolate, which probably wouldn't be my first choice, it smelled chemically buttery, like fake butter from a movie theater. Plus, it just didn't deliver the decadent gooey-ness I expect (and love) in my city's most famous sweet confection.  I do think there is an opportunity to create something truly out of the box with this item by running with the butter smell and developing a popcorn donut. Sure, it might be out of some people's comfort zones, but isn't that the point? If Strange Donuts is determined to do a gooey butter donut, then I recommend adding some cream cheese. It isn't an ingredient traditionally included in gooey butter cake, but there isn't much in this world a little cream cheese won't improve.

My dislike for the gooey butter donut might lead you to believe that my experience at Strange Donuts was entirely negative, which was not the case. I actually really loved their raspberry fritter, which was crisp and crunchy, without being greasy, and tasted like real fruit- always a plus in my book. Not sure if it qualifies as strange, but it was definitely delicious.

The store is actually really cute on the inside. Source: Feast

I was quite disappointed to learn that they do not offer their chicken and waffles donut (seemingly the most unusual of their creations) in the daytime, which to me is a huge mistake. I, for one, would welcome a sweet/savory, sticky, fried start to the day. I suppose I'll have to wait until the next time I'm in Maplewood at night to try it, which honestly may be quite a while. 

Chicken and waffles donut: denied! Source: Strange Donuts

I don't know if I'll be revisiting Strange Donuts any time soon. There are just too many good donut shops closer to my house; I happen to live in a magical donut triangle on the south side of St. Louis between Donut Drive-In, World's Fair, and St. Louis Hills Donuts. None of these places ever have a wait time of over five minutes, which, judging from the line I stood in today, probably will never be the case at Strange Donuts. However, if anyone wants to share their raspberry fritter or chicken and waffles donut with me, you better believe I will be down.