PrintDessert Fail: Raspberry Beignets from The Little Owl
"These were quite possibly the toughest doughnuts I had ever tasted."
After an enormous burger lunch at The Little Owl, my dining companion wasn't "in the mood" for dessert—or so he claimed, but really I think he just couldn't handle any more food. Apparently he didn't know that the answer to "Dessert?" is always "Yes, please!" when you're dining with me.
I passed over the sorbets and ice creams, and went straight for the raspberry beignets ($9). I imagined fluffy, piping hot dough with oozy raspberry jam seeping out, or maybe even a raspberry curd. (I got a bit carried away thinking about the possibilities.) This also got me to thinking, why isn't there more curd in the world? Yes, life's big questions often come to me when I'm eating.
Back to the beignets. After an interminable fifteen minutes, I finally received my plate of four beignets with a somewhat sad-looking plop of Nutella. After waiting a couple of moments for the freshly fried fritters to cool down, I took a bite and chewed. And chewed. These were quite possibly the toughest doughnuts I had ever tasted. As for the filling? Cooked raspberries had released their inner juices—and not in a good way. The steam created an excess of space within the doughnut, sadly devoid of fruit, cream, jam, or anything fulfilling. I managed to eliminate one beignet by smothering it in Nutella, but the rest were sadly left behind as I moved on to get some gelato nearby. Farewell, and good riddance!
The Little Owl
90 Bedford Street, New York NY 10014 (near Grove Street; map)
212-741-4695
thelittleowlnyc.com
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11 Comments:
omg i totally agree with you!!!! i went to the little owl sometime in the winter, and everything was great EXCEPT for those raspberry beignets. they were dense and dry. i was too expecting fluffy hot dough. sigh.
korovka at 2:39PM on 08/25/09
Everything I've heard about Little Owl is that it's vastly over rated.
simon at 2:48PM on 08/25/09
Never been to the little owl so I'll have to trust your opinion, these might have been really bad.
However, important to note that a beignet is not a doughnut. Pretty sure a beignet is supposed to be a little chewy and hollow like the way you described, with a light crunch on the outside, at least until they get cold.
maybe you don't like beignets?
intheyearofthepig at 2:53PM on 08/25/09
@intheyearofthepig - I understand that a beignet is not exactly a doughnut, but I find that it's a loose and flexible term in NYC. I do like true beignets, but this was nearly inedible and I imagine no one would like an incredibly tough anything for dessert.
Grace Kang at 2:57PM on 08/25/09
@ grace kang -
I read you, and I do respect your opinion as I did not eat them.
These sound way too tough.
But as I read it the first time, you were negatively criticizing the desert for two characteristics--hollow inside created by steam and chewy texture--that are inherent of beignets. and called them doughnuts. Sorry I felt that deserved a comment.
intheyearofthepig at 3:15PM on 08/25/09
"dessert"
damn it.
intheyearofthepig at 3:16PM on 08/25/09
@ punctum.
Whoa, that's a little harsh. Grace is expressing her opinion ~ which we're all entitled to. When it comes to food, one person's nirvana is another's chewy donut.
duncan1205 at 6:26PM on 08/25/09
What a shame, "Raspberry Beignet" sounds like it would be heavenly.
Polynesia Addict at 6:45PM on 08/25/09
I ate here last month - ordered the raspberry beignets after my dinner - they were fine - i can see what she means by dense, probably wouldn't go so far as to say inedible, but certainly not fluffy. That being said, this place is totally not over rated @simon. The dinners I’ve had there are consistently excellent. Menu is short and sweet - the entrees show attention to detail. I could care less if their desserts are sub-par.
Dlevine1781 at 11:12AM on 08/26/09
I think of Raspberry Beret when you posted this--the kind you find in a second-hand store.. :)
Thanks for the review Grace! Have reservations there, will skip them.
dbdtron at 3:57PM on 08/26/09
I recommend whatever crumble is on the menu instead; we almost ordered those same beignets once until we noticed our neighbors weren't happy with theirs. Maybe there's a consistency issue.
I doubt though that anybody can touch the beignets at the Bar Room at the Modern.
kathryn at 2:24AM on 08/28/09