First Look: Glazed and Infused Doughnuts
By Anthony Todd in Food on Mar 28, 2012 9:20PM
We've already spent a lot of energy working off our forays into the doughnuts trend (doughnuts are the new cupcakes) but we're warming up to go again - Glazed and Infused is about to take donuts to a whole new level. The new doughnuts concept, from the restaurant empire of Scott Harris, is planning to open at least three new stores in the next year, taking Chicago by storm. Bring on the maple-bacon long johns!
The first location, which we got a glimpse of yesterday, will be operating out of Francesca's Forno in Wicker Park. The doughnuts will be served through a back window directly opposite the entrance to the Damen Blue Line stop. Wicker Park denizens rejoice - instead of just serving in the morning, Glazed and Infused will be open late. They will be open early morning (6:30-10:30 a.m. on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on weekends) and also late at night, from 10 p.m. - 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Your late night sugar rush awaits!
The design concept is 1940s Americana, but that part isn't done yet. We've just had the donuts. All of them are handmade from scratch at a central commissary in the West Loop, and will be trucked throughout the day to Glazed and Infused locations. There's little chance that they will be out of your favorite specialty doughnuts, and you don't have to watch twitter to track the lines. Doughnuts prices range from $2.75-$5, and you can get coffee from Intelligentsia to wash them down.
So, how are the doughnuts? We're most fond of their basic old-fashioned doughnuts, the cheapest of them all. It's crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and is just enough donut for us to have with our morning coffee. If you're looking for something more exotic, try the creme brulee doughnuts, with a hard burnt sugar top and a custard filling. If you've totally gone nuts, try to eat an entire maple bacon long john, with an entire strip of bacon on top. Each week will bring a new specialty flavor to the menu.
Glazed and Infused's long term plan includes opening locations in CTA stations throughout the city - their third location is at the Armitage Brown line stop. They are renovating these spaces top to bottom, and it's god to see something unique (other than many breeds of mutated rats) move into such prime real estate that is mostly neglected. Look for the first location, at Francesca's Forno, to open in early to mid April.