Yeah, this is way past due. You can’t even get these limited time offer Ghostbusters themed doughnuts at Dunkin’ Donuts anymore. Welp, there’s a new all-female Ghostbusters coming out next year. Maybe Dunkin’ Donuts will re-release these. They’re just okay anyway. Dude, just get a French Cruller or a Bavarian Creme. Those are real good.
I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Junius, New York.
Greetings from Junius, New York
42.95898, -76.91819 Elev. 499 ft.
I had the rare experience of driving the entire New York Thruway. Every 496 miles of it. I call the experience rare because I do it as seldom as possible. It’s a long, boring drive in the winter, with few redeeming characteristics.
Thankfully there was decent coffee. There are the obligatory McDonald’s in many of the travel centers along the way. Better still, there are Tim Horton’s at a few. Tim’s coffee, and their donuts, are quite good. Good enough that an Air Canada plane once made an emergency landing and, once they’d landed safely, was asked by the control tower if they needed anything. The pilot paused, then responded thoughtfully, “Some Tim Horton’s would be nice.â€
Best of all, though, is that a few of the Thruway travel centers have Dunkin’ Donuts, which has the best coffee of all. And their donuts are pretty good, too.
I mentioned before that Dunkin’ Donuts was doing surveys and giving away a free donut with the purchase of any medium or large beverage. I still had a few of the “coupons†so I marched in to the Iroquois Travel Center to get a free donut with my morning coffee.
As I was standing in line I was beckoned by the French Crullers. I felt a little like Odysseus hearing the song of the Sirens. Rather than have myself tied to a mast to resist their alluring call, I got one with my “coupon.†Knowing how good these puppies are, I had to stop here and get another coffee along and another cruller with another “coupon.â€
If you’ve never had a cruller, you’re really missing out. They have nothing in common with a glazed donut although they’re made with essentially the same ingredients. The cruller is twisted and seems much lighter, full of giant air pockets. Years ago a guy at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Massachusetts told me that they taste so much different because there is a pound of butter in each one.
Dunkin’ Donuts’ French Crullers are incredibly good. And they’re definitely made with butter. They have a wonderfully clean taste and mouth-feel. It’s like the difference between a croissant made with butter and an industrial-grade croissant made with shortening, the ones that leave sort of a greasy film in your mouth.
The bad part of my French Cruller bender is that I’m now down to my last free donut “coupon.†Or maybe it’s just that they’re not doing the survey at the Dunkin’ Donuts at the travel centers along the New York Thruway. After all, they do have a captive clientele. Indeed, if you want anything to eat or drink at a travel center on the Thruway you pretty much have to bend over so they can ream you while you pay out of your nose.
And so we roll.
Dunkin’ Donuts, Junius Ponds Travel Plaza, New York State Thruway, Milepost 324 Westbound, Junius, New York
Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.
I’m happy to have Tio Wally (long-time Me So Hungry reader) aboard to send in his eating adventures from across America. Here he is in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Greetings from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
N 40° 14.0616′ W 077° 7.3091′ Elev. 440 ft.
It was one of those nights. I’d already eaten all the stocks out of the cooler and I wanted to get something —anything — so I’d have something to eat when I arrived at (one of) my super-secret stopping places; I’d tell you where it was but then my evil twin Skippy would have to kill you.
So desperate and dark was the situation that even Subway — SUBWAY! — was under serious consideration. Although it’s impossible to NOT find a Subway anywhere in this country, I couldn’t find one. Trying to find anything halfway decent to eat in a land yacht can be, well, “difficult†at times. More so when your vehicle is 900± freakin’ feet long.
Giving up, I decided it was going to be celery and peanut butter for dinner. But since we were settllng for stalks ’n’ butter I figured we’d at least have decent coffee … and a free donut! So I set course for Dunkin’ Donuts.
I really like DDs’ coffee. (Tim Horton’s is also good, eh?) It’s probably the best coffee one can readily find out here on the asphalt seas.
Lately Dunkin’ Donuts has been inviting people to take a “short survey†in return for a free donut, with the “purchase of a medium or larger beverage,†of course.
I usually get either a Bavarian Kreme or Jelly Donut. A few of weeks back I got a Pumpkin Crumb Donut which I didn’t get a thrill from. I think that was because I was expecting it to taste like pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie. But it didn’t taste anything remotely like pumpkin pie, which bummed me out.
Nevertheless, I’ve been doing this take-a-survey-get-a-donut thing for months. But in all the years I’ve shagged coffee from DDs I’ve never, ever bought any non-donut or -bagel food from them. Until now.
Dunkin’ Donuts has introduced a new item to its breakfast menu, called a Spicy Smoked Sausage Breakfast Sandwich ($3.49 sandwich only). It consists of a three-inch-long “taste bud-raising†split Andouille-smoked sausage link, pre-fried egg, and cheese, on an English muffin. Because it wasn’t dressed with anything, I put mayonnaise on it; I was happy to see that DDs carries the best packaged mayonnaise on the market, the unbranded stuff in the white package with blue printing labelled “Mayonnaise.â€
This sandwich is great. The sausage is suitably spicy with a nice “crunch†and is complimented nicely by the American cheese and the sweetness of the toasted English muffin. Although the egg looks kind of suspicious and is largely flavorless, it’s edible and appears to have pepper flakes in it.
The only thing wrong with the Spicy Smoked Sausage Breakfast Sandwich that I could find is its cost. It’s pretty puny for the price. I could easily eat at least two of them to make a meal, and probably want yet another.
Nevertheless, the sandwich was a decent deal as every time I show up for coffee I brandish my survey/receipt and get a free donut. I should also mention that I got a 10% discount on the sandwich.
When I first looked at the receipt I swelled with pride when I noticed I’d received a “Skipper†or “Sailor†discount. Who’d have known that the fine folks at the Harrison Pike Dunkin’ Donuts would recognize me, the helmsman of the fabled SS Me So Hungry?
You’ll understand my disappointment, then, when I got back to the yacht, put on my glasses, and read the receipt: The discount was for “Senior.†D’oh!
And so we roll.
Dunkin’ Donuts, 1651 Harrisburg Pike, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and 14,999 other locations in 37 countries.
Tio Wally pilots the 75-foot, 40-ton(max) land yacht SS Me So Hungry. He reports on road food from around the country whenever parking and InterTube connections permit.
They give these out at work today …just like the commercial.
I asked everyone if they wanted to eat my doughnut after I took a bite. I just wanted a bite. They told me to get a knife. I said it would taste better if I bite it. They told me to bite the piece I cut off. I cut through and butchered three donuts looking for the one with Bavarian Creme. Serves them right.