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Grab A Syringe & Cream Your Own Doughnut In, Obviously, Williamsburg
By
Scott Heins
Published Apr 24, 2014
Modified Apr 24, 2014
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Scott Heins
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By
Scott Heins
Published Apr 24, 2014
Modified Apr 24, 2014
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For those who are so over the lamestream process of purchasing and masticating a doughnut, Williamsburg has given you St. Balmain, a cafe that's encouraging its customers to roll up their sleeves and fill their own doughnuts. With a syringe. Yes, just when you think Williamsburg can't get any more Williamsburg, it goes and out-Williamsburgs you all over again! Williamsburg Williamsburg? Williamsburg! Everybody breakdance on the Bedford L platform.
St. Balmain began offering the doughnuts, which come spiked with a plastic syringe of either chocolate, vanilla creme, or strawberry jam, last weekend as a part of their kitchen's "Grand Opening." The pastries cost $5 each and are, in essence, fairly traditional sugar-coated rolls that have been brought tantalizingly close to their cream-filled fates. All that's left is for you to do is the work normally done by the baker you've just paid:
The cafe has been serving coffee, tea, pastries, and espresso drinks on North 8th Street since late last year, but the full menu, tableside dining service, and DIY Doughnuts are a new addition to the space, which also features all-day brunch and lunch menus and an expansive backyard patio. Each morning, for an additional fee, a select group of diners are invited to retile and grout the patio. (Kidding... for now.)
During our visit we sampled both the chocolate and vanilla doughnuts, and while the former took a bit of effort to inject, both were delicious thanks in large part to the house-made contents of the syringes. If you're thinking "Five bucks is mighty steep for an unfinished pastry," remember that it's 2014 and you're in Williamsburg Williamsburg Williamsburg. The fresh tulips and commissioned Jacques Cousteau portrait and $5 trillion dollar-a-month rent don't pay for themselves.
St. Balmain's full brunch menu includes items like a breakfast sandwich of egg, bacon, and crunchy kale ($10) and an avocado on crunchy toast served with cherry tomatoes and feta cheese ($10). We sampled the latter and couldn't have been happier with how generous a portion of just-ripe avocado we were treated to. The lunch menu also includes a seared lentil and almond patty "LA Burger" ($11) and a cheese-topped meatball sub that comes in full ($12) and half portions ($7).
The sunny cafe has charming tiled walls, excellent espresso drinks, and a patio that's sure to fill up with bleary-eyed brunchers come Saturday. With El Beit's mysterious closure at the hands of the Health Department and Toby's Estate perpetually packed, there's no reason not to stop by and get to work making your own $5 doughnut.
178 N 8th St, Brooklyn, NY
Tagged
brooklyn
doughnuts
williamsburg
original
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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