Random Questions

  1. Where can I get a fresh House of Donuts style donut? I’m craving one something fierce.
  2. Are there any flea markets in the area? I used to love going to the one in Superior until it went up in a big toxic poof of smoke.
  3. Is anyone else having problems with the PDD comments RSS feed? I’m not seeing new comments and am wondering if it’s just a problem with my reader.
  4. Are there any local artists who create palladium jewelry?
  5. What weird or interesting new thing did you learn today?

Thanks for your time! Now back to your regularly scheduled PDD.

36 Comments

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

I'm not going to compare it to House of Donuts in any way, but Johnson's Bakery in the friendly West End should be able to take care of your donut craving.

edgeways

about 14 years ago

What makes a donut a "House of Donut" donut? 


#5, how about, how to make a doll into a wineglass?

Bad Cat!

about 14 years ago

edgeways - that's pretty creepy, I like it.

And a HOD donut is big, has a light interior, isn't overly glazed (like krispey kream) and most important, fresh.

adam

about 14 years ago

It tastes like tacos.

adam

about 14 years ago

"The purchase assures that Whole Foods Co-op keeps its current parking. It allows for even more parking or other possible uses, from green space to an organic donut shop."

Hello Elfy

about 14 years ago

It strikes me as weird that Duluth doesn't have more ice cream and donut shops, given how people around here like to eat wax. Where I'm from in the Southwest there are tons of donut and ice cream shops... but there was like nothing here until Cold Stone ice cream-wise, weird?

1. The Cub sour cream buttermilk glazed donuts are nuts
2. Go to Central Sales, it's like a bizarre hardware flea market
3. No Comment
4. Probably... 
5. Still waking up, will check back.

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

Elfy, there were numerous Bridgeman's restaurants in Duluth for many years, which were the main ice cream shops. The Miller Hill location is still open. 

Also, various Dairy Queens and the Portland Malt Shoppe were around before Cold Stone.

Maybe you're suggesting those don't compare to Cold Stone. I don't know; I've never had Cold Stone.

Patty

about 14 years ago

The video store on 47th Ave. E, in Lakeside, is also an ice cream shop.  The ice cream isn't a premium brand, but they offer a good variety of flavors and cones, and it's a trip back in time to stand at the counter and order an ice cream!

Claire

about 14 years ago

Went to Cold Stone up at the mall at my daughter's request once, it was pretty bland. Never went back. I love the chocolate ice cream at Chester Creek Cafe. Delicious!

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

The blueberry malt at Duluth Grill is also top notch.

bluenewt

about 14 years ago

The gelato at Va Bene is a treat, and you can get it in a little to go thingie and walk around by the lake eating it.

Curly Endive

about 14 years ago

1. Coco's in Washburn
2. Antique Depot in Superior RIP (someone should open a nice bar/rest there!
5.I learned that Tom Petty is pretty suave, always has been, and I still like that tune, 'Went down Swingin'...

chickadee-dee

about 14 years ago

Donuts from The Exchange are excellent.  Go early, they sell fast.

zra

about 14 years ago

Mt. Royal.

Need

about 14 years ago

Look for Gonut's Donuts, opening in the Downtown Duluth area. Business plan has been in works since December. More to come.

Barrett Chase

about 14 years ago

Whenever I hear about Cold Stone, I think of the worst drink in America.

Hello Elfy

about 14 years ago

Hey, Dairy Queen. That's an ice cream shop!

Video stores and Bridgemans don't count, it's not the same as Haagen Daaz or Baskin Robbins - they're so dedicated to ice cream.

Patty

about 14 years ago

I think Dairy Queen has some historic connection to Minnesota...did it start here?  Anyway, it is a Minnesota tradition.  Does anyone else remember when the only DQ stands around here were literally "stands" with a window; like the one on Central Entrance, and only open in the summer?  Oh that first curly top of the season was such a joy!!

girlfromnorthcountry

about 14 years ago

The Dairy Queen headquarters are located in Edina, MN; however, the first Dairy Queen store was in Illinois.  

Growing up in Duluth, my ice cream shop was the Dairy Delite located at Rice Lake Road and Arrowhead.  We always bought a cone for the dog.

Curly Endive

about 14 years ago

Sucks there's not more of a penchant for people selling ice cream to have quality as one of the necessary ingredients for their program.  For example, afore mentioned albeit video store sells, I believe Kemps, or something of equal shit quality.  Kemps moto says, 'Real Ice Cream.'  Well plutonium is real too.  There are these newish countertop ice cream makers by Cuisinart for 50 bucks that make it affordable to have B&J and beyond product, because you control the ingredients. Someone could even just buy five of those units and open a store. Because if you're going to open a whatever store, why not pull out the stops and do something other people aren't?  You probably have to go to Brooklyn to get real ice cream, same for donuts pretty much, that's why I gave Coco's number one, because obviously those folks refuse to dumb it down like so many others and go for unadulterated quality for about the same price as Johnson.  We were at the Angry Trout last weekend, or as some call it on a busy day- the Angry Angry, and they had a pretty mean vanilla I suspect was homemade because they want to be known as purveyors of quality, and realize how it would go down when folks started saying 'they almost went all the way, but the nilla was by Kemps?'  It's not hard, but does require one to step beyond American Lazy, which depending on the various shades of white, red and blue in any given area, can be quite difficult, escaping the conveyor belt of convenience over quality. That said, if Johnson and Kemps are your bag, and if Sammy's doesn't taste like shitty used cardboard, then godspeed.

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

I've never followed PDD comments through RSS, so I subscribed today to see if there were any issues. I use Google Reader and it seems to be working fine today.

Are you still have issues with the comment feed, BadCat? Anyone else?

B-man

about 14 years ago

The comments reset when I sign in daily, so it shows every comment from the past few weeks as new.  Is this normal? I use Firefox 4.0.1 if that matters.

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

That is not normal. You use Google Reader, B-man?

Shane

about 14 years ago

I think the quality problem is, there are not enough people with a penchant for quality and also the sense to run a business profitable enough to eek out a living with.

Anna

about 14 years ago

I haven't had any trouble with the comment feed in Google Reader.

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

I'm hoping Shane is referring to ice cream and not PDD's RSS feed!

Shane

about 14 years ago

Well, yes, I was making a general comment, refering to retail food establishments.

Bad Cat!

about 14 years ago

I'm not having any issues now - I figured you slyly fixed it once I asked about it. ;)

I've been following the PDD feed using Google Reader for about a year. It's been perfectly fine, then a few weeks ago was empty and didn't have new comments. Started back up again on it's own a few days later, then the same thing last week.

I'm seeing everything fine now, so maybe the RSS feed will behave now that it knows Paul is watching.

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

We'll have to assume that any problems were not the fault of PDD's brilliant staff, but rather those amateurs at Google.

Kelly

about 14 years ago

Isn't there a little flea-market style thing, in a bunch of trailers, in Superior still? Across the Bong, but before the railroad tracks? There's usually signs for it in the summer right before you get on that Belknap overpass over the tracks. I think I've seen a sign already this year.

Bh

about 14 years ago

There was a Baskin Robbins in the Mt Royal Shopping Center in the 1970s. The Dairy Delite was awesome! Also there was a DQ in the empty spot next to the China Cafe. 

There was a Mr. Donut in Mt. Royal in the 1970s/80s.

cando

about 14 years ago

There used to be a lovely roadside flea market just north of Beaver Bay on Highway 61, I believe, that I always enjoyed digging through when I was heading up the shore in the summer time. I haven't been up there in a couple of summers but I'm willing to bet it's still there.

in.dog.neato

about 14 years ago

The flea market is still there. Mom likes to hit it when she visits.

Paul Lundgren

about 14 years ago

Speaking of Dairy Queen, I stopped there yesterday and noticed they have gone the opposite direction of "supersizing." They are selling "mini" size Blizzards.

MPR picked up on this today.

DQ and other chains shrink treats and customer guilt, boost margins

zra

about 14 years ago

@ Paul, another trend is to reduce either the size and weight of their product, and still charge roughly the same price.

Example: a lot of coffee retailers are reducing the size of their packaging and the weight of their product by as much as 10% or better. ergo, they're offering a 12oz package in the place of what was a 16oz package, and not reducing the price proportionately. many times the only way you can really tell is if you're paying attention to the weight listed on the packaging.

Christie

about 14 years ago

I will speak to the Donut issue only:

I never had a House of Donut's donut, BUT I am married to a donut aficionado and he believes the best donuts in town (or, the area, I guess) are at the Super One on Belknap near UWS in Superior (not the one by the bridge). Specifically, he loves the sour cream donuts. I am inclined to agree with him. 

We have compared them to the sour cream donuts from Mount Royal and they are, ahem, "superior."

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