It's 8 a.m. at The Dandee Donut Factory on Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano. Under a brown-striped awning, groups of old guys in shorts and running shoes sip coffee and eat breakfast sandwiches. Bougainvilla punctuates the parking lot, spilling over a divider. The factory sign juts into the sky, competing with towering palms. It's a riff on a 1950's road trip rest stop.
Inside it's bustling and bright. A baker pauses to chat in the kitchen. Regulars
shoot the shit while others read the paper. A father stops in before school, his kindergarten daughter in tow.
Though I came for a to-go order, I wished I could stay. The Dandee Donut
Factory may bake some of the area's most delicious donuts, but it also
offers a slice of local flavor.
Back at the office, the sour cream glazed are the first to go. I tend to
pick an old-fashioned, which are spongy and moist, misshapen once my
fingers make an impression in the round. To my surprise, my favorite bite is not a donut at all, but a flaky, glazed guava turnover: more grown up than a donut but no less sweet.
Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Facebook and on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.