Joi B.
Yelp
Review Milestone Alert: I've hit 800! Normally I reserve milestone reviews for places that hold a significant memory for me. For example, my beloved Coney Island is review #500. Its Wonder Wheel is #700.
And yet for review #800, I pick Hi-Do Bakery, a place that I visited for the first time two days ago. Y'know, at once I had a feeling of nostalgia for the West Bank the other day (I don't question these things. They just happen). I love finding new places, new neighborhoods, even better. And I have Yelp to thank for this, time and time again because the reviews of businesses in this area have been intriguing me for months now.
Hi-Do is a modest bakery and appears to have been in that strip mall forever (or at least since the 70s). That doesn't mean their product is at all modest or mediocre. It's the kind of place that you might find through a local you may or may not meet in a bar if you're in town for a brief visit. But put "best king cakes" through Yelp and there Hi-Do appears in the middle of a lengthy list.
And so I landed here two days ago. To try my first slice of King Cake. I've been at occasions where King Cake was served but all of these times I was vegan and so, no king cake for me. But on this day, despite my belief that avoiding sugar is the best thing for me, I decided it was crucial to try this iconic baked good.
And delicious it is. I ordered up a small, strawberry-filled ring They have plenty, in different shapes (tradtional ring, fleur-de-lis, crawfish), with different fillings. Three sizes. The cake is beautiful with the requisite granulated sugar, not too much icing, and the fruit filling is similar to that of a jelly donut. In fact, the moist, chewy texture reminds me more of a jelly donut than a more dense danish (a good thing. I feared a more dry texture). Wait, if you know what this is, it's actually reminiscent of a sweet challah bread with strawberry injected into it. The cookie I tasted (with a jam center) was also divine.
More than flavor, king cake is a huge tradition here and I'm glad I finally had my first bite. And I'm glad to capture it in my 800th review because only two days later and it already feels like a significant occasion.