It’s not that I’m a big donut eater…I’m not. Every once in a while, however, I do enjoy a good donut (or doughnut, if you’re a fan of the less-efficient classic spelling). Perhaps it’s all in my head, but I’ve had the distinct impression that Dunkin Donuts, the standard bearer in Massachusetts, has been slipping in quality for some time. In the past, the donuts were all made in the store, and there were often at least some varieties that were fresh. No more. They are all shipped in from some factory and taste, well, disappointing.

My first stop was the local Verna’s in Cambridge, which had great reviews on many of the popular review sites like Chowhound. To my surprise, the donuts were absolutely terrible. Many of the reviews I read were from 2006, so I wonder if the company changed owners. Maybe it was just a bad day, but I’m not going back to find out.

Another stop was the well-reviewed Demet’s Donuts in Medford. It wasn’t terrible. Marginally better than Dunkin’, but not really worth the extra trip.

To cast a broader net, I looked further out to East Boston and came up with the Betty Ann Food Shop. They opened early and had 4 varieties ready when I showed up: old-fashioned, jelly, lemon-filled, and sugar. The latter 3 were all essentially the same donut, a deep fried greasy blob coated with sugar granules and either filled or not, given the particular variety. The old fashioned variety were the standard cake donut, though a bit on the small side, fried a little too long and crossing a threshold of greasiness that made it tolerable when warm but progressively more unpleasant as it reached room temperature.

Just when I was about to lose hope, I discovered Donuts with a Difference in Medford, MA. These are by far the best donuts I’ve had a long time. Despite the health consequences of frequent donuting, I still find myself returning again and again. There’s plenty of variety, but you must show up in the morning because, at least on the weekends, they close fairly early. In addition, the donuts are generally not ready until about 8 AM, so don’t show up to early.

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