There was a time in my life that I was quite the donut-phile. I was known to drive with a singularity of purpose to a certain donut shop at 10:50 pm so that I could still catch their donuts while they were “hot now.” My husband, then-boyfriend, wooed me by showing up at my apartment unannounced on a Saturday morning with my favorite varieties. For Valentine’s Day that year I even bought him donut-patterned boxer shorts. (Too much information? Sorry.) Then I went vegan, and I figured my donut-eating days were behind me… While there are a few shops and companies selling cake donuts that are free of animal products, that was never really my bag. Raised donuts – glazed or crème filled – was where it was at. Hasta la vista, Long Johns and bye-bye, Bismarcks. I gave a goodbye to glazed and didn’t look back… Until, that is, I heard murmurings through the blogosphere about the mythical Ronald’s Donuts.
To look at it, Ronald’s is your typical mom and pop donut shop in every way – non-descript booths, locals reading newspapers while they slurp cups of coffee, and a long case of donuts. But what differs is that about 70% of their offerings are vegan. Yeast and vegetable shortening replace animal ingredients. Interestingly, in and around the shop there are no signs anywhere noting their veganosity. Only about 10% of Ronald’s customers are vegan or lactose intolerant, and they don’t want non-vegan donut enthusiasts to reject theirs before they’ve tried them. So the other customers suck down vegan donuts unaware, and Ronald’s counts on vegans to spread the word to other vegans– and that they do.
For longer than I can remember I’ve been hearing tales told about Ronald’s Donuts. There was even one time that I thought I’d procure a donut without a 4-hour drive ahead of it. A friend of a friend was going to Vegas, and word was she was going to bring back donuts for us too. Somehow we never received those sweet pastries… Very suspicious. So when we set out on our cross-country adventure, the first stop had to be Ronald’s Donuts. One word of warning – they’re not healthy. They’re not organic. They’re donuts.
We pulled into the strip mall that houses Ronald’s, and when I walked inside I was greeted by one of the owners behind the counter. I asked her which of the donuts were vegan, and she indicated the top two very long rows. With that, I set about making some difficult decisions. I finally pared it down to a glazed twist, a chocolate-covered soy custard filled, and a raspberry filled all to share with my husband, who was waiting in the car.
We had plans of saving one of the donuts for later, but those ideas were quickly squelched with our first taste. The chocolate-covered soy custard filled reminded me of a Boston Crème donut – very light with a soft, almost sour crème inside. The twist was airy and not overly sweet, but the very best of the bunch was the raspberry filled. The strong raspberry jelly stood out against the mild yeasty donut. In no time at all, all of the donuts had vanished, and we were headed down the highway. The casinos and crowds of Vegas have never been a pull for me but one thing might bring me back someday – and that thing is Ronald’s Donuts. It’s probably a good thing they don’t serve them hot. The petrol costs might kill me.
Ronald’s is located at 4600 W Spring Mountain Road in Las Vegas. Cash only.
When we were initially weighing the options of a weekend getaway destination, our top two contenders were Las Vegas and San Diego. None of us are gamblers and it’s mighty hot in July, but Vegas has 
“Is this all you have?” Leah asked the dusty blond man behind the counter.
Of course, after a two and a half hour drive, twenty minutes was no big deal. They did have a few remaining items in the case, and we each picked from those options while we waited. David and I split a cinnamon roll, and Leah and Patrick also got one of their own. The cinnamon rolls have crisp outsides and chewy insides. As a fan of gooey cinnamon rolls, they were tasty but not exactly what I’d been envisioning. They taste like cinnamon rolls your grandmother used to make, if, you know, your grandmother actually made cinnamon rolls.
Next, we made our way to downtown San Diego and the Gaslamp Quarter. We discovered once we got there that it’s more of a nighttime location. There were lots of restaurants and some chain stores, like Urban Outfitters and Borders. We passed 
David and I split the Veggie Burrito on a whole wheat tortilla, filled with beans, rice, salsa fresca, lettuce, and guacamole. The burrito was a bit on the bland side but inoffensive. We also split the Veggie Tacos, which came with rice and beans. The shells of the tacos are deep fried, which makes them puff a bit. They were quite good in the way that greasy junk food can hit the spot sometimes, and they reminded me somewhat of the Tasty Tacos I grew up on in Des Moines in my pregan days.
As we walked along the cliffs and watched surfers ride waves, the sun began to set on our San Diego weekend. It was one of those refreshing weekend getaways that really makes you feel like you’ve had a chance to unwind and recharge even though it was only a matter of days away. We’ll be back.
