Our selections from Revolution Doughnuts, clockwise from top left: Blackberry Caramel, Orange Pistachio, Caramel Bacon Crumble, and the Crunchy Mister, a savory creation with ham, cheese and bechamel.
Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:
Every year since 1999 my wife Anne and I have taken a trip to a different part of the United States and visited attractions, wonders, and events we didn’t have back home in Indianapolis. From 1999 to 2003 we did so as best friends; from 2004 to the present, as husband and wife. My son tagged along from 2003 until 2013 when he ventured off to college. We’ve taken two trips by airplane, but are much happier when we’re the ones behind the wheel — charting our own course, making unplanned stops anytime we want, availing ourselves of slightly better meal options, and keeping or ruining our own schedule as dictated by circumstances or whims. We’re the Goldens. It’s who we are and what we do.
For years we’ve been telling friends in other states that we’d one day do Atlanta’s Dragon Con, one of the largest conventions in America that isn’t in California or New York. We’d been in Atlanta, but we hadn’t really done Atlanta. Hence this year’s vacation, in which we aimed for a double proficiency in Atlanta tourism and over-the-top Dragon Con goodness. Before we went to D*C, there was the road trip to get there, and the good times to be had before the great times at the big show.
The funniest thing about traveling to other lands is the little differences. They have some of the same stuff we have here in Indy, but it’s just a little different. In Europe the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese is called a “Royale with Cheese”. In New York City, ketchup on a hot dog is called an “atrocity”. Large-scale ground wars have been fought over whether soft drinks should be called “soda”, “pop”, or “Coke”.
We were glad to confirm Atlanta has its share of donut shops, though we were disappointed none of them were next door to our hotel. But instead of the quick, efficient “donuts”, they use the archaic, longform, time-wasting “doughnuts”. IT’s my understanding the British prefer “doughnuts” whenever they’re out of crumpets, so perhaps Atlanta is still trying to impress our erstwhile imperial overlords by taking their side. Regardless, we were happy to visit two skillful donut purveyors in town before we had to head home.
Wednesday morning on the way to Stone Mountain, we headed due east to Revolution Doughnuts. Their flagship store opened in Decatur in 2012, while the Inman Park location was spun off in 2017. Their pride and joy in the name is, per their website:
The “Revolution” in our name refers to our dedication to hand-crafted food – to food made by people and not machines. we make all our of our doughs, glazes and fillings from scratch and use real ingredients in our recipes: organic flour, local dairy, fresh fruit, natural flavor extracts, and 100% trans-fat free vegetable oil.
Housed in one of those little storefronts that surely used to be three other artisan businesses in times past.
Li’l folding chalkboard sidewalk signs: a sure signifier of quality quaintness.
Mandatory racks and racks of sugary awesomeness in myriad varieties.
It was thanks to Revolution that we had more than enough energy to wander around the mountaintop for as long as we did. I was so wowed by their handicraft that I completely forgot all about my daily blood pressure med till we were standing eighty stories above Georgia. Oops.
That brings us to our day of departure…
DAY EIGHT: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st.
We planned two more stops before crossing the Tennessee/Georgia border. First up was another cachet of carbs from Sublime Doughnuts. Plying their wondrous wares since 2008, Sublime has two locations in Atlanta and one in Thailand, which I’m guessing has a fascinating origin story.
Another folding sign. Scooters everywhere.
Strip malls are a common nesting ground for donut makers.
Sublime signage and a glimpse of gooey greatness.
Mandatory racks and racks of sugary awesomeness in myriad varieties.
Sublime mural a bit obscured by lighting.
Cozy furniture with donut decor.
Anne’s donut duo: strawberry and cream, Kit-Kat. My tasty trifecta: A-Town Mocha, Chocolate Banana Fritter, and white chocolate peach fritter.
Thus we left town in high spirits and higher blood sugar levels, which was meant to be useful because we had one more mountain to climb. Or so we’d hoped.
To be continued!
* * * * *
[Link enclosed here to handy checklist for other chapters and for our complete road trip history to date. Follow us on Facebook or via email sign-up for new-entry alerts, or over on Twitter if you want to track my TV live-tweeting and other signs of life between entries. Thanks for reading!]
Midlife Crisis Crossover! 