The Seventh Avenue Donut Luncheonette (actually, I have no idea what it’s real name is) on Seventh Ave near 9th Street in Park Slope has long been a source of comfort with its dizzying array of homemade donuts. We’ve always been particularly fond of the Boston Cream, wheat, marble twists, and of course, the famous but rare Puffs.

The diner is open 24 hours and a dozen can be had for about $4.50, $2.55 for a half, which brings me to the crux of the issue: is one donut, no matter how fabulous, ever worth $2.50 when six good ones can be had for the price?

I am often tempted by the stunning, square Doughnut Plant donuts that sit right next the cash register at the Dean & Deluca on 85th and Madison, as I pay $2.11 too much for a half-caf on occasional mornings, and I always make sure to snag a sample from the broken pastries plate, savoring it as I stir in a huge amount of Splenda (say what you will about Dean & Deluca, but they are not cheap with the freebies). Last Friday, I finally broke down and bought one, or three, in order to engage in a very official taste test– Doughnut Plant vs. the Seventh Ave Donut Shop.

And yes, the Doughnut Plant ones were delicious, with a weightier texture than the barely-there yeast donuts from 7th Ave, but still somewhat lighter than the diner’s wheat cake donut, they are flavorful, inventive, and pretty perfect. The Coconut Cream was full of both coconut and cream, the Blueberry Jelly had a veritable ton of nice jelly in it, and the Hazlenut would have been the perfect complement to a cup of coffee, with a nutty flavor that would have stood up to dunking.  The flavors are simply more intense than anything offered by the diner; they deserve to have their names capitalized.

But they were also $2.50 a piece. Some of that is, of course, a mark up from D&D, but that is still a ridiculously expensive piece of fried dough. I respect the artistic genius that goes into creating artisan donuts as much as the next person, but is there a point when the humble donut becomes more than just a tasty way to soak up excess alcohol? How can it not be a status symbol at that price? Is the difference in quality enough to justify the difference in price? Like that expensive latte in the sylish Dean & Deluca cup, when you place a Doughnut Plant Donut on your breakfast plate, you are making a statement about who you are, how much you know, and how you live. Most of the time, it’s a statement I’d rather not be making, regardless of how perfect the crumb is.

On a side note, I highly recommend the book Donuts, An American Passion, by John Edge.