Kitchen Doors: Where We Ate This Month, November 2017

Masterpiece Donuts & Coffee
Arcadia
I’ve been to a few states and tried their donuts. I’m going to talk about Masterpiece Donuts in Arizona — their donuts are delicious. When you first walk in there are iPads and you can customize or order whatever donuts you want, or a coffee and yogurt. When you customize your donuts there’s a choice of M&M’s, Oreo’s, peanut butter drizzle and more. After that you give them the receipt and they make the donuts that you wanted, and then you come up to the front when they call your name, and then get the donuts. While you’re waiting they have a chalkboard to draw on. The donuts are very unique and the bread is very good, especially with the peanut butter, chocolate or vanilla drizzle — and the Oreo donuts are the best. This is what Masterpiece Donuts is like (it is VERY GOOD).
— Thomas H. Evans (age 11), Resident Donut Expert
Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers
Locations Valleywide
There’s a reason that Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers is taking over the Valley sports bar scene — they’re doing it right. When you start with a premise as simple as the name, it’s hard to go wrong. Cold beer, by nature, is good. Cheeseburgers, when done properly, are also good. And the cheeseburgers are indeed properly done there, with an exceptional variety to choose from. There’s even one with bacon, peanut butter and jelly on it, which a companion has told me is delicious (I haven’t had the gumption to order it myself). The new(ish) location on 7th Street’s restaurant row is just about the best sports-watching experience imaginable, with an extraordinary number of televisions in easy viewing range and enjoyable patio spaces. Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers is an example of truth in advertising, and quality in simplicity. — Tom Evans
Lincoln at Camelback Inn
Arcadia
Lincoln at Camelback Inn is undoubtedly a fantastic steakhouse with their New York sirloins and filets, but their menu also has some unique gems you might not expect — including vegan options and on-trend starters. Plates like the avocado shrimp toast, beet poke and sweet corn and bacon soup are far from status quo for a steakhouse, but are delicious nonetheless. They’re also serving up charred cauliflower steaks and butternut squash filets that will make plant-based diners feel right at home. You can’t forget the craft cocktails either, like the fig-titious Old Fashioned or the Copper State Sour. — Jamie Killin