Two doughnut shops take the common treat to very different extremes.

“We’re not a standard doughnut shop.” That’s how Chris Whitman sums up Dutch Door Donuts in Carmel. And indeed, the handsome space which he co-owns is the pursuit of doughnut perfection – a crisp patina over billowing dough that is teasingly sweet and nutty.

The same phrase could be applied to Monterey’s Rock N Roll Donut Bar, where owner Scott Kirkpatrick once piled chocolate, whipped cream, two different cookie dough flavors, sprinkles and other goodies on what he dubbed the Ooey Gooey Bar.

“That was probably a bit much,” he says with a chuckle. “But people liked it. It was fun.”

Both places push the treat to opposite extremes, making the most recent additions to the Monterey County doughnut scene stand apart from other shops. In each case, distinction is by design.

Dutch Door, which opened in the fall of 2021, takes a fine dining approach with a little flair. They tend toward seasonal flavors using local ingredients when possible. The yeast dough is proofed a day in advance and the menu is thoughtful: almond with cinnamon and sesame, blood orange tempered with guava, or unbeatable pairings like cinnamon and sugar.

“Our thought was, ‘Why couldn’t it be culinary?’” Whitman explains. “We think it should be hot, fresh and made to order, just like at a restaurant.”

Where Dutch Door is sophisticated fun, Rock N Roll is rambunctious, almost incorrigible and probably bonkers – triple chocolate cookie dough, snickerdoodle crumble, coco banana cream pie and a suspiciously blue creation labeled Mermaid. In such a setting, bacon seems rather mundane. Where Dutch Door offers a select menu, Kirkpatrick averages 22 different doughnut options every day.

“We work really hard to make sure there are a lot of options – somewhat obnoxious, sometimes,” he says. “My concept is something that is big, bold and beautiful,” acknowledging that any more than seven or eight additions is going too far.

Yet both have been drawing crowds and raves. In fact, Kirkpatrick, who opened Rock N Roll a year ago, already has plans on a second location, this time in Santa Cruz.

For Whitman, the difference – and the popularity – is a matter of form and function. Most doughnut shops serve a purpose, providing familiar treats and coffee and a little morning comfort. The new shops on the block put on a show, albeit differently. Watching your order go from a ring of pale dough to a golden brown delight at Dutch Door brings tingles of anticipation. Meanwhile, at Rock N Roll, the dazzling color is like a carnival. “We wanted to change the perception of the doughnut,” Whitman says.

For more than a century, doughnuts were conventional items, a treat Smithsonian Magazine defined as “base and beloved.” Red Cross volunteers served doughnuts to American troops in France during World War I, which helped create generations of doughnut-loving Americans.

The numbers are staggering. According to Statista, an estimated 204.5 million Americans ate doughnuts at some point in 2022, with that figure on the rise.

Despite data supporting the American love of the treats, Canadians actually consume more doughnuts per capita than any other people. As it turns out, Whitman is Canadian. “They’ve been in my life forever,” he reports.

The success of both places suggests that people are ready for whatever doughnuts throw at them, from wildly unconventional – just what is a Mermaid doughnut? – to the pillowy subtleties of a doughnut that caresses the senses.

“Our customers love the product,” Whitman of Dutch Door says. “That’s what we wanted, a culinary experience.” That’s another word that easily defines both spaces.

DUTCH DOOR DONUTS, Ocean Avenue and Mission Street (Carmel Plaza), Carmel. 250-7901, dutchdoordonuts.com

ROCK N ROLL DONUT BAR, 685 Cannery Row, Monterey. 264-6555, rocknrolldonutbar.com