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New Dallas doughnut shop sold out in 90 minutes on opening day

Carte Blanche on Dallas’ Greenville Avenue is now La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves.

Update:
La Rue opened at 7 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2024 and already had a line down Trinity Groves. Doughnuts sold out by 8:30 a.m. An Instagram post invites customers back tomorrow.

La Rue Doughnuts, a pastry shop from Rowlett chefs Amy and Casey La Rue, opened Aug. 29, 2024, at 7 a.m. to a line down the sidewalk in Dallas’ Trinity Groves. Doughnuts were sold out by 8:30 a.m.

“See you tomorrow,” read an Instagram post.

Customers who did get in Thursday found a coffee bar and up to 14 varieties of cake doughnuts, crullers, kolaches and the like.

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The husband-wife team previously owned Carte Blanche, the now-closed Greenville Avenue shop that served pastries in the mornings and fine-dining food in the evenings. That business has been split into two, which offers more focus: Amy La Rue makes pastries at La Rue Doughnuts, with help from her husband. Someday, Casey hopes to open a separate fine-dining restaurant. (A lease has not been signed yet.)

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Owner Amy La Rue glazes crullers at La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves, Wednesday, Aug. 28,...
Owner Amy La Rue glazes crullers at La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Dallas.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

Although Amy has the talent to make all kinds of beautiful pastries, La Rue Doughnuts takes its name seriously.

“We’re really trying to highlight the doughnut,” she said. “It’s an American staple.”

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She notes that none of their doughnut recipes come from pre-made mix. Glazes and curds are made from scratch.

La Rues’ menu shows off that finesse. Items include passion fruit and butterscotch brioche doughnuts, churro-cardamom crullers, pumpkin spice cake doughnuts, old-fashioneds and more.

The plan is to keep the nostalgic doughnut “classic, not trendy,” Amy said.

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A rotating list of savory options include a za’atar kolache with beef sausage and a chicken and green chile brioche pocket with jalapeño chimichurri.

Crullers, not croissants

Crullers fry at La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves. Once done, they're glazed or frosted....
Crullers fry at La Rue Doughnuts in Trinity Groves. Once done, they're glazed or frosted. Right now, the company is selling a vanilla cruller and a passion fruit cruller.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

Crullers from the erstwhile Carte Blanche were some of the shop’s most beloved. Crullers are a style of doughnut made with pâte à choux batter that’s piped into a circle and deep-fried. Amy’s are crispy on the outside, soft and light on the inside.

Crullers cost $2 at La Rue Doughnuts. Brioche doughnuts, larger in size, will run $4 to $5.50. Amy also has some gluten-free doughnut options.

Notably, the shop will not sell croissants or pretzels, despite complaints from some former customers.

What’s next at Trinity Groves

The La Rues took over the former Cake Bar in Trinity Groves. They painted cabinets emerald green and hung the gold geometric wallpaper themselves.

The development has seen drastic changes in its decade open, and the first iteration of Trinity Groves as a restaurant “incubator” is now a distant memory.

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In its next life, plans call for millions of square feet of office space and 1,000 hotel rooms in the neighborhood.

“In 10 years, this whole area will look different,” partner Sam Romano said in May 2024.

For Amy, the biggest draws to Trinity Groves were more parking and a bigger kitchen than they had on Greenville Avenue. She also appreciates the dedicated patio with views of the Margaret Hunt Hill bridge.

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“It’s a nice getaway, and I always feel like that’s important when you dine,” she said.

La Rue Doughnuts is at 3011 Gulden Lane (on the back side of Trinity Groves’ main restaurant building), Dallas. It opens Aug. 29, 2024. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Fridays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on X at @sblaskovich.