Austin, Texas - 511.2 miles from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Not exactly Beignet country.  Kinda difficult when a craving hits though. 

A little known fact about fried pastries like Donuts and their kissing cousin, the Beignet, is that humidity plays a major factor in the consistency of the dough.  As one donut maker confided in me once, watching the dough rise is like playing roulette.  Most of the time you end up with something passable.  Every once in a blue moon though, something really special happens.  The trick is to get that each and everyday.

Both of the foodies in this case have had the original Cafe Du Monde Beignets at some point in the past.  In my case, I had my first Beignet experience at the Atlanta, Georgia location.  Neko, on the other hand, had her first Beignets at the original location in New Orleans.

With this in mind, the foodies decide to try the Austin version to see if it'll stand up to the original. On a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon, while avoiding the University of Texas's open house to the state, Neko and I decided to make a Foodquest run.  Located in a small shopping center close to the heart of Austin's downtown, Crescent City Beignets is one of the young chain's newest Texas locations. 

The first decoration on the wall is a framed picture of Cafe Du Monde.  Humm, a good sign.  Apparently, the founders of the chain have the same aspirations to greatness.  Fashioned in a cafeteria-style format that allows the visitor to both be served and to help themselves, the restaurant combines efficiency with ambience.  What ambience you ask?  The sight of freshly cut squares of Beignet dough resting beside the piping hot oil.  When an order is placed, the folks behind the counter begin their magic.  After a few minutes of dunking in the fryer, the result is puffy golden brown squares of goodness.  Add in a hearty sprinkling of powered sugar and voila. We have Beignets!

But wait!  Something's missing.  Ah yes, the cafe' au lait.  The ying to the Beignet's yang, without which, there would be no balance.  Together, they form the fine dining version of coffee and donuts.  The creaminess and aroma of the chicory infused coffee along with the steaminess of the liquid bring out the most in the flavor of the freshly made Beignets. 

Before we get to the Beignets, let's go over a little bit of Beignet etiquette.  As I learned the hard way, DO NOT inhale before taking a bite of a Beignet.  Do so at your own risk unless you like looking like Frosty the Snowman.  Likewise, do not exhale before biting into a Beignet as doing so might result in your dining companion, in this case, Neko, delivering a sharp jab to your mid section.   

 The taste of Beignets is surprising similar to the "you tiao" or Deep-fried Crullers of Asian breakfasts.  Rather than covering the Crullers with powdered sugar, the Crullers are often dunked into either sweet or savory soymilk.  In many ways, the texture and internal consistency of the two are extremely alike.  It would be fascinating to investigate the origins of both to see if there is a common ancestry.  

The Crescent City Beignets are delightfully sizable.  A full serving of three pretty much fills up the plate.  Now for the taste test...  Carefully balancing the mountain of powdered sugar and with upmost care, the first bite is taken.   Ahh.  Warm, sweet goodness.  The core essence of Beignets in Austin.  Now that we're close, let's investigate further.  Hmmm..  Something's missing.  Different somehow.  It's the airy cloud-like texture of the Cafe Du Monde originals.  While the Crescent City versions are extremely puffy and airy, they seem somewhat heavier than the New Orleans versions.  The Cafe Du Monde Beignets are also half the size.  Perhaps that has something to do with it.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, the wise old donut maker's admonishment rings true.  I wonder how the Houston locations of Crescent City Beignets might fare since the capital H in Houston stands for Humidity.  A foodquest for another day perhaps...  All in all though, not too bad.  Nice prices, pleasant quiet atmosphere, friendly service.  Pretty damned close to the original at half a thousand miles away.  A nice reward for foodies in search for something different in the oasis known as the city of Austin.