Adventuring! Featuring Marty's Donut Land.

They say that nothing good happens after midnight. Some even say that nothing good happens after nine pm, or that nothing is open after nine pm when you live anywhere rural. Clearly "they" who say these things have never heard about the gem tucked into Ipswich, MA that is Marty's Donut Land. 

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I will explain. Marty's is a small bakery with a dining area located on the main drag of Ipswich. For anyone who has ever had bakery-made (similar to homemade, but in a bakery rather than an actual home) doughnuts, the pastries themselves aren't that surprising or magnificent. The trick is to time your visit to get the freshest doughnuts you've ever had in your LIFE! And how does one do that? Why, you simply show up while the Portuguese baker (is it Marty, or someone else? I don't know...) is in the kitchen, whipping up the day's fresh doughnuts. You see, Marty's officially opens at midnight. That is literally the time listed on the door that the store opens at. However, if you show up at midnight, the door will be locked, the open/closed sign will be flipped to "closed", and all of the lights will be off except for the ones in the kitchen. Marty's is not closed though.

To get in, all you have to do is knock on the door until the baker comes and opens it for you, and then you are free to waltz back into the kitchen and snatch up the fresh doughnuts and simply leave a donation as you see fit. And if the warm, sweet, melt in your mouth doughnuts weren't enough to make the night perfect, the food juxtaposed with the total sketchiness and adrenaline rush of the situation certainly should be!


Last Thursday evening I made my fourth ever trip to Marty's and it was just as wonderful as ever. I was spending the night at Alina Rudnieva's house and we had just waited several hours for her boyfriend, Jack Connolly, to show up (it was a surprise for her). When he finally arrived, with help from DJ Williams, the four of us headed off to Marty's.

Alina and I had both been there before, but it was Jack and DJ's first time! I don't know if they really appreciated it as much as I do, but that's okay.

We happened to walk into the kitchen at the exact moment that the baker was sliding a few doughnuts onto the tray after having just dipped them into the glaze. Mine literally melted into my mouth! MMMM :) The forty minute drive might have been a bit much for just one doughnut each, but I still think that a trip to Marty's is the best way to spend a late night.





In other note: earlier that night, Alina and I also made a delicious meal of couscous with peas mixed in (one of our favorite dishes) and pistachio encrusted chicken (also a very tasty dish) and it was quite exciting and tasty. Just thought I'd add that into this foodie post...