Speaking of food films, a couple cute food-related documentaries came across my desk recently, and I figured I'd pass word of them on to you. Donut Day, produced by Amy Levine and Dhera Strauss, follows the staff of Sweetwater's Donut Mill over a 24-hour period. You're treated to a behind-the-scenes look at a beloved local doughnut shop as it bakes five- to six-thousand doughnuts a day for its customers, many of whom keep their own coffee mugs there, a testamanent to the shop's quirkiness and hominess. I especially liked seeing the doughnut-filler machine in action and learning the term "cosmetic icing"—a glazing applied to blemished yet still edible specimens. 52 minutes. Available on DVD for $15 (includes shipping), at donutdaydoc.comDishes,...
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Despite the fact that it crashed and burned like a soufflé left in the oven too long, the first and only season of Kitchen Confidential makes it to DVD this week. Darren Star's half-hour riff on Anthony Bourdain's excellent memoir starred Bradley Cooper (Alias) as the stand-in for the wiry world-traveler. I don't think more than half of the 13 episodes collected here aired before Fox loudly announced "Check, please!" but if you're a glutton for a Sex-and-the-Citified sitcom where everyone wears chefs' whites, look no further than this two-disc set. Other stars include cult favorites Nicholas Brendon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and John Francis Daley (Freaks and Geeks). Netflix at your own risk....
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