When Lawrence Shipley Sr., Lillie Shipley, and Helen Shipley posed with employees at the original Shipley Do-Nuts bakery at 1417 Crockett Street in 1936, glazed doughnuts were selling for five cents a dozen. Shipley's Donuts are an old Houston tradition, but are we loyal because of nostalgia or because of the way they taste?

A recent sampling of a Shipley's raised glazed doughnut and a Shipley's raised sugar donut left me pretty impressed. The glazed was so moist, it stuck together after one bite. The sugar-coated donut was not quite as moist as the glazed, but still tasty. A plain cake donut was boring.

The Shipley glazed donut was not as light and fluffy as the Southern Maid donut I recently sampled. But I may need to consider another sample. I bought these doughnuts at the Shipley's at I -10 and Kirkwood. Shipley's fans tell me that there's a lot of variation from one location to the next. Some insist that the oldest Shipley's locations are the best. Anybody have any recommendations about which Shipley's is the standard bearer?

• Pot Luck
• Sweets