After my first trip to the second incarnation of Flex Donuts Pop-Up at Zócalo in Grand Central Terminal, I heard of another flavor being offered that was not. to. be. missed. Maple Bourbon Bacon. Not a true holey doughnut, Chef Zac Young is serving this up in cruller form. Of course I got one along with one of another flavor, caramel apple, for research purposes. I’m going to flat out say that this was the best bacon product I’ve tasted all year.

What makes it the best of the year is how crunchy the bacon on top is. It’s nice and fresh, and broken in big enough chunks to add a real texture contrast along with flavor. Using maple of course complements the bacon, leaving it with a richer, deeper sweetness than regular doughnuts. If you’re a fan of bacon and doughnuts, you should take the time this week to seek this out. My caramel apple did suffer from acute stickiness. Placing it in the bag ends up taking a good amount of the caramel away, unless you want to lick the inside of the bag. I wouldn’t judge. Like most apple doughnuts, this is a subtly flavored dense cake doughnut. Good in its own right, but not the most choice follow-up to the bacon cruller.

Zócalo is inside the Grand Central Terminal Food Court.