Published: March 4, 2010

If you’re the kind of person who examines the dessert menu before deciding on an entrée, then you may want to start walking down Ninth Avenue now. And even if you lack a sweet tooth, keep reading because you may develop one.

Rather than selling doughnuts or ice cream, entrepreneur Michael Friedlander has opened up shop on Ninth Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets to sell something sweeter—both. He calls his place Holey Cream, a creative pun that epitomizes what’s for sale.

Holey Cream’s signature dessert, which combines customer’s choice of doughnut, ice cream and toppings, is known as the doughnutsandwich. Yes, it’s about as delicious as it sounds.

Friedlander, who graduated from Cornell University in 1991 with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, opened Holey Cream in late December without the traditional advertising and fanfare of a grand opening. Yet, thanks to word of mouth, New Yorkers are beginning to discover the new doughnutshop in town, he said.

Although I have personally yet to see more than a half dozen customers inside at once, according to the owner, a late January blog post on Urbandaddy.com tripled business. “You’ve long appreciated the subtle art of putting one junk food inside…another junk food,” an Urbandaddy.com blogger wrote. As a result of the brief description of the doughnuts  sandwich, Friedlander said, in one day the shop sold over 800 doughnuts .

Ninety percent of the ice cream sold at Holey Cream comes from Sedutto’s, an Upper East Side ice cream legend, according to Friedlander. The owner tasted 19 varieties of mint chocolate chip ice cream before selecting the one he offers in his shop.

Friedlander, who frequently works behind the counter, serving up ice cream and doughnuts , said he will continue offering daily specials and concentrate on keeping up with growing demand. A few weeks ago Holey Cream gave customers six free donuts for every six purchased. “It’s always a buy-something-get-something-free deal,” the owner said.

For my first venture to Holey Cream I stopped in for ice cream, not thinking much of the establishment except that it had to be independently owned. The purple and white painted walls are bare and unassuming, except for the large menu boards that inform customers of what’s for sale, including doughnuts, cupcakes, ice cream, frozen yogurt, Ciao Bella gelato, Illy coffee, tea, hot chocolate and milkshakes.

After the sociable employee generously offered free samples, I decided on my old favorite, chocolate chip cookie dough, and was satisfied, but not overly impressed. I glanced at the doughnuts briefly on my way out, wondering why I hadn’t just picked up a half-pint of Ben & Jerry’s or a signature sundae from the Cold Stone Creamery a few blocks away.

But Friedlander does not view competitors, like Cold Stone, as threatening. He maintained that his shop has greater variety and quality of flavors, including more fat-free and sugar-free options, even compared to Tasti D-lite.

“One thing the name or the awning outside does not say is that we offer sugar-free and fat-free alternatives,” Friedlander said. The fat-free peanut butter chocolate chip frozen yogurt is a bestseller, according to Friedlander and two of his employees.

But, the sugar content couldn’t have been farther from my mind a few days after my first foray at Holey Cream. My roommate came home with something I had never seen at the time, a doughnut cut in half with two scoops of ice cream in-between, covered in chocolate icing and a crumbly cookie topping. I decided a second trip to the home of “Outrageous Donuts & Ice Cream” was warranted.

This time my expectations were higher and happily met by the sweet, lingering smell of fresh baked goods. Although seating capacity maxes out at three, patrons lucky enough to sit at the front window counter can people-watch while enjoying their sugary indulgences, acting as Holey Cream spokespersons for Ninth Avenue pedestrians.

Coming off a Valentine’s Day sugar high and still envious of my roommate’s dessert, I ordered what is quickly becoming Holey Cream’s staple: the doughnut sandwich ($4.95). After a careful weighing of the assorted ice cream flavors and topping options, I decided on a vanilla doughnut dunked in chocolate icing and topped with Cocoa Puffs cereal. As the “meat” of the dessert sandwich, I selected an exceptional flavor—hotel black bottom pie. The rum-flavored ice cream (which Friedlander later told me is a rare, specially made flavor) was infused with chocolate chunks, graham cracker and chocolate cookie crust. While it took some hand-eye-mouth coordination to fit some doughnuts, ice cream and cereal topping into each bite, my taste buds told me this wouldn’t be my last doughnut  sandwich.

“We have a lot of repeat customers,” Friedlander said. He believes summer will bring in even more returning patrons. Holey Cream is open until 1:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and according to Friedlander, “the ‘after party’ crowd is growing.”

“The most interesting customers come in between 10:30 pm and closing time. The late night crowd…well, it’s New York,” said employee Katelyn Bryant, FCLC ’13, who began working at Holey Cream at the end of January. She enjoys helping customers new to the Holey Cream experience, citing “the way people react to everything you show them.”

The possibilities are almost daunting. Customers may choose from vanilla, chocolate, blueberry or apple spice doughnuts, with everyday icing options, including vanilla, chocolate or caramel and rotating alternatives, such as lemon, strawberry or orange. The toppings, which may be used for ice cream, doughnuts  or both, range from traditional ones, like rainbow or chocolate sprinkles, M&M’s and nuts, to extraordinary ones, such as Fruit Loops cereal, Gummi Bears, Nutella and Marshmallow Fluff. No matter which icing or topping you choose, Holey Cream customers should expect to get a little on their fingers.

Although winter may be six weeks longer this year according to Punxsutawney Phil, there’s no reason to wait until spring to visit Holey Cream. Warmer weather means New Yorkers and tourists alike consuming frozen desserts in the afternoon heat. Come April and May, and throughout the summer months, I predict the line at this innovative ice cream and bake shop will be consistently out the door. So get your doughnut sandwiches now, for lunch, dinner, or dessert, but definitely before you have to wait in line. And without a doubt, before your entrée.