Rubbing our eyes, my sister and I trudged into Strange Donuts at 6:15 a.m. on a sleepy Monday morning with one goal in mind: to consume a sugary, empty-calorie-laden dessert for the most important meal of the day.

We were in luck.

Strange Donuts offered several varieties, including Salty Chocolate, Chocolate Citrus, Gooey Butter Cake, Apple Cobbler and the classic Glaze doughnut. The lone worker somehow relayed these options to us with energetic pep that I could only dream of offering that early in the morning.

I was tempted, I will admit, to listen to my stubbornly skittish tastebuds. “Get the Glaze,” they pleaded. “It is safest!” But the Salty Chocolate was too enticing. So I ordered both. My sister played it safe, ordering only the Glaze.

I chose a table that directly faced a mural depicting some sort of intricate sci-fi doughnut fantasy land that was, fittingly, strange. The table was nestled right next to the bakery’s front glass wall. The outside world was barren of people, with only a few cars passing, and the atmosphere of the bakery was quiet; my sister and I were the only customers. The only sound was of a whirring air conditioner. That was fine with me; I would be able to focus my senses entirely on my doughnuts.

As I sunk my teeth into the Salty Chocolate, it became immediately clear to me that it deserved that undivided attention.

The doughnut’s rich drizzle was sinful; with its minuscule hint of salt, it tased like that unbaked cake batter that you’re not supposed to eat, but you do anyway. The doughnut itself was perfectly spongey. Unlike many of the cake doughnuts I have had in my lifetime, it did not leave my mouth with a dry, desperate-for-water feeling.

My only complaint about the Salty Chocolate is that it was so filling that I was unable to eat my second doughnut, the Glaze, until lunchtime. But it was worth the wait; the flaky sugar coating atop its chewy pastry melted in my mouth.

I would have been willing to pay more than the $5.07 I did for the three doughnuts. Strange Donuts’s smiling service and scrumptious sweets earn it five out of five stars in my book.

I definitely foresee myself making more visits to Strange Donuts — maybe it will replace Panera as my main pastry source.