Cookies, sandwiches, doughnuts

Two concepts, one location: Last week, About a Bite Bakery and Harvest Bar both opened at 1200 K Street, a split storefront that almost feels like a two-business food court.

About a Bite Bakery isn’t entirely new—it previously operated out of a warehouse in Gold River, completing online orders and catering events. But this is the bakery’s first-ever retail location. Everything at About a Bite is miniature: tiny cookie sandwiches known as “Between 2 Cookies” ($1.75); tiny layered bars, simply called “Bars” ($1.25); and tiny combos of shortbread cookie topped with candy, covered in chocolate, called “Bites” ($2.50). There’s also gelato from Devine Gelateria along with gelato-cookie sandwiches, gelato Bites and affogato.

Harvest Bar comes from Kate Chomko of Downtown & Vine, which is conveniently located right next door. Expect salads, panini and snack boxes with an emphasis on the grab-and-go lunch model in the $8-$10 range. For the morning crowd, Harvest also offers coffee, tea, house-made cold-pressed juice, smoothies and fruit-and-yogurt parfaits.

Watch out: The founder of Psycho Donuts—a hotspot in Silicon Valley for its crazy gourmet doughnuts and crazier decor—will launch a new fried dough concept in Sacramento next month: Donut Madness.

Instead of Psycho Donuts’ kitschy take on a mental institution, Donut Madness gets its imagery from horror movies.

Kipp Berdiansky hopes to open Donut Madness in late August at 2648 Watt Avenue. The exterior walls will be lined with vintage horror movie posters; inside, there will be a not-functioning guillotine; a doughnut display case that resembles a coffin; servers with bloody aprons; and other gags, “like a horror Disneyland,” Berdiansky says.

Berdiansky will duplicate some of the recipes he invented while at Psycho Donuts, such as the popular apricot fritters. The style is much like Portland’s Voodoo Doughnut, with cereal toppings and outrageous names. There’s an old-fashioned dipped in marshmallow and Rice Krispies. There’s a maple bar topped with potato chips. Doughnut holes are piled into popcorn-style cups with sauces and toppings, with names like Blood and Guts and Rocky Roadkill.

“And lots of bacon, of course,” Berdiansky says. But vegans can celebrate too, as Berdiansky says there will be vegan options daily. He estimates a total offering of about 30 doughnuts, with most going for $1.75.