—By Alissa Harb

The folks at Mouth, indie food advocates and purveyors of unique and tasty treats, have done half the work for us with their grin-spiring “Bring Home the Bacon” gift set. The shipment, which comes in two sizes, depending on how much bacon you think your dad can actually handle, may include treats like bacon caramel popcorn, maple bacon lollipops and bacon-infused mayo. As an added bonus, all gift items are wrapped up in a reusable cotton tote.

You read that right. Bottle opener AND resealer. And no, we’re not talking Hogwarts, we’re talking Kaufmann Mercantile, home to a whole host of charming tools you never knew you had to have. The Hermetus Opener and Resealer does just what it claims, opening and resealing bottled libations—perfect for high gravity brews or specialty beers and ciders that your dad may not want to consume in one sitting. Also great for bottled sodas and tonics!

“Cooking at its most primal, and delicious…” SMOKE: New Firewood Cooking makes for a most excellent foodie Father’s Day gift. See, it’s all about smoke, and where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Chef Tim Byres walks readers through a number of techniques for creating and infusing smoky flavors in, not just meats, but dishes and condiments of all sorts, and he includes his Southern and Mexican-inspired recipes for all occasions. Just get a load of that sandwich…

Straight out of Portland, Maine, we’ve got something for your “Maine” Man… Anyway, this man-centric beauty product is alcohol-free, made instead with essential oils and natural extracts. Portland General Store describes their Whiskey Splash as “Reminiscent of an ol’ yachtsman below deck at the end of a long day on the wild ocean, a favorite Scotch in hand.” Not sure how we can make a more convincing case than that.

Featuring the time-tested, classic man-scent of Drakkar Noir and sporting bold insignia naming your dad a STUD, we’re not sure how this bar soap by the Plunk Naturals shop on Etsy could possibly be a miss. The “Stud Muffin” line extends to an array of bath products, including shampoos and lotion. And at the end of the day, it’s soap, and soap is a gift that keeps on giving. Everyone wins.

All Slant Shack Jerky begins with grass-fed beef. From there, you have the option of creating a custom jerky in their website’s Build-a-Jerky workshop. You’ll find yourself first choosing a marinade—among options like Hot & Smoky and Bronx Brewery Pale Ale—then a rub, and finally your glaze of choice. If that’s too many decisions to make in one sitting, go with one of the Chef’s Choice varieties instead.

What brew-lovin’ dad wouldn’t love a Beer of the Month membership? Each shipment includes a dozen bottles—four different styles, three bottles of each—and comes with tasting notes, brewery information, suggested pairings, and more. Clubs featuring international and rare brews are also available, not to mention the wine, cheese and cigar clubs also easily accessed through the same site. Beer of the Month Clubs only require a two-month minimum order, but we have a feeling they can expect a few renewed subscriptions in the near future.

Smoky, sweet, and so savory, this Onion Jam makes its mark on our list thanks to its status as beautiful accompaniment to oh, so many meats and cheeses—making it suited for dozens of uses. The culinary team at Blackberry Farm, a celebrated luxury hotel property in the foothills of Tennessee, suggest slathering it on grilled cheese sandwiches and country ham biscuits, or incorporating into dressings and marinades. But we gotta say, we love ours on a juicy cheeseburger, or scooped generously atop a hunk of nice, sharp cheese. Cracker optional.

In Smoke & Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen, Chef Edward Lee—of Louisville’s famed 610 Magnolia—combines elements of his Korean heritage with lessons gleaned from time spent in the American South. The book features culture-fusing dishes like Green Tomato Kimchi, Bourbon-Ginger Glazed Carrots and Okra Tempura. And when they say recipes and stories, they mean it. Chef Lee writes beautifully of his craft—which includes a lot of gorgeous, hearty food—and about his family. This one is a winner.

ULTIMATE MAN-GIFT ADVISORY: Hand-forged from high quality iron by a genuine cattle rancher, this steak brand can be customized with up to three initials. If your old man isn’t historically into the “monogram” scene, we can think of three pretty safe letters to choose instead. (Hint: Starts with D, ends with A, D.) The brand comes with a storage rack for convenience, and of course, for proud display. Remember, this personalized touch requires extra time for delivery, but we say it’s well worth the wait.

These miracle stones will chill your single-serve libation within a matter of minutes—and then keep it cool, without watering down your glass. We suggest opting for the Whisky Lovers Gift Set, which includes a set of six stones and two hand-blown glass tumblers, an experience designed for sharing your favorite beverage—with a chill that just won’t quit. Looking for something a little more specific? Teroforma’s line of ICON stones (At the left: $14 for a set of 3) allow for a perfect Father’s Day touch.

This Pampered Chef creation was sent from the grilling heavens to allow you, me, and all the dads we know to become masters of super-moist chicken on the grill. The specialized can holder allows for easy roasting with your favorite beer or soda—or not. The can holder is easily removable, leaving you with a superior grill pan with solid side walls for cooking up any combination of meat, fish and veggies. But we must say, we’re rather partial to our Beer Can Chicken recipe.

The sturdy (and studly, we might add) construction of leather grill accessories by Outset is fit to suit any grill master or grill beginner. Made of durable leather, with a flame retardant lining, this grill gear helps protect clothes and skin from heat and splatters. So again, these are great for the grilling fanatic than can be found by the coals all summer, or for the novice, who, let’s face it, could really just use the extra insurance.

Even the burliest among us has been touched with a sweet tooth. Fortunately, world renowned French Pâtissier François Payard has taken to offering up batches of famous family-recipe confections, including his own father’s favorite cookies—hence the name. These delicate, handcrafted sandwich cookies feature the tried-and-true flavor combination of chocolate and hazelnut, finished with a coating of 70% Guanaja Valrhona Chocolate. Mouthwatering, you say? Maybe one tin for Dad, one tin for you.

For the cleanly shaven man in your life—or perhaps one in need of a hint—we present to you these handcrafted shave kits by Dirty Deeds Soaps on etsy. The Badger Shaving Kit (pictured: $40) includes a disc of handmade beer soap, wooden soap dish, badger bristle brush and a concise how-to on achieving a flawless classic shave—The Art of the Manly Shave. Interested in a next-level gift set? Dirty Deeds also makes a Bay Rum & Lime aftershave/cologne packaged in a flask. Man, we love a good theme.

Lucinda Scala Quinn lays the groundwork for what we all pine after—food that is take-out tasty, but in the comfort of your own kitchen. Mad Hungry Cravings is full of healthier takes on classic dine-out dishes, plus tips on planning ahead and keeping your pantry stocked for easily satisfying those mad, mad cravings we all know so well. So next time Dad is craving, say, Philly Cheese Steak, he need only flip to page 68. You’ll be Dad’s hero this time, but once you put recipes like Chinese Egg Noodle Soup (pictured left) up his sleeve, he’ll get to reprise his role of hero again and again.

Old-fashioned sensibilities meet newfangled flavors at Top Pot Doughnuts, the perfectly sweet complement to Seattle’s bustling coffee scene. Founded in 2002 by brothers Mark and Michael Klebeck, the mini-chain serves up handmade goodies—including hand-roasted coffee and more than 40 kinds of hand-forged donuts—in vintage-inspired digs throughout The Emerald City.

Maple, pumpkin, raspberry, lemon and Bavarian cream are just a few of the many flavors you’ll find at Top Pot, but the signature doughnut is the Pink Feather Boa. “This is a slightly sweet spice cake doughnut with pink vanilla icing and draped with a dusting of sweet coconut flakes,” says co-founder Mark Klebeck, who says the secret to creating the perfect donut is “a combination of quality ingredients and care when assembling all of the components.”

After learning the tricks of the donut trade in California, longtime friends and aspiring business partners Kenneth “Cat Daddy” Pogson and Tres Shannon set up shop in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood in 2003 with an eye toward raising eyebrows and pleasing taste buds. Their collaboration has yielded an array of one-of-a-kind doughnut and bar varieties, including their signature Voodoo Doll (a doll-shaped yeast doughnut filled with raspberry jelly, topped with chocolate frosting and staked through the heart with a pretzel) and popular Bacon Maple Bar.

When it comes to their success, Pogson claims, “The perfect doughnut starts at the base, the nut itself. Soft and risen with plenty of gas bubbles to make it light and fluffy with a perfect ‘skunk’ line down the middle where the doughnut floated above the oil while frying. Golden brown and lightly cooled, it is ready for a perfect dip into frosting, then a second dip into something that takes it over the edge, like Oreos.” Shannon has a slightly different recipe for the perfect donut: “A buttermilk bar with one end dipped in chocolate frosting and toasted coconut. The score line would be perfectly horizontal and the top would be flakey and soft.”

Kamal Grant—chef and owner of Atlanta’s Sublime Doughnuts—has always equated baking with happiness. After attending the Culinary Institute of America and working under some of the world’s top pastry chefs—including Keegan Gerhard, for whom he interned at New Orleans’ venerable Windsor Court Hotel—Grant used his classical training to elevate the art of donut-making when he opened Sublime Doughnuts in 2008.

Hailed one of “America’s Best Doughnuts” by Food & Wine and countless other media outlets, Grant’s take on the all-American treat is a fresh one—literally. Sublime’s Fresh Strawberry N Cream concoction proved so popular that it spawned a frozen variety, the Strawberry Ice Cream Burger. “The key to the perfect doughnut is to be able to master time and temperature,” says Grant.

The old adage that “Everything’s bigger in Texas” is no joke. Especially when it comes to the donuts. For more than 85 years, native Texans and visitors to the Lone Star State alike have been making a beeline to Round Rock Donuts, about 20 miles north of Austin, for a taste of Texas history.

You won’t find any fancy flavors here; Round Rock’s golden glazed donut is its staple offering (and even the menu boasts that it is “world famous”). But what you will find is a healthy dose of southern hospitality, early-morning hours (4 a.m. is the standard opening time) and a donut the size of your head if you opt for the Texas Sized treat, which comes glazed or in chocolate.

If your idea of vegan eating is all tofu all the time, think again! Fed up with the lack of sweet-tooth offerings available to dairy-conscious epicures—even in New York City—longtime friends Dan Dunbar and Christopher Hollowell (“Dun” and “Well”) decided to turn their craving into a brick-and-mortar bakery. In 2011, they opened Dun-Well Doughnuts in Brooklyn’s East Williamsburg neighborhood. With more than 200 flavors (and counting) on their roster, it’s the kind of place where even the most daring of eaters will forget what they’re missing (read: milk and eggs).

The menu at Dun-Well changes weekly, but a visit may yield such gourmet flavors as PB&J, lavender lemon, cherry pie, peanut butter cup or avocado chocolate mousse. What never changes is Dun-Well’s commitment to excellence. “The secret to the perfect doughnut is using the best quality ingredients and not compromising,” says Hollowell. “We source local and organic ingredients and make all of our doughnuts by hand. There has never been a doughnut served at Dun-Well that Dan or I have not personally made for our patrons. We love what we do and you can taste it!”

From the outside, The Donut Man—which is located along Route 66 in Glendora, California—looks like just the kind of unassuming spot where one might pop in to refuel on java and sugar in the midst of a road trip. And it is that kind of place. But it’s much, much more (as its frequent appearances on The Food Network and The Cooking Channel attest).

For more than 40 years, The Donut Man—a.k.a. Jim Nakano—has been cooking up some of the area’s most innovative breakfast treats with a focus on top-quality ingredients, and making them available to his legion of fans 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Among The Donut Man’s most famous creations are the fresh fruit varietals, including peach- and strawberry-stuffed. “Quality ingredients make quality products,” offers Nakano. “The trick to a perfect donut is in the ingredients.” The custom-blended coffee, which is roasted locally twice a week to ensure maximum freshness, makes for perfect dipping, too.

No matter which Federal Donuts location you choose—Center City or South Philly—you’ve got two choices when it comes to the sweet stuff: Fancy or Hot Fresh. “Hot Fresh Donuts are made to order and rolled in seasoned sugars,” says partner Felicia D’Ambrosio. “Our signature is Appollonia, a blend of cocoa, clove, orange blossom powder and sugar. We also serve Fancy donuts, which are glazed and topped in original flavors like Pomegranate Nutella, Banana Cream and Lucky Peach.”

Come for the donuts, but stay for the chicken. Korean-style fried chicken is the restaurant’s other specialty, which is served from 11 a.m. until it’s all gone (usually around 3 p.m. during the week and until 7 p.m. on Sundays). The same “sell until they sell out” rule applies to the donuts, too, so get there early!

You’ve got to get up pretty early if you want the best chance at getting a taste of renowned chef Thomas Keller’s Parisian-inspired take on the donut. While they’re one of the bakery’s most frequently lauded creations, they’re not a regular menu item. Meaning that they’re baked up only a few times a week and in limited numbers.

Your best bet for getting your lips around one of these gourmet treats is to arrive early and on a weekend. If you’re lucky, you’ll come face to face with one of these legendary (and rather rare) treats, which make use of local and seasonal ingredients, resulting in such flavors as custard and jam, Silverado trail strawberries and tart rhubarb or chocolate pastry cream and crunchy pearls. They’re well worth the effort!

This Windy City favorite gets props for its donuts and its clever name. When it comes to the former, Glazed and Infused offers its patrons tastes that are both sweet and savory—sometimes in a single bite. Case in point: the Maple Bacon Long John, a yeast raised bar topped with real maple glaze and peppered maple bacon.

Those in search of something sweeter will love the Crème Brûlée, a vanilla crème brûlée-filled Bismark with a crispy sugar crust. “Here at Glazed and Infused we invest a lot of time in developing the perfect balance of buttery, yeasty and sweet flavors,” says general manager James Gray. Better taste for yourself and see.

Randy’s may not have invented the donut, but there are few better-known odes to its existence than the giant one that adorns the top of this 60-year-old roadside landmark, located just a few miles from LAX. What makes Randy’s even more worthy of driving a few minutes out of your way is that it’s more than just a great photo op: the donuts are fantastic, too.

The 24-hour hotspot keeps it simple, with 15 standard flavors (plain cake, glaze, sugar, jelly, buttermilk and coconut) coming in at no more than 90 cents apiece. History never tasted so good!