Who Is The King of Cakes?

Every year, right about this time, I start really craving king cake. I try to fight it with everything I've got because after all I'm only two weeks out of the holiday season. But I'm a New Orleanian, and as a New Orleanian it is my birthright to move directly from christmas season into carnival season, no questions asked. Well, actually there is one question: Where do I find a really good king cake? Certainly there is no problem finding a king cake and I liken the seasonal treat to a bowl of gumbo. Everybody has it, but finding a truly enjoyable one can be a challenge. At it's worst king cake is dry but can be rectified by a good coating of icing and crunchy, colored sugar. However, at it's best king cake is moist, not too sweet and heated up in a toaster oven for a few minutes to give it that just out of the oven greatness. Every year I ask every other person where they get their king cakes from and I get the standard answers. Randazzo's, Haydel's, Gambino's, Dorignac's.......Whole Foods. Ok, quick sidenote, Whole Foods does plenty of things well, but king cakes are not one of them. Also, I'm going to throw stuffed or filled cakes out of the equation here because it's cheating. I'm looking for good king cake in it's true form. So far, for the last three years, my favorite has been the one I have bought from the small coffee shop called Coffee &. That's no misspelling, the place is called Coffee &. This endearing dive of a donut and coffee shop manages to make a pretty decent king cake that I would say ranks up there with my all-time favorite McKenzie version. But I long for more. No offense to the fine folks of Coffee &, but this place is more of a video poker destination than it is a bakery and I truly believe there is better out there that I just don't know about. So I ask you, where have all the good king cakes gone?