If it wasn’t potentially fatal, I’d have a cinnamon roll every day and wash it down with a milkshake.

Hold up. Let’s change that to four days a week. Wouldn’t want to get tired of them.

As it happens, I haven’t eaten a cinnamon roll (or bun, if you like) in a while. So I’m pretty jazzed to indulge. Our contestants are: The Sourdough Co. in St. Pete’s Edge District; and Mama G’s German Bakery & Coffee House in Kenneth City.

THE SOURDOUGH CO.

The Sourdough Co., which opened last November, is the latest in a series of restaurant concepts to occupy this large space.

The one I remember most is Ricky P’s, a solid New Orleans-style eatery that closed in 2017 due to rising rents in the Edge. I haven’t found good  jambalaya around here since. But I digress …

On Tuesday at 10 a.m., as we walked a half-a-block into the August sun along Central Avenue, I thought I might burst into flames. The Sourdough Co was bright and airy — and comfortably cool.

A young woman took our order at the counter. We were on an eat-and-run mission, so ordered just a Cinammon Roll ($6) — warmed up, with vanilla icing instead of cream cheese — and a small coffee ($2.25).

We had our pick of tables.

Appearance

I didn’t specify that we wanted to eat in, so the counter person handed us a paper go-bag with the roll in a plastic container. It looked like a white lump in there, so I asked for a plate and utensils. After I cut it and spread it, the bun was ready for its closeup.

Texture and Taste

I couldn’t detect sourdough — everything here starts with that — but I didn’t miss it. The bread was fresh and tender, chewy only to the extent that you want in a cinnamon roll. No dry, crusty edges.

Problem was, the icing was too dominant; it coated the bun like frosting on a cake. The glutinous white stuff smothered the brown ore beneath. I, for one, prefer a moderate drizzle. This roll worked better after I scraped away some of the icing, and even then I found the cinnamon flavor too faint.

MAMA G’s

This funky little place on 54th Avenue North just east of 66th Street is part of a family-owned, German-centric chain with four other locations in Sarasota. I did not know that.

At 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, I was able to park and slip inside Mama G’s without getting a sunburn. I call that win.

The interior was nicely lit and outfitted with round, white four-tops. A short but steady line of folks waited to order at the counter, which was outfitted with a faux-chalkboard menu. I had called ahead, so the staff saved me a Cinnamon Bun ($3.50). I also got a coffee ($2), which I assumed was bottomless because it was self-serve.

It took a few minutes for a counter person to bring the warmed-up roll — um, bun — out to my table.

Appearance

This one was considerably smaller than Sourdough Co.’s roll, and it was lighly lathered with donut glaze. I got a kick out of the Old World design of the plate, and was enamored with the hefty, matte-black coffee cup.

Texture and Taste

When the first slice of the knife made the glaze start to crackle, I knew we were talkin’ old-school. The bun was coated with just the right amount of icing, which furnished a measure of overt sweetness to complement the bold (less sweet) flavor of the cinnamon.

This bun was not as doughy as the competition’s, and it might have been a bit more chewy than desired in certain spots. But it was the ideal size for a decadent, carb-heavy, empty-calories, finish-it-all, guilty pleasure of a breakfast.

And the Winner of the Cinnamon Roll (or Bun) Rumble Is …

Mama G’s.

This was an easy call. Mama G’s doesn’t rank near the top of my cinnamon roll (bun) experiences — the top prize goes to a place in St. Augustine whose name I wish I could recall — but it was first-rate.

Mama G’s take is also not authentically German — like a franzbrötchen or schnecken. The place pretty much serves up an American version.

And look — Sourdough Co.’s roll had its virtues. But all told — it was kinda vanilla.

A fun “fact”: I was curious whether it’s more common to say cinnamon roll or cinnamon bun. (I say roll.) So I looked it up on the Google — which told me: Americans tend to say “roll,” while Canadians say “bun.” Why Canadians? I don’t know. I just did a quick search.

And Finally, A Kudo: Congrats to Chef Rob Reinsmith of Wild Child in St. Pete. He appeared on episode of Beat Bobby Flay Thursday. And he beat Bobby Flay — in a battle over Rob’s chosen dish: corn empanadas. To get there, he also won a battle over mahi mahi with another chef. Rob made blackened fish tacos. Corn empanadas are not on the Wild Child menu, but Crispy Fish Tacos are.