With a prestigious local food blog award under my belt, it seems only fitting that my next few posts focus on… Portland!  Of course, it wasn’t planned that way, but I’m back from a long weekend in the rainy north, centered around beer, coffee, fried chicken and many many (oh so many) food carts.  Up first in my recounting of Portland, we’ll start with well-treaded food blogger territory, and my first meal in Portland: breakfast at Voodoo Doughnut.

The interior space is decked out in attitude, clearly warning any innocent customer that they are in for an experience.

The menu is expansive. Next to the front counter, a display case rotates with a lot of options. (I can’t even imagine how many diets this case has busted.)

Wait, did that doughnut say “dick?”

Yes it did.  We ordered a mixed dozen, which won’t include any “extra large” doughnuts.  So we ordered one more: The Maple Bacon Bar. Our photo-shy host quickly filled a box up and sent us out.  They serve the always reliable Stumptown Coffee.  We grabbed the six inch ledge outside the door, carefully balanced out box, and dug in.

First up: the maple bacon.  It’s pretty great, and takes its bacon seriously, with two full crispy strips perched right on top.   But the inevitable, San Francisco question arrises: is it better than Dynamo Donuts?  The answer isn’t so simple.  While they both use the doughnut as a canvas to paint with thick brush strokes of creativity, the goals and results couldn’t be more divergent. A doughnut at Voodoo is a classic rendition, cut and fried, then topped with a thick layer of classic glaze.  The standard (but perfectly executed) doughnut is just a platform for the icing, which is exceptional – thick, but not too sweet, and a great adhesive to stick things to.

Situated right across the the “Keep Portland Weird” sign, these doughnuts are offerings to the gods of eccentricity and stoner wish fulfillment.   In contrast, Dynamo sacrifices at the alter of Alice Waters.  Their limited doughnut menu reflects a seasonal sensibility, with a focus on fruit and produce. Dynamo charge twice as much- at least part of which has to go for the San Francisco rent.  Even their respective interpretations of the maple bacon donut are representative of their approaches.  Dynamo integrates apples into the dough, and then breaks up the bacon into delicate pieces.  Voodoo sticks two greasy strips right on top.

So which is better?  I think both are a reflection of the city they grew from.  Dynamo certainly takes a bit too seriously, and looks to the seasonal cooking around it for inspiration.  Voodoo gets high and sees what cereal from childhood they crave right…. now.  I’m a bit more inclined to choose Olallieberries over Crunch Berries.   On the other hand, Voodoo is open till midnight – and sometimes a seasonal choice like Fruit Loops is just what you need late at night.

Of course, that many doughnuts was way too many for us.  So we had no choice but to haul them out to Cascade Brewing at the Raccoon Lodge and barter them for barrel samples.  Portland Part II at Cascade Brewing coming soon.

Tags: donut, doughnut, dynamo, portland, voodoo

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.