Blue Star Donuts - Portland, OR
You really can’t think of gourmet donuts without thinking about Portland, OR. Well, I can’t anyway. I went to Voodoo Donut the very first time I came to Portland and it was great. However, Blue Star Donuts catapulted to the top of the donut bucket list for this trip with their brioche-style donuts. I don’t think I’ve ever had brioche-style donuts. I figured I like brioche bread and I like donuts so it seemed like a perfect match. And it was.
Blue Star definitely does not serve your average donut. Even if you order the OG donut, there’s something special they do to it. There are four locations throughout Portland. The Professor and I went to the downtown location and thought we were being smart getting there before they open. Apparently we weren’t the only smart ones because there was already a line outside the door, a sign that this was the place to go.
While you stand in line you can’t help but eat with your eyes first. They have all their donuts laid out in all their glory. You want to order each and every single one. I think some people did because there were a couple of large boxes leaving the building while we waited for our turn.
We finally got to the front of the line and ordered three donuts: raspberry buttermilk, maple bacon and OG (aka the original). The raspberry buttermilk (upper right) was super delicious! It was thicker than a normal donut and covered in a raspberry glaze. Although I was expecting to be overwhelmed by sweetness, it was pretty well balanced. The dough gave it a good weight and was doughy enough to make it taste like pancakes with raspberry syrup. I could have stopped with that, but of course this wouldn’t be a foodie adventure with just one donut.
The maple bacon donut (upper left) is a favorite of mine. I like to think of myself as a maple bacon connoisseur. I’ve had different kinds of maple bacon donuts, including the maple bacon bar at Voodoo Donuts and the Flying Pig at Goudough’s in Austin. I’ve even had the maple bacon cupcake at Sprinkles in Phoenix. Notice a theme here? Of course I had to try the maple bacon at Blue Star. It too was delicious. It the bacon was crispy and had a nice salty bite with the sweet glaze. It was a good savory donut.
The OG (lower left) is what The Professor had. He’s more conservative than I am when it comes to food adventures, but he’s always willing to go wherever I drag him (bless his heart!). I tried to get him to try something other than the OG, but I’m glad that’s what he got. Even though it’s a simple donut, Blue Star puts something extra in it to give it a punch of flavor. The Prof and I thought the glaze had a slight orangey fruity flavor to it that definitely elevated it beyond any traditional donut.
You should Blue Star on your bucket list as well. Blue Star offers fantastic donuts and should be included with every trip Portland. I promise you I will be back.
