The Magic is in the Hole

Well, after admitting I was a foodie failure last month for not getting to Voodoo Doughnut the last time I was in Portland, Oregon, there was only one thing I could do—go back to Portland and hit it up. And that’s exactly what I did.

This time I was determined to make it to Voodoo Doughnut and we did it up right. After hitting up a couple of bars we went to the original Voodoo Doughnut in downtown Portland at 22 SW 3rd Avenue. The line was out the door, but figuring it was worth the wait we got in line. And waited. And waited. After ten minutes of standing around, barely moving, and probably being quite obnoxious to the fellow doughnut seekers in line we said screw it and bailed for the other Voodoo Doughnut location. Good move.

The other shop (Voodoo Doughnut Too) is located at 1501 NE Davis Street. There were only a couple of people in line—just enough time to drool over the array of doughnuts rotating in the display case. The variety was seriously a thing of beauty. But how to choose? 

First up was the Old Dirty Bastard—a raised yeast doughnut with chocolate frosting, Oreo pieces, and drizzled with peanut butter. But this wasn’t your ordinary Old Dirty Bastard. This was a BIG Old Dirty Bastard. So big, in fact, that it was placed in it’s own box. Gigantic and delicious—just the way I like it (that’s what she said). 

Of course I had to get a Bacon Maple Bar—the reason I wanted to go to Voodoo Doughnut so bad in the first place. It’s a raised yeast doughnut with maple frosting and topped with strips of bacon. Damn. It really was all I’d dreamed of and more. Unfortunately after we left the shop and I was about to devour the Bacon Maple Bar in the backseat of the car, I went to take a picture of it first and my batteries died. Did I wait to replace the batteries so I could snap a pic before eating it? No way. I couldn’t resist any longer, and it was truly exquisite. While I’d like to have a flashy, tempting photo to show you of this famous doughnut all you’re going to get is this picture of it half eaten and crammed into a box with other doughnuts. But trust me, it was perfect. The doughnut was perfect, the maple frosting was perfect, and the bacon was more than perfect. The impeccable balance of sweet and savory was definitely worth the wait. 

Other doughnuts we got included the Diablos Rex (a chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate frosting, red sprinkles, a vanilla pentagram, and chocolate chips in the middle); the Maple Blazer Blunt (a raised doughnut rolled into the shape of a blunt with maple frosting and red sprinkle ember); the Cock-N-Balls (a raised yeast doughnut filled with Bavarian cream and topped with chocolate frosting); and as you can tell from the photos, some other scrumptious delights as well. Everything was tasty but I definitely had a sugar overload afterwards. 

I don’t usually think of myself as someone with a sweet tooth, but I think part of the problem is that a lot of places just don’t do sweets right. Voodoo Doughnut, however, has got it going on. And while the serious foodie in me really wanted to hit up the original location, I’ve got to say that I was probably much more satisfied with the doughnuts than I would have been if I’d waited in line for hours. Unless you’re a complete purist I’d highly recommend just going to Voodoo Doughnut Too. If you’re in Portland then you should definitely check it out, gorge on some doughnuts, and, seriously, don’t forget the Bacon Maple Bar!