CakeSpy Undercover: Blue Star Donuts, Portland OR
Friday, May 17, 2013 
On my book tour's first leg (don't worry, there are more dates), I found myself in Portland, OR--a delightful city for foodies if ever there was one.
There were plenty of delicious new spots, both brick and mortar and of the food truck variety, that I wanted to try. With limited time and obligations filling my time, it was tough to make it to many, but--and I was assured by more than one person--you've gotta go to Blue Star Donuts.
Well, as it happened my first evening in Portland, my better half dinnered on a delicious Little Big Burger, a small burger joint with low prices but plenty of style. Tasty burgers, too. Guess what? Blue Star Donuts is owned by the same people! So even before going, I knew that they were probably going to be well made and served in a stylish setting (but then again, everyone in Portland is either a chef or graphic designer, so it's sort of a given).
Well, once I got there, I knew I was going to like it from the moment I saw this sign:
I was also amused by this:
As you walk in, they have the donuts displayed prettily so you can see what each style looks like. 
And when you order, they take your name. Why? Because they glaze each donut to ORDER, so it might take a minute or two! We got an old fashioned cake glazed, a yeast glazed, and a yeast donut topped with dulce de leche and hazelnut.
Here I am with a donut. If I look a little windblown, it's because I don't always let things like brushing my hair slow me down, preferring to head directly to the donut shop upon waking.
Wow! Let's start by talking about the yeast doughnuts. They're so light and airy...almost briochelike in their lightness. They have a very good flavor. They have a very good texture. You'll never want to eat a Krispy Kreme again!
That brioche-like thing, btw, was in fact confirmed when I looked at their facebook page, which says this:
Our donuts are made from a classic brioche recipe that originated in the south of France. The dough is made from scratch every day: we start with a certified sustainable bread flour from Shepherds Grain, add Cage Free eggs from Stiebrs Farms, mix in whole milk from Sunshine Dairy, and then fold in a European-style butter from Larsen’s Creamery. All the fruits that go into our fillings and glazes are organic, and we only cook our donuts in rice oil. Our donuts are made fresh through out the day - selections change daily and sell out quickly!
The dulce de leche hazelnut was VERY sticky, owing to the fact that it was so freshly glazed. This was a bit distracting, and perhaps it would have benefitted by waiting a few minutes before consumption, you know, to let it "set". But who does that? Who can wait with something like this within arm's reach? On to the old fashioneds. Both regular (yeast) and cake.
Once again, that dazzling briochelike dough. What a fine donut!
and the old-fashioned cake for last.
A dense dough, sort of like that of a sour cream coffee cake or something. A crisp edge. Very good--but not as dazzling as the other two. But nonetheless a pure pleasure to eat.
Blue Star Donuts--just donut! You won't regret it.
Blue Star Donuts, 1237 SW Washington Street, Portland OR; online here.
cakespy undercover, donuts, portland
Reader Comments (4)
Nice job on this piece. Compelling.
My wife and I hadn't heard about Blue Star until we were in Portland last week. A local told us about it. We sampled several donuts, and I included recommendations in my most recent post about Portland.
Below is my Blue Star poem:
Blue Star's donuts: so fine and sublime
Short on sweetness, makes you want to buy 'em
Flavor, not forced upon you
Buy one donut, maybe two
You'll go, and
You'll know
The same thing that I do
The donuts, you'll want to chew
And you'll dig the vibe there, too