Voodoo Doughnut

In my previous job, I wrote an irritatingly long slideshow (irritating to write, publish, and read), naming the best doughnuts in every state. As a British person who'd only recently moved to New York, hadn't traveled much throughout the US, and only had half a day to pull together the list, I was in no position to be writing this piece. Sadly, this publication wasn't so bothered by that, so I wrote it anyway. 

As a consequence, whenever we now travel somewhere new, checking off the top doughnuts I told the country they absolutely had to eat has become a slightly nerve-wracking must-do. So, in Portland, we simply had to visit Voodoo Doughnuts.

I had previously described Voodoo Doughnuts (which, of course, I had never been to or heard of before writing this piece) as: "a quirky stand serving up some of the most off-the-wall creations the doughnut world has ever seen." Well, I wasn't too wrong. In fact, now, having visited, I wholeheartedly agree with myself. Phew. That was lucky. 

On a Monday morning there was, for once, no line outside. We walked straight in, stared at the mesmerizing doughnut carousel, and took a pick of two options of the far too many on offer. Were they the best in the state? I'm still not qualified to say, but they were pretty awesome. The Portland Cream was fluffy, exploding with silky custard, and covered in sickly sweet chocolate (and had adorable eyes on it). B's Dirt Doughnut was a perfect ring doughnut, covered in an amazing pile of smashed Oreos. Fancy schmancy doughnuts these are not. Fun, sweet, uber-American doughnuts these certainly are.

Voodoo Doughnuts, 22 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204.

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Salt and Straw

We came home from a long weekend in Portland less than a month ago. After a few weeks back in NYC it feels like a lifetime ago. They were four very happy days.

Portland is beautifully different from New York: kids play in the street, adults leave work at five, stunning gardens spill onto the road, everyone smiles, people say hello, and you can breathe and laugh and not be looked at as if there's something wrong with you. 

However, it turns out we can't quite shake our New York spirit: we decided to spend a good 30 minutes of this mini break in a New York-style line for ice cream. However, the experience inside — both the ice cream and the service, made it totally worth it.

Salt and Straw has a few locations throughout the city (as well as in LA and SF), and on the hot, sunny weekend we were visiting, they all had a line out the door the entire time. A line of locals and tourists waited patiently, helping each other out to preempt what their order was going to be, and discussing the top flavor combination tips.

When you finally reach the front, an ice cream aficionado will talk you through all the options. We had a student from Johns Hopkins university who greeted us, talked to us about our background, family history, life, trip to Portland, and more, before insisting that we sample every flavor. Only then were we allowed to make a decision. I don't mean to sound negative. This was wonderful. We're simply not used to this obsession with making sure you're happy and getting what you want from a girl who I think could quite possibly be the next President. 

After a long tasting, we settled on different combinations. We found a shaded seat outside to perch on and enjoy the creamy chocolate gooey brownie, cinnamon snickerdoodle, honey and lavender, sea salt with caramel ribbons, and other fab combinations, all balanced in a freshly made waffle cone. And of course this was accompanied by a man and his guitar. This is Portland after all.

Salt and Straw, locations throughout Portland. 

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