Portland: Voodoo Doughnuts, Stumptown Coffee, and other "stuff"

For people who don't like to eat in restaurants, the In-Laws sure did enjoy the breakfast buffets at the Embassy Suites. I on the other had other things in mind. And though several people mentioned that the location of the Embassy Suites in Downtown Portland was right on the "edge" of the more "scary" part of Downtown Portland, we had no problems. In fact I loved that we were just a block away from two of my favorite places in Portland.

The first being Voodoo Doughnuts.

This small and dark little doughnut shop with the edgy-punk look makes up some pretty good doughnuts.

And though there are many "fun" and offbeat names....stuff like the "Triple Chocolate Penetration", the "Arnold Palmer", and the ah..ahem, "Cock-n-Balls", being the unhip and boring Guy that I am...I just order the Old Fashioned Glazed. Now the Missus needs to undergo some serious Krispy Kreme deprogramming, She found the doughnut too light and fluffy, and gasp".... old fashioned", but not so bad that She was able to hold off taking a bite until I took a photo.

As you can see it is good stuff! Reminds me of the doughnuts we used to get at this little renegade doughnut shop in Honolulu Chinatown. The shop located in a tiny doorway would only open from midnight to about 6 am, and made some great doughnuts.

Voodoo Doughnut
22 Sw 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204

It was my plan to take my doughnut down the street and grab a cup o' joe from my favorite coffee shop in Portland(the doughnut never made it):

Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

Now from what I understand Stumptown hand roasts all their own coffee beans in small batches. Just watching the Baristas hard at work, you can tell they're pros.

And though the crew is rather "detached" and the room cavernous(better for the afternoon DJ, I guess) and loud. The coffee is always rich and smooth. All three cups I had there were excellent. The Missus even thought the coffee was "too smooth", and lacked character....sounds like She needs some Starbucks deprogramming as well!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters
128 Sw 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204

After breakfast we met up and walked the 2-3 blocks to the Portland Saturday Market, which I've posted on before , so I thought I'd just do a few photos.

Now the In-Laws are not big on lunch, so I managed to sneak in a "snack" from this booth:

I ordered some Pierogies($4.75). You know me and dumplings! A friend's Mom used to always make us fresh pierogies when she visited, and boy did I love them! These however, were not that good.

The toppings were much better than the pierogies. The potatoes were really dry. But still this was more than enough carbs to keep me going.

You see, the day was just beginning. With the help of FOY ("friend of yoso") Guilty Carnivore(thanks, man!), I was able to plan our day to the last detail. Some timing was involved, you see, even though the Max Light Rail ran every few minutes to Washington Park, the Washington Park Shuttle wasn't beginning service until later in the month. So we had to coordinate our arrival with Route 63, or wait up to an hour between buses. As it happened we did well, and made to our destination.....first

The International Rose Test Garden.

And though we were a bit early in the season, and many of the roses weren't in bloom, we still enjoyed the beauty of it all.

We also made time for the Portland Japanese Garden which is right across the street, also worth a visit.

I was surprised at how the photos turned out from my little ultracompact camera......

We managed to catch the Bus back to downtown and after getting the In-Laws settled and a short break went out for dinner......

To Be Continued!

Comments

[Chubbypanda]

Voodoo Doughnuts rocks! Elonweis was just up in Portland for a convention and she brought back many photos. Did you try the maple bar with bacon? =D

[howie]

Looks like a fun trip! I've been dying to go to Voodoo Doughnuts once I read about the Bacon Maple Bar.

Speaking of coffee, have you tried Caffe Calabria in North Park? They roast their own beans in small batches as well. And they are one of only a couple places in SD where you can consistently get a latte that looks like the ones on coffeegeek.com.

[Cathy]

Ha- Starbucks deprogramming. Sometimes I get the "bold" coffee of the day with an add shot.
Perhaps I can show you some home made pierogies very soon...you know you can make them with kraut as well as the mashed potatoes and cheese...oh an a dessert pierogi- filled with prunes (ahem, dried plums, as the California whatever Board now calls them...)

[Christine D.]

Wow, those ARE some great photos! It helps that everything up there is so beautiful.

[thess]

'deprogramming' *chuckles*
donut offbeat names *chuckles again, this time teeth showing*

wonderful pictures, Kirk...I especially love the one with squirrel (i love love squirrels!) those flowers, I only see them in orange colour around here-those are gorgeous! as well as the gardens.

btw, thanks for answering my Q back at my page :)

[Lynnea]

I absolutely loved sitting in the left hand window of stumptown while watching all the fun people walk by. It's a great spot. Bad area of Portland? but stumptown's on the west side. Walk around on the east side for a slightly scarier experience.

[elmomonster]

I think that Voodoo donut is where Bourdain had a maple donut with bacon!

[Kirk]

Hi CP - No, I just stuck to regular glazed. I saw soneone eating one though......

Hi Howie - Not yet....I'm waiting until they get their oven installed.

Hi Cathy - Sounds yummy....the problem is, I may never leave! ;o)

Hi Christine - I never get tired of the deep green hues......

Hi Thess - No problemo, it's nice to have you posting again!

Hi Lynnea - Actually, I was told the scary part of Downtown Portland. I did take an early morning stroll through Chinatown, and did see groups of men hanging out, and running to cars to make "transactions", but they seem to keep to themselves.

Hi Elmo - That's what I've been told, sorry to say I missed Bourdain's Pacific NW episodes.