Blue Star Donuts (Portland)

food: 5/5
experience: 3.5/5
overall: 4.5/5

Blue Star was the second alternative a Lyft Portland native gave me when I suggested I wanted to go to Voodoo, the Portland doughnut landmark. Ni, he said, Voodoo is overrated and the lines are long. Lo, go to Blue Star and Pip's instead. And so I did.

Lo and behold these doughnuts are expensive! They're about tree-fitty each. The fritters are more and the doughnuts are less but it averages out to about that much. Hey, at least there's no sales tax in Portland, right? Still, a $35 bill for nine doughnuts seems a little excessive somehow. I mean they're gourmet but...

Yeah so here's the haul. Nine doughnuts in two boxes.

(from top left clockwise)

Blueberry bourbon basil: 5/5
Man. I don't taste the other two things but this shit tastes like straight up Jamba Juice as a doughnut. That is definitely a good thing.

Chocolate buttermilk old-fashioned: 4.5/5
The old-fashioned doughnut is not a typical cake texture but rather their regular brioche doughnut buttermilk base. It tastes like Cocoa Puffs with glaze, essentially. Which is to say, great.

Apple brandy crumble: 5/5
Seasonal flavor. This tastes rich and has an apple pie type flavor to it but overall it just tastes "good". I don't know how to describe it. The brandy is very, very subtle. It's pretty sweet.

Raspberry rosemary buttermilk: 4/5
Tastes similar to the blueberry in that it's very fruity but the flavor isn't as complex as I'd expect. The rosemary almost goes unnoticed unless you know it's in there. Good, gourmet, but not great.

(from top left clockwise)

Hard apple cider fritter: 5/5
I haven't had many apple fritters in my life but I can definitely say this is the best one I've had so far. A nice, thick crust cut into chunks with a delicious apple pie filling inside. There's some nuts in there too, not sure which kind, but they add a nice crunch. Delicious sugary glazing on the outside. I need more apple fritters in my life.

Kabocha squash fritter: 5/5
I couldn't tell which one this was because I had it first of the two fritters. At first all I tasted was fritter (delicious, delicious fritter), but then the inside. Oh man. All hail kabocha squash, the superior form of pumpkin. Seriously kabocha squash pie needs to be a thing. Shame this is only seasonal.

Cinnamon sugar: 4/5
A nice cinnamon sugar doughnut, not much to it but it tastes good. For the price though you can pretty much get this anywhere. I'd skip this one due to the cost.

Mexican hot chocolate: 5/5
Vegan for what it's worth. This might be the best doughnut I've ever had. It's double chocolate and it's got the rich chocolate sauce on top. There is a slight kick in the aftertaste, not too spicy, just the perfect amount. Chocolate and chili are a match made in heaven.

Chocolate almond ganache: 4/5
Dark chocolate frosting with almonds on top. The chocolate is rich and the doughnut is a simple brioche. It's fine. Not worth the price tag though.

Blue Star has expanded from six locations in Portland's greater metro area, to three more in Southern California. Are they the next Randy's? ...Nah... Randy's forever holds a special place in my heart. I could never give up on my big doughnut sign.