Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland

The first time I visited Portland was in 2005. We were coming back from a summer road trip through the Pacific Northwest, and blew in for a day to see my good friend Josh. It was there that he and his then-girlfriend (now-wife) Nundhini first initiated us into the cult of Voodoo Doughnuts.

Since then we had heard frightening rumors that Voodoo had closed. So when we visited just a few weeks ago (for Josh's wedding), we breathed a slow, measured sigh of relief realizing it not only was alive and kicking, but was only blocks from our hotel.

We were assured of this by our good friends Janus and Marcy, whose pad we crashed at our first night in Portland. They took us out for burgers at Dots, in an urbane little neighborhood with an independent record shop on each corner. Quaffing pitchers of PBRs in the dark velvet-wallpapered, unisexed-bathroomed speakeasy, we were in hipster heaven. The comparisons to Minneapolis dive bars were inevitable (like a more loungy Matt's), but Portland would probably win the prize for coolest vibe. After-dinner drinks (very pleasant nouveau mojitos and irish coffees) were provided by Matchbox Lounge, which was literally next door to their apartment.

As for Voodoo Doughnuts? Yes, it was still around.

"The two owners of that place are famous around here. I see them all the time," Janus said, after we were back at their apartment, drunkenly playing the theme to Silver Spoons on his homebuilt marimba. He explained that one of them (Tres Shannon) is a "nightlife icon" who can be seen about town in distinctive garb and rock-star persona. The other co-owner (Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson) is also the announcer for the local roller derby team, the Rose City Rollers.

We finally got our chance to go Sunday morning, right before we had to leave Portland. It was worth the wait.

The counter, surprisingly crowded at 9am in Sunday morning.

A rotating display case -- classic. But what to choose?

My pick: Froot Loops on a frosted raised. Mmm.

There were so many donuts Voodoo is famous for, it was very difficult to choose just one. There's the maple bacon bar (with real bacon on top), Tang powder-topped mango donuts, the classic cock-and-balls shape, the humongous Tex-Ass donut (a raised glased the bigger than your head, and the inspiration for an annual eating contest), the classic "voodoo" donut (shaped like a little man, jabbed with pretzel-stick pins, and filled with blood-colored jelly).

What sets Voodoo apart from your average donut shop is the added aura of danger and bawdiness. Absent from their menu is their most legendary of their offerings, the Ny-Quil and Pepto-Bismol donuts, pulled because of the over-the-counter medication in the glaze. It also takes a special kind of donut purveyor to sponsor a contest to see who can fit the most donuts on his erect penis.

In the end, I saw that the cereal topped donuts were still sitting in the rack of trays, so I figured they were the freshest, and went for one. It was really good. Sweet but not too sweet, with a great combination of textures.

For more info, check out this interview with co-owner Kenneth Pogson posted on YouTube. He talks about the origin of the shop, and their many famous (and infamous) donut variety.