Donut Dash and Dine Results-Portland
So this past Saturday, we invited some people over for a Donut Dash and Dine. The idea is that everyone goes to different Donut Shops at the same time, gets the same kind of donut (in this case, raised chocolate frosted) and brings it back to a central location (our house), where hot coffee is waiting.
We tasted for Best overall, best smell, dough flavor, dough texture, icing flavor, icing texture and the ultimate loser. We tested (though not all pictured): Donuts Plus in Beaverton, Helen Bernhards, Fred Meyer, Annies, Krispy Kreme, and Acme. Missing is Tonallis, Coco, Delicious Donuts, Whole Foods, Safeway, New Seasons and Heavenly on Lombard.
Helen’s took top honors, Donuts plus had marginally more aromatic dough, but wasn’t a better overall experience, but definitely comprable. Krispy Kremes were the worst (and there were 9 of us). They were also the most expensive. Acme was the real surprise, because despite a non-competitive dough, they did go for the dark chocolate ganache instead of the classic milk chocolate icing - it was buttery and melted instantly.
Helen Bernhard, congratulations! You’ve won this round and move on to compete with the aforementioned shops at a date in the near future. The first time I had your donuts (http://www.helenbernhardbakery.com/), I thought they were dreamy and reminded me of my all-time favorite donut shop in NYC, The Donut Pub (http://www.donutpub.com/home.aspx : Make sure you turn off your speakers! Music is horrible). That’s the penultimate donut experience as it’s a proper counter where you can sit on your swivel chair at 4 in the morning and have a donut and a coffee.
Anyhow, there you have it-
