Part 2
I was on a cross-country trip from Rhode Island to Santa Cruz and I stopped to visit my Uncle Froggy and Uncle Chris. They knew that I loved donuts so when I woke up in the morning, my uncle had already gone to his favorite donut shop but it was closed! He couldn't come home empty handed so he stopped at gas station and grabbed a donut. Truthfully, I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was! When I go back to Kent, Ohio I will find that gas station and give it a proper critique for the blog.
Thanks for reading.
Dave
PS. I'm thinking about making Donut Blog T-Shirts for fun. Please let me know if you would be interested in one. Thanks!
I have never seen a donut combo meal… until now. This place really takes donut service to the next level. 2 donuts and a coffee for $2.29 (Combo #1). What a deal! Vibe of Shop: 4 Nadas
This was the largest donut shop I have ever seen. There were so many seats for lounging, and the ordering area was huge, but they still successfully pulled off the décor of a classic donut shop, specifically the ugly tile floor.
Outside Appearance: 3 Nadas
This was like taking McDonalds and making it a donut shop, drive through and all.
Hours: 24/7!!!!
Service: 4 ½ Nadas
They service help was very friendly and fun. We had some laughs together but there was one thing that perplexed me.Dunkin’ Donuts is as much a coffee shop as it is a donut shop and when Jenn asked for a Latte with 2 shots of espresso, they didn’t understand how to make the drink or how to ring it up on the register. I saw a commercial on TV claiming that consumers preferred Dunkin’ coffee to Starbucks coffee. This is what I think: If you’re going to be a donut shop, know how to make good donuts. If you’re going to be a coffee shop, make sure your employees know what a soy double-short white chocolate no-whip mocha is.
Taste of Glaze Donut: 4 Nadas
This Dunkin’ Glaze was better than my first experience. I think it was fresher. This being my second glaze from Dunkin, I noticed something about it: the glaze donut has a hint of tartness or fruitiness. I wonder what the ingredient is….
Blueberry Donut: Yes! And more… On this visit I tried a Blueberry Crunch donut. It was so delicious. I recommend it if you are looking to branch out.
Coffee: 2 Nadas
I keep hearing these rumors about Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee being amazing… So far, I can only rate the coffee as mediocre. Maybe I am spoiled from all the great quality coffee in Santa Cruz, or maybe the rumors were started by Dunkin’ employees to sell more coffee. All I know is that my taste buds were not impressed.
Special: They sell these little dough nuggets, which are usually known as donut holes.
The Dunkin’ Donut chain stores call them “Munchkins.” At this particular shop, they had jelly filled powdered munchkins… and they were AMAZING!!! Little mouth-fulls of pure joy, like a donut party in your mouth.
View Dunkin' Donuts in a larger map
Overall Shop rating: A Creepy 4 Nadas
What do you get when you mix hot oil, sassiness, a little sugar, and flour? Voodoo Donuts.
This shop was kind of creepy. It was nice that there was ample space to sit and enjoy your donut but what was strange was the type of seating. They had elementary school desks, a dentist chair, and a coffin bench. I do appreciate the creativity. It goes well with the Voodoo theme. Also present: Adams family pinball machines.
Outside Appearance: 4 Nadas
I forget the movie title, but do you remember the movie where the smiley clown is evil and kills people? Or do you ever notice when an intense gun fight is shown over Bach? I forget what that is called (I think irony) but Voodoo Donuts, a shop with a gothic, twisted and slightly perverted take on donuts, fully embraces pink. Most dozen donut boxes are pink.
Hours: 24 Hours
Service: A slightly gross 4 Nadas
The waitress was friendly, she had cool tattoos, but she had 2 things going against her: 1. She was not Asian, which I am completely fine with me, but Asian Donut People just make me comfortable. 2. She had bushes of hair screaming from her armpits. I kept imagining that a short curly armpit hair would fall on a donut as she reached into the display case to grab donuts. Ew. It grossed me out. (I’m sorry, donut girl, if you are reading this. I don’t mean to hate on your shaving preferences)
I can’t deny it. No matter how strange I felt to be in that shop, their glaze donut is amazingly moist, fluffy, and a perfect balance of sweetness.
Blueberry Donut: Who cares?! They have Maple bars with real Bacon, Donuts with Captian Crunch and more. Read the blog on Voodoo Doughnut 1 for more details.
Coffee: 5 Nadas
Stumptown Coffee. Fresh, strong, delicious. Again, read the blog on Voodoo Doughnut 1 for more details.
Special: What made this experience especially creepy was that, on this day, they were hosting a Halloween Luau in the parking lot. There were several Hearse Coffin Cars on display, gothic face-painting booths, cute little innocent blonde children running around with death face paint, a gothic belly dancer and more weird crap. It was really strange. They were trying to raise money so that a little girl could go to Rock and Roll camp, so I do respect that.
Hold on…
OK. I’m back… So Felix, my roommate, unaware that I was typing this right now, called me to the living room to watch a segment on the travel channel. This is crazy… It was on VooDoo Doughnuts!!!! I’m tripping out right now. Ha.
Anyway, I just learned that there are over 6000 different donuts shops in the USA. VooDoo Doughnuts contributes 2 shops to that number and was started by 2 guys named Cat Daddy and Tres…. And they are crazy. Ha. Here’s my experience with their shop.
Vibe of Shop: 4
This shop has a ton of style. They had amazing paintings, a giant donut, and an underlying pink theme. It is very playful. The only problem is that there is no place inside or out to sit and enjoy the donuts. (I actually took my donuts over to Stumptown Coffee shop to eat them.)
Outside Appearance: 5 Nadas
I loved the vintage brick look. I also loved the little nook, hole-in-the-wall look.
Hours: 5 Nadas
24 Hours!!! This donut shop is perfectly located in the downtown section of Portland known to the locals as “the Bar-muda triangle.” Strategically placed in the middle of multiple bars, as they all close, hungry drunks can grab a donut to soak up the alcohol.
Service: 3 Nadas
This is a pretty popular place, so as I ordered, the service was all business. They had cool style though… Somewhat of a Portland city hippie/hipster vibe. Note: Not predominately Asian
Taste of Glaze Donut: 5 Nadas
This donut was delightfully rich, moist, fluffy, and sweet, although overshadowed by all the specialty donuts.
Blueberry Donut? See “Special” below
Coffee: 5 Nadas
In Portland, there is a coffee company called Stumptown Coffee. While in Portland, I visited the Stumptown Annex for a coffee “cupping.” These people take coffee seriously just like how Voodoo Doughtnuts takes donut making seriously. Simply put, the coffee was great.
Special: Beyond the plethora of dirty donut options (ie. Tex-Ass, Cock-N-Balls, the Gay Bar, Vegan Cock, Old Dirty Bastard) this shop had the most creative donuts I have yet seen. Here are some examples:
1. The Voodoo Doll – shaped like a person, covered with chocolate, white frosting draws the face, raspberry filling to imitate blood, and a straight pretzel stabbing the doll in the side…Scarily delicious!
2. Captain My Captain – a raised donut covered in white frosting topped with Captain Crunch Cereal.
3. Bacon Maple Bar – Yes, this donut has real bacon on it! Unfortunately I was unable to taste this donut as they were out of it when I asked. Think about it though, breakfast… Pancakes with maple syrup…Bacon on the side, but the syrup spills off the pancakes and runs all over and around the bacon. This is all that in a donut!
And, yes, they do have simple blueberry donuts.
PS. They sell pink underwear and… they are licensed to legally performing wedding ceremonies in their shop!!! Amazing.
Vibe of Shop: 5 Nadas
One of the more cleaner shops I’ve ever been to, it shows that these people take donuts very seriously. Cleanliness equals pride. Unfortunately, pride does not always equal amazing donuts.
Outside Appearance: 4 Nadas
This place tips cuteness scale but… looks aren’t everything. Tucked between auto shops and business offices, I’m not sure I’d like to spend much time hanging out here.
Hours: 1 Nadas
It gets 1 Nada for only being open occasionally. The hours are slim, but it is in Scotts Valley. There’s not much going on in this town.. 7am-12pm 6 days a week or so.
Service: 5 Nadas
First I must point out: Not Asian, a rarity in donut shops. She was very kind and helpful…. Kind of reminded me of grandma.
Taste of Glaze Donut: 2 Nadas
I tasted the donut and was very disappointed. It was dry and not fresh. I came to find out that the donuts are made in another shop and delivered here in the morning. Boo.
Blueberry Donut? Yes! And the kind with delicious blueberry frosting.
Coffee: 3 Nadas
On a rough morning, this stuff will get you going, but I wouldn’t go out of my way just to taste it (which is what I did for this blog. Ha. I just realized that).
When Sarah heard that I had a donut blog, she immediately started throwing out names of great donut shops. The one she said I definitely had to check out was called Sunshine Donutes in San Luis Obispo. She said that it is open 24 hours which makes it the perfect place for insomniac college students to get donuts at the wee hours of the night. This reminds me a lot of my love, Ferrell’s Donuts on Ocean in Santa Cruz.
Vibe of Shop: 3 ½ Nadas
It was a normal donut shop, kind of small and slightly cramped inside. I did love the “donut bar” area.
Outside Appearance: 2 Nadas
It was kind of boring. I did visit at night so I didn’t really get to see the surrounding area but there wasn’t anything special that made this shop “pop.”
Hours: 24 Hours
Service: 5 Nadas
The service was great! Maybe Colleen, the lady working, was bored, but after eating my donut I told her about my donut blog and how I would love to see the process in which a donut is made. She invited me to the back and walked me through the whole donut making process. It was so fun! After this night, I committed to making my own donut from scratch!
Taste of Glaze Donut: 4 Nadas
I remember this donut being very tasty and moist, but it didn’t blow my mind like others I have had.
Blueberry Donut… Yes!!!
Coffee: 3 Nadas
It was just average.
Special: They had Apple Sauce donuts. I thought this was a but strange, but I am a huge fan of apple sauce. They tasted good.
Thank you, Colleen, for inspiring me to create a perfectly round fried piece of dough. I will take your direction and implement your wisdom and I will make you proud.
I have attended these beautiful evenings many times and have ridden the Giant Dipper (I highly recommend this ride) more times that I can count on my fingers and toes, but I had overlooked something special… until a few nights ago. I was walking from the mini golf course to the Giant Dipper with my friend Jimmie Adams, when I noticed something amazing, calling out and challenging me. I had never noticed this before and that could be because my donut radar is more tuned in these days, but there in the window of a food vendor was a glaze donut, about the size of my head!!!!! Oh my goodness, I was in heaven. The first thought that crossed my mind was, “Beauty is fleeting. It is the inside that counts.” What did this massive beauty taste like?
*Note* As I had just eaten a large dinner, I knew that my stomach would not allow me to indulge in a complete head-sized donut, so I shared it with my donut-critics in training, John and Dylan.
Vibe of Shop: 1 Nadas
This wasn’t a shop specifically dedicated to donuts. It is like a country fair at the Boardwalk. Snotty-nosed kids running around and people waking by with giant stuffed animals. It was entertaining but definitely not relaxing as a donut shop should be.
Outside Appearance: 3 Nadas
I love the Boardwalk.
Hours: 3 Nadas
10am to 10pm… It’s a good chunk of the day, but still not 24 hours as I prefer.
Service: 3 Nadas
It’s all business here. Under paid
Taste of Glaze Donut: 5 Nadas!!!
Oh My! When they sell you a donut, they put it in the microwave for several seconds. This really brings out and accents the moistness and flavor. Woo! I loved it.
Blueberry Donut? Unfortunately, NO. But this was about one thing only Giant Glaze Donut.
Coffee: N/A
I forgot to taste it.
For an eventful exhilarating evening I suggest this.
1. Buy 1 or 2 massive donuts.
2. Walk to the Giant Dipper while consuming the donuts.
3. Ride the Giant Dipper 3 times back to back.
4. Puke.
Now that’s what I call fun. ;-)
“Always Fresh”
Vibe of Shop: 5 Nadas
I loved the florescent lights inside. They reminded me of a 50’s diner. The tables were perfectly spaced and placed. It was homey, comfortable, and fun.
Outside Appearance: 4 1/2 Nadas
I have 2 things to say: 1.) I love the “Star” part of the sign. It’s genius. 2.) Three florescent “Open” signs. Wow. That’s commitment to letting customers know that they are open. I love it. The only thing I dislike is the location being in a strip mall, but that is donut culture, I guess.
Hours: Weekdays 5am – 1pm, Weekends 6am – 1pm
It’s not 24 hours… but I don’t care. They taste and service outweigh the lack of available donut consumption hours.
Service: 5 Nadas
The staff was super friendly and accommodating… and Asian.
Taste of Glaze Donut: 5 Nadas
Amazing. Moist. Sweet, but not overpowered with glaze.
Blueberry Donut? Unfortunately, no. But when there’s an amazing glaze, you need nothing else.
Coffee: 4 Nadas
It was tasty. It wasn’t a gourmet espresso drink from Italy, but it was still great.
Special: This has nothing to do with donuts, but everything to do with Lodi. If you happen to find yourself in Lodi, CA, please visit the Serpentarium. It is a reptile shop with amazing creepy creatures. I really enjoyed it.