THE HOLY DONUT: A DIVINE BITE IN PORTLAND, MAINE

Donuts aren’t one of our go to foods but something about Portland’s THE HOLY DONUT caught our attention: they served Maine’s potato donuts, an unusual alternative way of making the tasty treats with mashed potatoes, so we knew we had to give them a try during our day trip to Portland (Sat Aug 3, 2024).

The Holy Donut is located on Commerical Street directly opposite one of Portland’s busy waterfronts, so was very easy to find. It had a short line outside - and a delicious smell - but it didn’t take us long to get inside and be served by their friendly staff. 

Family owned, it was established in 2012 by Leigh Kellis, a single mom, who was keen to create a healthier donut for her kids using natural ingredients. With support from her family, the business became a success and now has over 120 team members with 5 stores around Maine. 

We ordered:

🥓 Bacon cheddar $5.25

🍩 Cinnamon sugar $4.25

🫐 Blueberry glazed $4.50

☕️ Drip coffee (12 oz) = $2.85

😢 Tax (8%) = $1.35

💰 Total = $18.20

The drip coffee was self-serve and I somehow managed to overfill my cup and spill it all over my hand. Ouch! The Holy Donut Blend was good and was the perfect accompaniment to the donuts. 

We took our hand-shaped treats with us to the nearby Long Wharf and sat opposite a remnant of the Berlin Wall in the sunshine. 

Still full from our breakfast of OOB’s Beach Bagels, we sensibly shared the donuts. We started with the bacon cheddar, as we had never seen a fully savoury doughnut before, and found that it was packed full of stringy cheese. Yum!

The sweeter cinnamon sugar and blueberry donuts were tasty, but like with the bacon one, were quite dry and dense. It was just as well we got the drip coffee to wash them down. You couldn’t taste the potatoes, of course, but the texture was there. We couldn’t finish the donuts off and wrapped them back up to have later. 

We have had bigger and better donuts (at more reasonable prices) from Voodoo Doughnut at Hollywood, Ca. and Orlando, Fl., a doughnut chain also founded in Portland - but Portland, Oregon, not Maine - and while the aesthetics, ethos and vision of that wacky doughnut chain were very different to The Holy Donut, we were still pleased to have visited and tried some of Maine’s unusual potato donuts made with wholesome local ingredients and positive vibes. 

---

📌 THE HOLY DONUT

177 Commercial St., Portland, ME 04102

🌐 www.theholydonut.com

---

See all our Maine photographs in a special album on our Facebook page >>> P&K USA

SIPPING ON TRADITION AT DAVE’S COFFEE (PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND)

Coffee Milk is the official state drink of Rhode Island and we knew it was served at DAVE’S COFFEE, a stylish little cafe in a pretty Providence neighborhood alongside the picturesque river and not far from the marina. 

Upon arrival in the city on Thursday August 1 2024, we sought out Dave’s Coffee on S. Main St. while taking a pleasant walk in the sun.

Dave's Coffee, Main St., Providence, RI

We ordered:

🥤 Coffee Milk Latte (12 oz) = $5.00

🍋 Lemonade (20 oz) = $4.25

🍩 Blackberry Matcha Donut = $4.95

💰 Total = $13.50

(Not sure why the numbers don’t add up, and we didn’t ask for a receipt)

Trying coffee milk for the first time at Dave's Coffee.

We took a seat in the window and tried one of Dave’s donuts, which were hand-made and baked fresh on the premises. We didn’t know what a blackberry matcha donut was, so we turned to Google and learn it was green tea powder! The donut was full of fruit, juicy and sweet as anything thanks to the blackberry glaze, but we sensibly cut it in half and shared. 

The blackberry matcha donut at Dave's Coffee.

As it was 91°F outside and rising, we also ordered an icy cold lemonade to help us cool down.

Ice-cold coffee milk at Dave's Coffee.

But the main reason we came to Dave’s Coffee was for coffee milk. We didn’t know what to expect when we took that first sip but were pleasantly surprised by the delicate caramel flavor.  It is made from Dave’s Original Rhode Island Coffee Milk Syrup mixed with milk and can be served hot or cold (which we elected for). It didn’t last long and we probably should have ordered a larger portion!

Interior of Dave's Coffee, Providence, RI.

Earlier that morning, before we departed Connecticut for Rhode Island, we had called at a Starbucks not far from New Haven Green, for a couple of coffees at breakfast time. While we do enjoy Starbucks, it was nice to visit a more intimate kind of coffee shop with unique products. There are only two Dave’s Coffee cafes: the one we visited in Providence and another 40 miles away in Charlestown. The coffee beans at Dave’s are roasted in their own premises at Narragansett in small batches. The business was founded in 1998 by Dave Lanning as a small cafe but evolved in 2009 when he started roasting his own beans. 

Interior of Dave's Coffee, Providence, RI.

Dave’s Coffee felt like a ‘mom and pop’ business thanks to the friendly staff who served us, the quirky store design and the indie vibes it all gave off. 

The view of Main Street from Dave's Coffee.

We enjoyed our drinks and snack and, refreshed, left Dave’s Coffee to complete our walk around Providence in the summer sunshine. 

---

📌 DAVE'S COFFEE

341 S. Main St., Providence, RI 02903

🌐 www.davescoffee.com

---

See all our Rhode Island photographs in a special album on our Facebook page >>> P&K USA

LOOK BACK: VOODOO DOUGHNUT (UNIVERSAL ORLANDO)

 

“Good things come in pink boxes” and that’s definitely true at VOODOO DOUGHNUT at Universal Orlando’s City Walk. 

The doughnut eatery was founded in 2003 in Portland, Oregon, and while it has outlets in at least 9 U.S. states, the only one in Florida is at Universal Orlando’s City Walk, which became the company’s seventh store in 2018. We had walked by it dozens of times over the last few years, on our way to and from Universal Studios, but had never ventured inside. 

Voodoo often gets very busy and the line can extend outside. They have a couple of clever systems to help:

• Mobile Pickup. Simply scan the QR, download the app and pick your collection time. When we tested it, the doughnuts could have been ready for collection as quickly as in 15 minutes. Not bad, when the line was extending out the store!

• Inside the store, staff members walk the spiral line, taking your order as you pore over the menus and salivate at the revolving samples of the types of doughnuts on offer.

We lined up on a visit during a quiet period - 12:50pm on New Year’s Day 2024 - and received our doughnuts within 6 mins. 

That wasn’t the only impressive thing. The total cost of our order was less than $10! We heard another customer also commenting on how reasonable the prices were (they might have been even cheaper if you ordered multiples).

We ordered:

🕺 Memphis Mafia - a large fritter with banana chunks and cinnamon, covered in glaze, chocolate and peanut butter, peanuts and chocolate chips. The biggest and priciest offering. $5.95

🍩 Dirt - a ring doughnut with vanilla frosting and Oreo cookies. $3.20

😢 Tax = $0.60

💰 Total = $9.75

On our previous visit to Voodoo, in summer 2023 at Universal Hollywood, we sensibly shared a Memphis Mafia fritter for breakfast. This time we chose one each but still ended up sharing the Elvis themed one, as it was so big!

We sat in the sunshine on City Walk, tucking in to our doughnuts, watching the store get busier and busier as people ventured inside to try the magical flavors on offer. We are bound to return some day, and will be brave and try something different (the Voodoo Doll doughnut looks great!).

LOOK BACK: VOODOO DOUGHNUT (UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD)

VOODOO DOUGHNUT - it's now or never at Universal Studios Hollywood!

We’ve always been curious about Voodoo Doughnut when visiting City Walk at Universal Orlando, but the line to get in has always been long or we’ve been full of theme park food and not hungry. Since then, "Voo were always on our mind". So when we arrived at City Walk Hollywood very early on August 1st 2023 for our VIP Studio Tour and saw that Voodoo had just opened for the day, we knew it was now or never!

As we greedily skipped up to the counter we gave no thought to the fact that we would shortly be lavished with an eat all you want breakfast and later a gourmet lunch. Fortunately we only ordered one donut, to share (never been known), as when it arrived it was HUGE! 

Not bad for $6.50. 

As big fans of Elvis Presley and the City of Memphis, as soon as we saw a doughnut called “MEMPHIS MAFIA” we knew we had to choose that one. Wise men say only fools rush in, but we didn’t even look at the rest of the menu as this one was at the top!

The Memphis Mafia was fried dough (like a fritter) with banana chunks and cinnamon, topped with glaze, chocolate chips, peanuts, and chocolate and peanut butter drizzle, synonymous with a snack Elvis liked when he had the munchies on those late Graceland nights. 

We sat outside Voodoo in the early morning sunshine all shook up at the size of the doughnut. It was a monster! And like monsters, we demolished it - with some effort, as the forks kept bending!

Delicious! Banana-ery! Chocolately. Peanut buttery. It was like a hunk of burning love! It was like the sweet song of a choir! It was like the Lord had given us a mountain to climb. 

Then it was gone! We didn’t leave a crumb. 

The doughnut had left the building!