Location: The Corner of 3rd and Ash in Portland
What I Think:
The first time I tried Donut O Rama, I did so with a Living Social Voucher. I had hoped to try donuts from their first food cart, with an expansive menu that included Banana Bacon Donuts. Yes, that’s what I said: Banana Bacon Donuts. It was this donut, as well as their Creme Brulee Donut, that made the decision to purchase the Living Social voucher a no-brainer. Had to try BOTH of these donuts.
Unfortunately, by the time I was able to visit the food cart, it had closed.
I kept a close watch on Donut O Rama’s twitter feed to find out where it would be reopening … and they eventually did, in a food cart located at 3rd and Ash in Portland. Unfortunately, this food cart posed some limitations … specifically, it did not have a ventilation system that allowed for a larger menu. So the only donuts that were being made in this new food cart were Beignets (light, fluffy pillows of air and sugar … YUM!) and Creme Brulee Beignets (instead of the air, imagine the pillow packed full of creamy vanilla custard … and then topping that pillow with sugar and torching it until the sugar has caramelized to a crackly crunch! )
I have since visited DonutORama a couple of times, and while I have to admit that while I was a wee bit disappointed that I am not going to be trying the banana bacon donut any time soon, this Creme Brulee Beignet is so amazing, that I find myself less sad about not getting the banana bacon donut. Not just “less sad” … but absolutely loving these Creme Brulee Beignets. They are absolutely crave-able!
I love the thick, caramelized sugar “crust” on these beignets. It’s thicker and crackly-crunchier than any traditionally served Creme Brulee I’ve ever tasted. And I love that they caramelize the Creme Brulee right before your eyes. I think I started drooling before I could sink my teeth into this delightful pastry.
My Final Thoughts:
Creme Brulee is absolutely my favorite dessert of all time … and this Creme Brulee Beignet captures the essence of the classic dessert so delightfully well. Yes, I would still prefer a Creme Brulee over a Creme Brulee Beignet … only because I prefer the taste of the caramelized sugar crust that has been cooked onto the custard. However, these certainly come close to the real thing, and a bonus: I don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant to enjoy the guilty pleasure of Creme Brulee!
Note: Since Donut O Rama has been known to move and has informed me that they may be moving in the near future, I recommend keeping up with them on Facebook to find out the latest regarding their location and their menu!
Hungry in Portland 