Case Study 006: Sesame Donuts

Site Name:    Sesame Donuts
Site Address: 6990 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale  Hwy
                      Portland, OR 97225-1461

Field Recording: Sesame Donuts by Mog Bog

Sesame Donuts is a bastion of doughy goodness in the wilderness that is Southwest Portland. Squished into the insane intersection that is the crossing of Scholls-Ferry and Beaverton-Hillsdale, this place is a little slice of Middle-Eastern doughnut heaven.

Figure 1. Site Exterior

It appears that an Arab family took it upon themselves to swoop up all the old Dunkin Donuts locations in Southwest Portland and make them their own. And man, did they do a good job. The selection is fantastic and well-priced. The requisite old men in the corner arguing about politics were at their most charming. At one in the afternoon, there was still a steady stream of customers.

Figure 2. Site Interior

The part that must be mentioned, though, is the staff. They are easily the friendliest doughnut vendors we have ever met. The staff at Sesame have created an in-store experience that is basically the doughnut equivalent of Car Talk. Everyone behind the counter loves to make bad joke after bad joke. And we're happy to groan along with them. 

Field Recording: Sesame Donuts (Gag Reel) by Mog Bog

On to the doughnuts. For this outing, we picked up three sample units: a Boston creme, an apple fritter, and the famed Sesame doughnut. We also had a chocolate milk (not reviewed here).

Figure 3. The Full Spread

Field Notes: Sesame Donuts by Mog Bog

Lorna reported positive results from her Boston creme. She said that the cream was delicious and there was a good texture to the dough. She was pleasantly surprised (as heard in the above recording).

Figure 4. Lorna's Sample

Josh said that his apple fritter was delicious. As seen in the figure below, there were large chunks of apple (a sadly infrequent occurrence in most places), good spice, and nice texture. He said that it was very moist and had the perfect degree of sweetness.

Figure 5. Josh's Sample

Josh and Lorna split (fought over) the Sesame doughnut. This gem is a lemon-glazed cake doughnut coated in sesame seeds. We don't want to stray too far into hyperbole, but this was one of the best doughnuts we've ever had. And we're professional doughnut researchers.

Figure 6. Bonus Round: The Sesame Donut

There is nothing bad that can be said about Sesame Donuts. These guys have it down. Unless you hate good doughnuts and awful puns (that is, you have no soul), you will love Sesame Donut. And it will love you back.

Figure 7. Josh at Work

 

Oh, did we mention they deliver?

Figure 8. The Sesame-Mobile

Case Study 005: Honey Jar Yogurt

Site Name:      Honey Jar Yogurt

Site Location: 13810 NE Sandy Blvd

                        Portland, OR 97230

Field Recording: Honey Jar Yogurt by Mog Bog

Honey Jar Yogurt (AKA Honey Jar Cafe, Honey Jar Donuts) is a bit of a hike from the inner city, but it's worth the trip. Honey Jar offers a little bit for everyone, with Thai food, frozen yogurt, hamburgers, and (most importantly) doughnuts on the menu. So far, the field team has sampled the doughnuts and Thai food and can report with confidence that both are excellent.

Figure 1. Site Exterior (North Side)

Figure 2. Site Exterior (East Side)

Honey Jar seems to be a neighborhood hot spot, with a good mix of people. On any given trip you might find a herd of old ladies on a doughnut mission, a young couple arguing over Thai food, or a family stopping by for a post-soccer game fro-yo. Honey Jar is an odd crossroads on the outskirts of Portland proper.

Honey Jar appears to be run entirely by a Thai family (complete with toddlers running around the place showing off their toys to unsuspecting customers). They are exceedingly nice, even staying open a little late for a last-minute Thai food run made by the field team on a certain Saturday trip to Ikea. That said, they often close early. If you're planning a trip any time past 3 or 4 in the afternoon, call ahead (503.254.2135).

Figure 3. Site Interior

Our first trip to Honey Jar was strictly business: doughnuts only. Lorna got the chocolate and coconut covered cake doughnut. Lorna reported the doughnut was pretty standard, not too dense and fairly moist. It wasn't exceptional, but it was solid. She also had a Boston Creme. She reported that this was pretty killer.

Figure 4. Lorna's Samples

Josh sampled an apple fritter. He found it to be light and crispy with very little glaze. The doughnut was exceptionally light and he claimed that he could have eaten two more easily. This claim remains unsubstantiated.

Figure 5. Josh's Sample

In sum, though Honey Jar is not a true doughnut shop it deserves recognition for managing to produce above average doughnuts while juggling just about every other type of food you could desire. So make the trip and support this funny little place. Oh, did we mention they have this awesome mural?

Figure 6. Doughnut Shrine

Case Study 004: Donut Queen

Site Name:       Donut Queen

Site Location:  5842 E Burnside St
                         Portland, OR 97215

Field Recording: Donut Queen by Mog Bog

 

Donut Queen is a post-apocalyptic doughnut shop. When the world ends and Tina Turner runs Barter Town, all doughnut shops will look like Donut Queen. And we mean no disrespect in saying this; it's part of their charm.

Figure 1. Site Exterior

 

The lady at the counter is very nice, though she always seems surprised when you show up asking for doughnuts, as if this is some sort of unusual request. The space is sparse and cold, with concrete floors and a few empty speed racks strewn about the kitchen area. They claim to also make pizza, though we have our suspicions....

Figure 2. Site Interior

Lorna sampled a chocolate covered cake doughnut. She reported nothing exceptional about her doughnut. It was sweet and heavy, but overall, pretty standard.

Figure 3. Lorna's Sample

Josh sampled an apple fritter. The glaze was thick and quite sweet. The overall taste resembled a Safeway doughnut on a really good day. It didn't help that the doughnuts were stone cold.

Generally, Donut Queen's selection is not terribly exceptional. The reason to come here is for the atmosphere. There's an eerie vibe in this place that is really charming. A friend of ours swears it's some sort of mafia front.

And besides, somebody's gotta try the pizza...