Acme Donuts

I have an weakness for a good donut, and I’ve tried a vast majority of the donut shops around town. A good donut should be no frills, no extravagant toppings, and still be able to hold up. I went with a bakers half-dozen today to try out several varieties, and found the best to be just that…simple. The raised donuts had good toppings, but the dough was a bit tough, and the same can be said for the filled varieties.  The cake donuts are what would bring be back to Acme.  Basic glaze or dark chocolate topping that didn’t overpower the soft, lightly sweet cake. 

A bit more expensive than most shops, most donuts sell for $1.50, but a good deal on the bakers half or full dozen ($6.50 and $12, respectively).  I’m not unhappy that this will be my new neighborhood donut shop, but I’ll stick with the cake.

Acme Donuts, 2929 SE Powell Blvd

7 virtues coffeehouse

situated on the busy corner of NE 60th & NE Glisan St. sits a deceivingly large coffeehouse known as 7 virtues.  With some of the best baristas in the neighborhood, it has become a regular stop for me.  Serving Stumptown Coffee, they make up all variety of espresso drinks, and serve them hot and very well prepared.  I’ve yet to have a drink here that is too cold, has too much foam (a common practice at some other area shops), too much, or little, flavoring. 

They serve not only coffee, but a good selection of bottled beer, wine, and other blended drinks, such as milkshakes and chai smoothies.  7 virtues sells an ever-growing selection of food at decent prices, most bites range from $3-$5.  Also offering local artwork (for sale) and a smattering of live music, they stay open till late afternoon during the summer.  They do offer the typical frequent-buyer card, but the system is very disorganized and as such an annoyance more than a draw.

The  drawback is a lack of easy parking, but clearly when 7 virtues opened, they envisioned a neighborhood store to which locals would walk/bike to.  Being near a MAX line and main bus route  also caters to locals. 

7 virtues  is a very worthy coffeehouse in a city full of them, and given the lack of good coffee in that part of NE Portland, I for one am glad that they know how to make such a fine brew.

5936 NE Glisan St. Portland

(503) 236-7763

stumptown coffee

if you’ve lived in portland for long, you are well aware of the quality coffees roasted at Stumptown Coffee.  Basically the only place I’ll buy coffee, I typically stop by the store on SE Belmont.  This spot has ample seating, both tables and counter space facing the street.  They’ll have upwards of 15 choices of whole bean (or ground, if you prefer) available at any time, including some rare roasts not available anywhere else…but you will pay a premium for these beans. 

Typically the bags range from $11 for the blends to $15 for the region-specific beans.  Along with the beans, they offer basic coffee drinks for purchase, but don’t expect your Starbucks favorite here…they stick with the basics, and the baristas make them impeccably.  No drink costs more that $3.60, and most are around $2, and are available in-house or to go.  Not only do they make good espresso, they only sell black coffee French-pressed; no drip coffee!

They also have frequent buyer cards for both beans and drinks, buy 10 get 1 free, and give you a free coffee with any bean purchase. 

If you haven’t been to Stumptown, you must give it a try, I doubt you’ll go back to anything else.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

3356 SE Belmont St.
Portland, OR 97214

reflections & talking drum bookstore

Reflections is an eclectic little coffee & tea house located just off of the busy corner of NE Killingsworth & NE MLK Blvd, and situated in the far corner of a small business complex.  In the hour or so that I was taking my lunch, the place never emptied out.  Businessmen mixed with locals, taking advantage of the ample seating and free WiFi & PC’s. 

The man working the counter was friendly, flashing me a large, welcoming smile as I asked him which tea he preferred; without hesitation he pointed out the organic rose hips, and filled a glass.  I chose a piece of pound cake from the small selection of snacks wrapped up on the counter and picked a small table in the corner.  The tea was great: it had quite a unique flavor, sweet yet strong, that lasted long after I finished; I was very happy with the recommendation!  The cake was fresh, moist, and very clearly homemade, I would suspect by one of the ladies working behind the counter.  Along with the drinks, there is a large selection of books to paruse while sipping, most of which are African-American literature, as the Talking Drum bookstore within the coffee shop is a great source for it.

in the hour or so that I stayed, several people came and went, and this was one of the friendliest neighborhood shops I’ve been in.  Everyone that came in got a jovial welcome from the man who helped me, and he knew the majority of people personally.  Many people simply came in to say hello or pick up a quick snack or cup of java.  All in all, this is a good spot to check out if you’ve got a few minutes.

Ristretto Roasters

My visit to this small Beaumont coffee house was on a sunny, albeit cold, Saturday afternoon to visit with an old friend.  This is a local roaster just off of NE Fremont St near 33rd Ave.  When I visited, they had 5 roasts total: three blends, one decaf, and one espresso.

The roasting room and the counter took up more than half of the space, leaving little room for the seating area, which was quite cramped.  It had only half a dozen small tables, one booth, and two short counters with a few stools.  Luckily the booth cleared just as I was ready to sit, and it was quite comfortable being the only window seat in the house. 

Upon my arrival, the staff was friendly, and welcomed me with a smile.  This being my first visit, I inquired as to what the barista preferred between the Bali Blue Moon and the Mexican Chiapas Organic.  After a quick description of each, and a taste of one, I decided on the Bali in a French Press.  After fresh grinding the coffee in the roasting room, the press was brought to the table, and when four minutes was up, they let me know to press the coffee down.  I found the Bali to be very flavorful, with an earthy bite and a chocolate overtone while remaining not too acidic, but the finish was unfortunately bitter. 

Along with the coffee, I ordered a ham and cheese croissant out of the small food case, but when I asked if it could be warmed I was informed that they did not have a microwave, so I had no choice but to eat it cold.  This, however, did not detract from the quality of the food, which can only make me think how delicious it would be warm!  The croissant was soft and buttery, yet crispy on the outside, and they used a soft cheese that did not harden even when room temperature, allowing the flavor to remain intact and robust.

My suggestion to this roaster would be to get a bit larger space to allow more people to come and congregate.  As it is, there is very little room to come in and stay.  It does seem that given the small selection of food they are not catering to this crowd, but rather to the in and out coffee drinkers of the area.  In this area, they have done it right.

While the coffee is better than many chain roasters, I would not go out and buy myself a pound for $14 of the particular Bali roast.  I did enjoy the coffee, however, and most certainly will be returning for another pot of French Press when I am in the area…and possibly another croissant!

Ristretto Roasters – 3520 NE 42ndAve Portland, OR 97213