Voodoo Doughnut - Portland, OR

When I saw a line, I wanted to turn back and I did. The lure of the famous doughnuts couldn't stop me though and I returned about an hour later. It was now or never; I would probably never come back to Portland ever again and this was my chance.

Despite how the line looked, it actually moved pretty quickly. Once inside the brick restaurant, I was treated to eclectic, funky and fun!

Cash is the only form of payment accepted at this shop that features over 100 doughnut varieties and coffee beverages so be prepared.

On a first visit, I had to try their namesake Voodoo Doughnut that is shaped like a voodoo doll and oozes blood red jelly when you bite into it.

If you are a candy or cereal freak, you will probably find your favorite covering one of the doughnuts. With that said, I had to get a M&M Doughnut and Oreo Doughnut.

While in Portland, you can't go wrong with the "Official City Doughnut", the Portland Creme, a take on a Boston Creme.

And, unless you have mental issues (or don't eat pork), a Bacon Maple Bar is a must.

WOW is all I have to say!!


Voodoo Doughnut

Cherry Street Coffee House - Seattle, WA

Starbucks is everywhere but in Seattle it could actually be considered your local coffee shop. As tempting as it was to visit the original Starbucks (I did walk past it), I wanted local that was foreign to me and found Cherry Street Coffee House.

It was small, quiet, comfy (the bench seating could have been comfier but it had pillows) and staffed with friendly people. The girl taking the orders made sure to ask every customer what they were going to do for the day (where do they do that?). It is truly a terrific spot for a first date, to enjoy a book or simply to get that caffeine fix.

Speaking of caffeine their coffee is off the chain! I ordered a Latte and without any sugar or additives, it was rich and full bodied.

My boyfriend had a Bacon, Egg and Cheese. Crispy bacon, egg and melty cheese on fresh toasted bagel, yum!

I had the Lox and Cream Cheese Bagel and was blown away. It is my favorite breakfast sandwich but I haven't had one in a while and was very impressive by the house cured lox. Get it with an everything bagel like did.

We also ordered a Coffee Cake that was fresh, fabulous and not too sweet.

I wish I lived in Seattle so I could go to this coffee shop everyday!


Cherry Street Coffee House

Dandee Donuts Factory - Hollywood, FL

These aren't donuts of the fancy gourmet variety, but they are simple, fresh and really good!

Dandee Donuts Factory

City Diner - Metairie, LA

What is open 24/7 and serves a mean breakfast? The answer is simple, City Diner. Although I am not a breakfast person, in reality, it is a necessity of life and not too long after waking up you stomach is going to tell you please feed me. With family in town, it didn't seem right to feed them the the items I compile and call a breakfast so I wanted to take them out.

City Diner offer the typical breakfast items like eggs, bacon and omelets. My sister ordered the Spinach Omelet which was quite good. The portion was huge.

Speaking of huge, if you are going to order pancakes here, please know that it is larger than an XL pizza pie and could feed an entire family of 4 so order with caution if you are by yourself. Their Chocolate Chip variety would be great for the kids.

Besides the food being fresh and surprisingly quality, what I liked about City Diner is that they combine the foods you expect to see with New Orleans classics. An example of this is their Hash Brown creations. I had the one with Crawfish & Andouille. It was very good but is definitely something you can't eat too much of at one time; it had a little too much Cajun cream sauce for my liking. It came with a biscuit on the side which was delicious addition I might add.

City Diner
3116 South Interstate 10 Service Rd E Metairie, LA 70001
(504) 831-1030
www.citydiner.biz

Elizabeth's Restaurant - Bywater - New Orleans, LA

What's for breakfast? Elizabeth's I say. I had heard about their famous Praline Bacon and I needed try it so I made my way to Bywater to get it.

Entering the restaurant made me go back into time when I was kid eating at my grandma's house. There were a lot of colorful artworks on wall and cute cherry covered table cloths on the tables. It was bright inside and open with ample seating.

Our server was okay; I wish she was a little more cherry and didn't forget the bacon I ordered. I had eating half way through my meal before I realized, I was not going to get my Praline Bacon and had to ask for it. It was good but not for those who do not like sweets. The issue with me loving it was the fact that it wasn't fresh and was just sitting around and bacon just isn't great like that.

The meal I order was off their daily specials menu (which was posted on the wall). I can't remember what it was called, but I am just going to go with Sombrero Burrito. It was a tortilla stuffed with eggs, bacon and sausage. It was an interesting concept but the sweetness of the maple syrup on top just threw things off for me.

My friend had the Veggie Omelet which seemed to be good.

My other friend ordered the French Toast but with the Banana Foster's on the side.

I will admit that I am not a lover of breakfast foods (I hate eggs) but as a lover of Bacon, the fact that they offer Praline Bacon give them some contention when it comes to Breakfast.




Elizabeth's Restaurant
601 Gallier St New Orleans, LA 70117
(504) 944-9272
www.elizabethsrestaurantnola.com