Blue Star is a Portland import located on a strip of Abbot Kinney filled with imports, including fellow Portlandian Salt & Straw Ice Cream and San Francisco's Blue Bottle Coffee.
Blue Star feels less like a doughnut shop and more like a doughnut museum with a display of single doughnuts on long white trays. I tried a variety. My favorite was the old fashioned which was the moist, buttery sort of cake doughnut that I really like. The apple fritter, while unlike a standard fritter - this one was more cakey and less fried, was also excellent. However, nearly all the rest of the doughnuts were disappointing.
In my Sidecar post, I lamented doughnut shops that concentrate on toppings at the expense of the actual doughnut. This was mostly the case at Blue Star. The toppings and fillings are great. The passion fruit glaze had an intense passion fruit flavor, the Valrhona chocolate doughnut had a nice, dark chocolate topping and a well done, not too sweet, custard filling; the creme brulee had a satisfying burnt sugar crust.
While all of that was great, the actual doughnuts were lacking. The yeast doughnuts were too dense and not at all crispy. The cake doughnuts, with the exception of the excellent old-fashioned, were a bit mushy and also lacked a crispy crust.
If I lived nearby, I might stop by for the occasional old fashioned or fritter, but overall, Blue Star was disappointing.
Blue Star Donuts
1142 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90291
(310) 450-5630
Agree that a great donut must start with the batter not the topping. When I was only four, my grandfather would drive my grandmother crazy by taking me to the local donut shop early in the morning. At 6 AM the unshaven regulars would gather for those amazing fresh donuts and something they called coffee 50 years ago. The plain cake donuts were amazing with the slight crust on the outside and still moist, warm cake on the inside. Will never forget those mornings.
ReplyDeleteThe plain cake donuts were amazing with the slight crust on the outside and still moist, warm cake on the inside. Will never forget those mornings.
ReplyDeleteCurt, that's a mouth-watering description of the perfect doughnut!
Have you tried Primo's donuts on Sawtelle? These are classic and the Platonic ideal of a donut.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried Primo's Donuts yet? The buttermilk bars there are my favorite donut in the LA area
ReplyDeleteTheir Portland donuts are no better, over priced with a lot of over wrought crap on them.
ReplyDeleteBucktown and Anon, yes indeed! I'm a big fan of Primo's buttermilk bars.
ReplyDeleteAt least we're not inflicting Voodoo on anyone else yet.
ReplyDeleteJordan, you speak to soon. Voodoo is on its way to LA. Should we be wary?
ReplyDelete