Category Archives: Local Eats

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Evergreen Donuts – Lynnwood, WA

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Evergreen Donuts

lynnwood, WA

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20101 44th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036

(425) 673-5331

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Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: “All of them”
Signature shop donut: NA
Most popular US donut: glazed
2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème
Donut Hole: Glazed

 

What I tried:

Glazed, Cake Donut, Boston Creme

$3.25 total

 

What to expect:

This little shop is small and clean with normal-sized donuts. There is nothing amazing or spectacular about this shop. If you want a donut that’s fresh and decent, then this is a great place to get a donut. Don’t expect overly large or intricate or specialty donuts here, just the usual.

 

My favorite:

I liked how the Boston Creme had a full serving of cream inside that was spread out throughout the inside of the donut so every bite was creamy and delicious. The chocolate glaze on top was not overly sweet. It was the perfect blend of sweet chocolate on top and cream in the middle with the right amount of dough.

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Donut Factory – Lynnwood, WA

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged , ,

Donut Factory

lynnwood, WA

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20815 67th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036

(425) 361-7923

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Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: Crobar
Signature shop donut: Crobar
Most popular US donut: glazed
2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème
Donut Hole: Not available

 

What I tried:

Glazed, Cake Donut, Boston Creme, Crobar

$6.20 total

 

What to expect:

I almost thought I was walking into a Krispy Kreme! This place is modern and very clean and open. The counter with all the donuts was so large that it was quite a bit taller than my head and I had to stand on tiptoe to see the donut employee behind the display case. Donut Factory has so many different choices! I had high expectations for the crobar, their most popular and shop specialty, but thought the glaze overpowered the croissant dough. I couldn’t taste anything under that powerfully sweet glaze. I would not order the crobar again. Donut Factory celebrated their 2-year anniversay May 7th, 2016.

 

My favorite:

Out of the three donut shops in Lynnwood, I thought Donut Factory had the best glazed donut! The glaze was not a milky crystallized glaze, but a sticky, dewy, sugary sheen that tasted phenomenal. The dough itself was slightly sweeter than normal and complemented the glaze on top.

Donuts Aftermath! Two Parties in a Donut Costume

by in For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Eats, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

June 25th was all about the donuts!

My drop-in party at Neverending Bookshop was fabulous! Thanks to Rich for buying donut shop #3 (Krispy Kreme) donuts. Shout out to Annie and her mother for helping out and selling all the books. Thanks to Vicky and Sheri for coming all the way from North Bend! Thanks to the entire Allen family (yes, all of them) for coming out. Thanks to fellow author Emily Bates for stopping in (the shop also has her books for sale, hint hint). Thanks to the strangers who I met at the party who bought my books, said hi, and ate some donuts. Thanks to Paul for his rapid cleanup help and for washing the hours-crusted donut knife and cutting board. I had a ton of fun! Here are some pictures from that lovely event:

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And now to the blind donut tasting results!

Donut shop #1 = Factory Donuts in Kirkland

Donut shop #2 = Countryside Donuts in Bothell

Donut shop #3 = Krispy Kreme

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The donut contenders were cake, maple bar, glazed, and boston kreme!

The results are as follows:

  1. 9 people voted!
  2. Not all votes included rankings of all types of donuts
  3. The glazed favorite was… Countryside with 5/10 votes, second place was Krispy Kreme with 3/10 votes and last place was Factory Donuts with 2/10 votes
  4. My favorite glazed was from Countryside. Mmm mmm good.
  5. The cake donut favorite was… Factory Donuts with 3/6 votes (two voters thought all the cake donut contenders were terrible and I was of the same opinion)
  6. The Boston Creme favorite was… Factory Donuts wit 5/7 votes!
  7. The Maple Bar favorite was… Countryside Dontus with 4/7 votes, second place was Krispy Kreme with 2/7 votes and last place was Factory Donuts with a single vote
  8. I did not even try the maple bar because I don’t like maple bar frosting

The party-goers/readers also wrote down their thoughts about donuts, which I will keep with my donut supplies! The raffle winner was Sheri. Congrats! See you all at the next party and thanks to everyone who came out, ate donuts, said hi, and got a copy of Donuts in an Empty Field.

Donuts Amazon Order link:   https://www.amazon.com/Donuts-Empty-Field-Love-Book-ebook/dp/B01FIGENWQ

My second party was a joint-author reading with lovely fantasy writer Ksenia Anske. I admire Ksenia for her boisterous personality, her fantastic author-reader communication, and of course for her lovely dark-raw-fantastical-imaginative writing.

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All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Sunrise Donuts – Redmond, WA

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged ,

Sunrise Donuts

Remond, WA

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7299 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE, Redmond, WA 98052

(425) 885-6112

Website: http://eatsunrisedonuts.com/

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Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: Maple Bar and Apple Fritter
Signature shop donut: “a dozen”
Most popular US donut: glazed
2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème
Donut Hole: glazed/powdered/cinnamon/and cruller (a dozen for $2 and 3 for $1)

 

What I tried:

Maple Bar, Glazed, Donut Holes, Cruller bite, Boston Crème, jelly filled

 

What to expect:

Although the shop hours are from early in the morning until 2PM, if you show up too late they may have closed shop because they’ve sold out for the day. This place is popular and sometimes sales guys or businesses will buy out the inventory and you’ll lose out, so go early! They have cruller bites, which is neat and a cool addition to the donut hole. The shop is warm and inviting, though small in physical space. The plaza they are located in has enough parking and it’s not impossible to make a left hand turn out onto the street (there’s a nifty turn lane).

 

My favorite:

Normally I’m a fan of the boring old – yet delicious – glazed donut, but after I took one bite of the jelly filled I was converted. Sunrise Donuts makes such a fluffy dough that is thick but not heavy and is everything you wanted from a krispy kreme and more. The jelly filling is not too sweet and perfectly smooth and is very, very delicious and is my new favorite from Sunrise.

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Frost (Mill Creek)

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats and tagged

Frost

Mill Creek, WA

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15217 Main St #106, Mill Creek, WA 98012

(425) 379-2600

Website: http://www.frostology.com

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Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: Bacon Maple Bar

Signature shop donut: NA (but I would argue the froissant is their signature)

Most popular US donut: glazed

2nd most popular US donut: Boston Crème

Donut Hole: Not available

…

What I tried:

Bacon Maple Bar, Bavarian Creme, Raised Glaze, Froissant.

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What to expect:

A large open space with many tables. There are donuts as well as some cafe items like soup, sandwiches, and salads. They even have cakes, macaroons, and a gluten free cupcake. You can get a little bit of everything at this shop, but be prepared to deal with a unique labeling system akin to Starbucks and some pricier selections. Everything is neatly displayed in the front counter and low enough so you can see every donut.

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Perks:

Donuts. They are large. They are tasty. The place was not crowded and there was plenty of parking. They have some unusual donuts that I want to try out next time I visit, like lavender old fashioned.

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Don’t Worry:

If you have questions on which donuts are ‘evolved’ and which are ‘premium’ the employees will set you straight.

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My favorite:

I liked how open the space felt and how large the donuts were (you can share!) I thought the maple glaze on the bacon maple glazed was better than most maple glazes out there. Besides, it’s hard to go wrong with bacon.

Two Bookish Events Today at St. James Espresso, Kirkland WA

by in Local Authors, Local Eats, Local Events, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays and tagged

Tiffany Belcher Author Signing in Kirkland at St. James Espresso

  • Saturday, April 23, 2016    2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

    St. James Espresso

    355 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland, WA (edit map)

    Come and join Tiffany Belcher for book singings at St. James Espresso in Kirkland. This is such a great coffee shop and Tiffany Belcher is a cool author.

    From Tiffany’s website: http://sarasupernatural.tateauthor.com/

    Tiffany A. Belcher currently works as a medical assistant for an outpatient orthopedic clinic in Bellevue, Washington. She is a loving mother to three beautiful daughters. She works hard and is extremely busy, but always finds time to spend with her family. Tiffany enjoys coffee, good food (sometimes bad food that tastes good,) going to the beach, writing, snowboarding, and working out.

 

Enjoy Coffee, Friends, and Donate a Book to Fight Illiteracy!Saturday, April 23, 2016 2:00 PM

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St James Espresso

355 Kirkland Ave, Kirkland , WA 98033
(425) 896-8272
LOOK FOR THE MEETUP SIGN, TONY, ROSEMARIE, AND MEMBERS RSVP’D FOR THIS EVENT

St. James Espresso has an assortment of coffee drinks, spirits, and great food. I highly recommend the pesto sandwich! Check them out here:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/st-james-espresso-kirkland

 Come and hang out with us at St. James Espresso in Kirkland while we visit, enjoy amazing coffee and dine on some great food! Coffee shops are a fun way to meet new friends in a relaxed environment – and an awesome way to catch up with old friends too!

And while you’re at it, bring a book to donate to a special cause – the fight to end illiteracy around the world. Tony’s son, Jordan, has organized and is leading an effort to collect books and help make them accessible to people who can’t afford or don’t normally have access to them. All kinds of books are accepted!

We will have awesome prizes to raffle! The more books you donate, the greater your odds to win a cool prize!

We look forward to seeing you there! It’s going to be a fun event with all the cool folks from Cuisine Travel!

St. James Espresso Multiple FVP Authors Event Wrapup

by in Author Thursdays, Author Tuesdays, Free Valley Publishing, Local Authors, Local Eats, Local Events, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays and tagged ,

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We had fun last Saturday at St. James. I got to try their green power smoothie for the first time. It was delicious! Hope to see you at our next event!

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Sheri implemented our new idea for showing prices – with number beads on our lovely new bookmarks!

 

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Voodoo Too Donuts

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged

Voodoo Donuts

Portland, OR

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1501 NE Davis St, Portland, OR 97232

(206) 496-3670

Website: http://voodoodoughnut.com/

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Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: Bacon Maple Bar

Signature shop donut: Voodoo Doughnut

Most popular US donut: glazed

2nd most popular US donut: Boston Crème

Donut Hole: Not available

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What I tried:

Bacon Maple Bar, Portland Creme, Raised Glaze, Voodoo Doll, Lemon Chiffon Crueler.

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What to expect:

Expect to wait. If you want to get your hands on doughnuts faster, visit the Voodoo Too shop rather than the original or visit at a non-peak hour. There are Disney style gates to funnel customers inside and the menu is available online and on the wall and with representative doughnuts in display cases. It helps to know what you want ahead of time so you don’t stop up the line. Expect the employees to be fast and helpful. Now move along and enjoy your doughnuts.

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Perks:

You get to visit the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts. You get to try out some crafty and well-made doughnuts. There is more than one Voodoo to choose from. Doughnuts.

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Don’t Worry:

You’ll understand what to do when you get there as they are totally set up for large customer volume.

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My favorite:

Going to a place like Voodoo (Even Too) is fun in and of itself because it is one of the most well-known little doughnut shops in America. Voodoo is an experience. My favorite doughnut, thus far, is their raised glaze.

All About the Donuts: Local Donut Shop Review – Daddy’s Donuts

by in Foodie Fridays, For the Love of Donuts, Local Eats, Rachel Barnard and tagged | 5 Comments

Daddy’s Donuts

Kenmore, WA

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7018 Bothell Way NE, Kenmore, WA 98028

(206) 496-3670

Website: http://www.daddysdonuts.net/

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Review criteria:

Most popular donut at the shop: Straw-bella

Signature shop donut: Caramel apple

Most popular US donut: glazed (not available)

2nd most popular US donut: Boston crème (not available)

Donut Hole: Only mini-donuts are made/sold

 

What I tried:

Daddy’s Original, Original with cinnamon sugar, Original with powdered sugar, Straw-Bella, Coco-Loco, Caramel Apple, Funky Monkey, Robot Roberta, Happy Camper, 12th Man, Tayo Tornado, Confetti Eddie, Al Capone

I’ve also tried their mocha, hot chocolate and steamed flavored milk (hazelnut)

 

What to expect:

Daddy’s specializes in mini-donuts that are all based on the cake donut. They are fresh and made to order. Each order takes a couple of minutes to put together. They make their own cream and use fresh fruit (organic or local when possible). You will not find most of the “typical” donuts in this shop.

 

Perks:

If you like cake donuts, these are the best in the area that you’ll find. They are perfectly bite sized and come out fresh and warm, ready to eat. The cream, for the varieties with cream on top, is handmade and won’t instantly melt from the warm donuts. The fruit is fresh as well. The owner combines his love of robots and donuts in this store and the place is covered in both! It’s a wonderfully fun shop for kids.

 

Don’t Worry:

The shop is tiny, fitting around ten people at a time. There is a bathroom on location. Parking is limited to around 8 spots. It’s right off the highway, so make sure to keep your eyes out for the little single story shop and get into the turn lane/bus only lane in time to make the sharp right. (there is no left because they are on one side of a divided highway). If you’re getting groceries at Safeway, a sandwich at Subway, hitting up the ATM at Bank of America or making a quick stop at the UPS, be sure to walk over and snag some mini donuts, you’ll be glad that you did.

 

My favorite:

The owner is such a sweet person. He is enthusiastic and inviting and will remember who you are! He wants the customer to be happy as much as he wants his shop to succeed. My favorite combo at his shop is the straw-bella.