I biked down Valencia Street yesterday morning for my #9 destination and #54 on the list: Four Barrel Cafe for their coffee and a chocolate spice donut.
The cafe was not exactly the dive I was expecting from 7x7's bucket list. It was your typical coffee snob cafe: Hipster, faux rustic decor, coffee drinkers watching you as you walk through the door thinking "I'll bet that girl is going to order a latte. So help me if she orders a latte..."
They didn't have the chocolate spice donut! The nice barista told me that their donuts are made at Dynamo on 24th Street, who also serves Four Barrel coffee. Donuts made at Dynamo? Why wouldn't I go to Dynamo instead of Four Barrel.
Dynamo was a breath of fresh air after being judged in Four Barrel (I was probably just being paranoid). Much more casual and definitely no judging (plus I got to watch a latino couple make out).
First I must preface with my coffee drinking experience. I’m not only used to the super strong, over roasted, over priced, over hyped famous Blue Bottle coffee of San Francisco, I’m also used to having a father whose sole reason for moving from Vermont to Portland Oregon, I’m fairly certain, was for his favorite coffee: Stumptown. Let’s put it this way: After looking at 40 houses in the city, the one he chose just happened to be around the corner from Stumptown’s roastery and café.
So when I saw the reddish tint of Four Barrel coffee, I tried imagining the interesting processes that its coffee beans must go through in the picking and the roasting, and the beans must be some rare varietal that I’ve never had before.
Turns out it was just slightly watery coffee. Oh well.
But the donut! The chocolate was slightly fruity, as if it still had traces of its origins from the cacao pod. It also had a surprisingly savory taste. The outside of the cake donut was sprinkled with cinnamon, a little sugar, chili peppers, chili powder, and just a little salt. This was no Bob's Donuts donut. This donut was exquisite and perfect and not too sweet with just the right amount of savory.
Even though the coffee wasn't fantastic, I ended up getting a second cup because I truly believe that donuts and coffee belong together. And in this particular instance, they were a match made in heaven.
