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You don't have to camp out for a cronut at Twisted Croissant, but you should still plan to arrive early.
Originally operating out of farmers markets in Beaverton, Hillsdale and Montavilla, owner and chef Kurt Goddard now makes his 27-layer laminated dough in the back of a pocket-sized Irvington brick-and-mortar, with a case full of "almost too pretty to eat" patisserie and six stools in a retail space up front. But his plain butter croissants and pain au chocolat already have such a loyal following they frequently sell out.
The pain au chocolat ($5.25) comes in a traditional braided croissant shape, with untraditional stripes of chocolate on the outside and a creamy filling of ganache—rather than batons—inside. It's a little cloying—more decadently dessertlike than breakfast-y—but I had no such reservations about the even more over-the-top "croissant doughnut."
The October special ($4.50) is like a cross between a morning bun and a Boston cream pie: The fried round is filled with white chocolate cream and cranberry compote, then topped with orange glaze and candied pistachios. It's like a cross between a morning bun and a Boston Cream Pie—not too sweet, with a perfect balance of cream, fruit and crunch. (It's similar to Goddard's signature item, a muffin-shaped, rose-glazed croissant listed on the menu as a "cruffin.")
But Goddard's buttery-light touch shines best in the savory options, which also makes Twisted Croissant a viable lunch choice. The Loaded Corn Bread Croissant ($5.95) is basically patisserie as empanada—it's made with corn flour and filled with corn, green chiles, pancetta, cheddar cheese and green onion. And the Monte Carlo ($6.25) turns a ham-and-cheese croissant into a full-on Monte Cristo, stuffed with ham, turkey and Gruyère and crowned with maple syrup and crumbled bacon. Next time I might get one to take home and put an egg on it.
GO: Twisted Croissant, 2129 NE Broadway, 503-477-5514, twistedcroissant.com. 7 am-2 pm Tuesday-Friday, 8 am-3 pm Saturday-Sunday.