Portland doesn’t have a signature dish, per se — like the Cuban sandwich or the cheesesteak — but it is known for donuts.

The funky city — whose unofficial slogan is “Keep Portland Weird” — has 50 to 60 independently owned donut shops, according to my intensive research in the AI machine. Tampa Bay has about half that — with a population of 3.4 million vs. Portland’s 2.5 million.

Most sources attribute Portland’s donut-centricity to the rise of Voodoo Doughnut, which opened in 2003 and became nationally known for its quirky, over-the-top creations. The common view now is that Voodoo’s spell has faded and it’s more of a tourist destination.

I recently spent two weeks in Portland, my first visit there. This edition of Tampa Bay vs. The World, the first in quite a while, would seem to favor the visiting team.

I didn’t want to distill the fight to one donut per side, so I picked up three at Heavenly Donuts, with six stores in the Northwest, two in Portland; and did the same at Fray’s Donut House, with two locations in St. Pete and one in Pinellas Park.

I’ll rank the half-dozen at the end.

HEAVENLY DONUTS

I stopped in at around 2:30 on a typical November day here — 50-ish degrees, gray and drizzly. I was the only customer. Heavenly’s interior is as basic as it gets, and the counter person had a countenance similar to the weather. But the shelves were stocked, and that’s what mattered.

Wanting to keep things basic for comparison’s sake, I ordered an apple fritter, a glazed donut and a jelly donut, then brought them back to our Airbnb.

Apple Fritter

As my grandmother used to say — goodness gracious! This was a brown, lumpy chunk of the Great Beyond. Who needs pearly gates and harp music?

The glazed crust provided a crispy kickoff and pop of sweetness. The moist interior dough had the optimal density, but the real star was the apple filling, which was expertly proportioned and had the perfect mix of real fruit flavor and sweetness. This marvel set the bar extremely high. But who knows …

Glazed Donut

A delicate version, with a soft crust and airy interior that collapsed in my mouth and between my fingers. The glaze had staying power, its flavor holding on through entire bites.

Jelly Donut (Lemon)

On a whim I chose the lemon over raspberry, when ordinarilly I’d go with the latter. I wish I’d had a do-over. The lemon’s tartness was beyond my liking, and it left a sharp aftertaste. The jelly’s sheer mass made the donut crack on the bottom and turn into a mess. I didn’t finish it.

FRAY’S DONUT HOUSE

When I arrived at the St. Pete location on 16th Street North at 8:30 a.m. yesterday, it was a crisp 60 degrees, with a brilliant blue sky laced with gossamer clouds. The Asian man at the counter — I took him for one of the owners — greeted me with a smile and happily filled my order. So — a contrast to the Portland experience.

I picked up an apple fritter, a glazed donut and a jelly donut (raspberry this time) and brought them back to the FFF Lab + Photo Studio™. As a fella who usually has a banana for breakfast, I was pleased to use this gig as an excuse to eat the better part of three pastries to start the day.

Apple Fritter

This version integrated the apple into the dough instead of having a pie-like filling in the middle. It was rustic pastry with a dark outer ring that added some welcome bonus crunch. A good, solid fritter.

Glazed Donut

This one was denser than the competition’s, with glaze that crumbled and didn’t have the same endurance. A good, solid glazed donut.

Jelly Donut (Raspberry)

The white frosting — appropriately crumbly — started things off with a familar layer of sweetness. The inner dough had a spot-on texture. It took me a few bites to reach the gooey stuff, but when my mouth arrived there it was treated to a raspberry flavor that deftly balanced tart and sweet. If I had my druthers, there would’ve been a bit more of it.

Now We Rank Our Fritters and Donuts …

1 — Apple Fritter, Heavenly Donuts

If this had been a pro-wrestling Battle Royal — and metaphorically speaking, it kind of is — the Heavenly fritter would’ve emerged victorious in the first minute.

2 — Raspberry Jelly Donut, Fray’s

3 — Apple Fritter, Fray’s

I hadn’t eaten an apple fritter, let alone two, in eons. This much became apparent: I really dig apple fritters.

4 — Glazed Donut, Heavenly

5 — Glazed Donut, Fray’s

6 — Lemon Jelly Donut, Heavenly

A clarification: If any of you readers are detail-oriented enough to wonder why the lead photo doesn’t match the pastry contestants, that’s because I wanted to infuse some color into the proceedings (and I knew my granddaughter would go for the sprinkles). I purchased the collection at Heavenly Donuts.