Astro Doughnuts & Chicken
 Washington D.C.      Date of Visit  04/22/17         http://astrodoughnuts.com

On our way back to Ohio and puppies, but a there is one more gotta try on the list. We get into Fall’s Church and did two whole laps around the front and the back of the strip plaza looking for Astro, the sign isn’t conducive to what you might call seeing it, particularly in relation to the signs from other businesses, especially the one right next to it: "my eye dr.". Literally, drove right past it, more than once.
 

After one more lap we entered a small space managed by just a couple of folks with fried bread options laid out on the counter and chicken frying in back. The doughnuts appear to be worth the search just from the look of them so a half dozen +1 come out to the sidewalk table for a bite or two of each along with a fried chicken biscuit and tots. So glad we found the place.

The doughnuts were all yeast raised (didn’t realize we didn’t order any cake varieties till later) and these flavors in order of my least to most favorite:

• Vanilla Glazed (2) – nothing really special but the glaze does have serious vanilla punch

• Smoked Almond Brittle – fine, the glaze was a bit thin and was slipping off the doughnut the bits of almond were a nice touch but not enough to recommend

• Maple Bacon – I was hoping for a little more out of this number but it was exactly what you would expect, sweet maple sugar, smoky fatty bacon, soft yielding doughnut, good, but not what the last three would deliver

• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp – this is what I think they were trying to do with the almond number, sweet meets tangy/sour and top it all with a serious pile of nutty streusel crumb, now I’m stoked we found the place and it only gets better and better

• Meyer Lemon Tart – round little number with a sweet lemon glaze atop and a runny lemon filling so tart it scared me a little bit on the first bite, thought something had gone wrong with my tongue when something had just gone so right with this complicated deliciousness

• Crème Brulee – little square number filled with a rich vanilla custard and coated with sugar which had been torched or broiled brown, brittle, and bitter, in a sweet kinda way, game changer

Maple Bacon Is Maple & Bacon
 

Thought the doughnuts would be good, didn’t imagine their chicken would be so fantastic. Itself, juicy, breaded in crunchy delicious happiness. Good enough, I’m sold.

Then slip it into a biscuit that is delightful and studded with cheese and pork and slather it all with sriracha mayo and I was sad and thankful there are only two of these places miles and miles from where we live.

The mayo was killer on the tots which were fried to a crispy medium brown tastiness as well.

There are temptations a plenty from the fryers of a few options but those few options can be extraordinary things.