Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken, Loqui, and Ramen Roll

Astro Doughnuts

plus Loqui and Ramen Roll

Line wasn't too bad... 15 minutes?

The kitchen.

Strawberry rhubarb crisp.

Meyer lemon pie.

Chocolate mudslide. Chocolately delicious. Smoked almond brittle and PB&J. PB&J was much mroe PB&J-y than Blue Star's version.

Smoked almond brittle and PB&J. PB&J was much mroe PB&J-y than Blue Star's version.

Maple bacon.

Also featuring vanilla glazed and creme brulee. Creme brulee is... rich.

Different angle.

Fried chicken sandwich on a savory donut. A little small, but when you add hot sauce, friggin' amazing.

Cheddar biscuit was awesome. Even cold.

Not too crazy in the morning.

Pork, chicken, and beef.

Inside Loqui.

Platform LA at night is a strange place.

Ramen Roll's menu.

"Screamin' Scallop" roll. So-so.

Next to "Crazy Crawfish." Nothing crazy about it, quite ordinary.

Gyoza were bland.

Verdict: Japanese food for white people. Exterior.

Soft opening of Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken in downtown LA. Delicious donuts in a slightly more homey, slightly less exotic style than Blue Star or Sidecar, but make no mistake-- these are are still on the fancy side.

Chocolate mudslide is smooth, chocolately flavor, while creme brulee and and meyer lemon pie both ooze tasty filling from each bite. PB&J is much more PB&J'y than Blue Star's version, closer to a homemade taste than the luxurious feel of Blue Star. The fried chicken is good, but is amazing with a bit of hot sauce. The sandwich is a bit small though, I would pair with an extra donut-- or holy crap, get the cheddar cheese biscuits, which are perhaps the best item on the menu. Just the right hints of cheese and the slightly dense biscuit. Mmmmmmm.

Culver City's fancy take on homemade flour tortillas and tacos at Loqui for dinner. Verdict was tasty, kind of a hybrid between street and restaurant tacos. A successful hipster taco, if such a thing is possible.

Ramen Roll isn't far from Loqui, and given the pedigree I was hoping for something good. Instead, it was something terribly mediocre, like Japanese cafeteria food as envisioned by white people. Hand rolls had "crazy" names for indifferent crawfish and scallop, and the gyoza were bland, kind of like the Costco ones, only at ten times the price.