Alex Nham travels the globe, mainly the part with Dallas on it, in search of new places to eat breakfast.
Acting on a tip from fellow blogger Justin Bitner, this week I ventured out to Hypnotic Donuts -- but not for the donuts.
To say that this wacky donut shop's reputation precedes itself would be an understatement. Who knew that piling bacon onto a donut would make everybody in the blogosphere go completely bonkers? (Answer: Everyone). I didn't even know Hypnotic Donuts served anything but donuts, let alone what Bitner had recommended: chicken biscuits.
Factoring in the buzz surrounding Hypnotic, I figured I should get there as early as I could to avoid the inevitable line. The small shop is hidden in a strip mall on Garland Road in Lakewood, and it's only recognizable from the road by its non-traditional signage. It was 8:30 in the morning on a Sunday, and the parking spaces in front of Hypnotic Donuts were already full.
The chalk on the menu board hadn't even set when I walked in, and donuts were already flying off the shelf. I averted my gaze from the donut display case and tried to focus on the biscuit portion of the menu. I went with Amy's, the only chicken biscuit with bacon; if it's good enough to go on a donut, it's certainly over-qualified for a lowly chicken biscuit.
I sat down at one of four tables in the small dining space to wait for my biscuit. The other half of the dining area looked like a living room straight out of the 70s: shag carpet rug, earth tone couch, even a turntable next to the coffee machine.
My chicken biscuit was delivered to my table, split in half and presented to me like a deli sandwich. I could see the layers of cheddar, fried chicken, bacon and pickles all swaddled in fluffy biscuit. I took a bite and I could taste the honey and the mustard, which, layered onto the biscuit sandwich separately, maintained their individual integrity.
The chicken and bacon were crispy, crunchy and savory; and pickles are always nice when eating something so rich. And for a donut shop, the biscuit was really good, flakey, tender, and it didn't get gummy like other biscuits, stuffed with a mess of food, often do.
As I finished, families started to pour in and the line started to build. I sidestepped my way out through a gaggle of children, glad I got my morning fix before having to fist-fight a toddler for a place to sit.
