Monthly Archives: May 2016

Some Like It Hot

Howlin Ray's
There’s a little bit of Nashville going on right now in Chinatown. Howlin Ray’s, which opened this month amid the souvenir shops and Chinese herb merchants in Far East Plaza, has brought Nashville-style Fried Chicken aka “Hot Chicken” to our fair city and it’s spectacular.

Expertly breaded and seasoned, spiced to your tolerance level (I prefer mine lip-burning and perspiration-inducing), and fried to crispy golden perfection, this chicken has people queued up way out the door. I waited in line for over an hour and have no regrets.

The menu is as simple as can be: hot chicken, hot chicken sandwich and, on weekends, hot chicken and waffles with butter and maple syrup. There’s a side dish that changes daily, but there’s always seasoned crinkle cut fries and pickle chips. Daisy Duke and Boss Hogg would no doubt approve.

Howlin Ray’s is located at 727 N. Broadway, Los Angeles (Downtown, in Chinatown).

Hot Chicken

Hot Chicken Wing

Hot Shake Fries

Hot Shake Fries

Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and Waffles served with Butter and Maple Syrup

Extra Pickles

Pickle Chips

"The Sandwich" with Boneless Breast, Slaw, Comeback Sauce, Pickles and Butter Bun

“The Sandwich” with Boneless Breast, Slaw, Comeback Sauce, Pickles and Butter Bun

A little bit of Nashville in Chinatown

A little bit of Nashville in Chinatown

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Bosam Buddies

Kobawoo
If you live in Los Angeles and you’re not eating in Koreatown on at least a semi-regular basis, you’re doing it wrong. As the home to the largest number of ethnic Koreans outside of the Korean Peninsula, Los Angeles, not surprisingly, has an incredible breadth and variety of Korean food. Most people are at least familiar with Korean Barbecue, but that’s just the tip of the Korean cuisine iceberg.

Bossam, which consists of warm tender slices of seasoned and boiled pork belly wrapped in cold, crisp cabbage leaves or paper-thin slices of radishes, is one of my favorite Korean dishes. The best Bossam in town is at Kobawoo House, where they have you create your custom-built mouth-watering wraps with spicy fermented shrimp paste, jalapeños, and pickled radishes.

There are other tasty offerings at Kobawoo House. Their Haemul Panjun, a giant sizzling Seafood Pancake with Scallops, Shrimp, Oysters, Squid, Clams and Green Onions, is first-rate Korean comfort food, and their Braised Black Cod with Radish in Spicy Sauce is one of the most delicious versions of this dish I’ve ever eaten. Parking can be a hassle and there’s often a wait, but it’s well worth it.

Kobawoo House is located at 698 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles (in Koreatown).

Bosam

Bossam. The best in town.


Braised Cod with Radish in Spicy Sauce

Braised Black Cod with Radish in Spicy Sauce


Kimchi Chigae

Kimchi Chigae


Haemul Pajun (sizzling seafood pancake with scallops, shrimp, oyster, squid, clam and green onion)

Haemul Pajun (sizzling seafood pancake with scallops, shrimp, oyster, squid, clam and green onion)


Dolshot Bibimbab

Dolshot Bibimbab


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Filed under Koreatown