Legendary Fried Chicken & Nashville Hot Chicken Hits L.A. - Howlin' Ray's New Restaurant!

Hi @Ns1,

Nice memoir. :slight_smile: it’s a reminder for me to never attempt Level 5 X-Hot. :wink:

But don’t give up on their classic (non-spicy) fried chicken! :slight_smile: We love it more than the sandwich.

Update 8:

With new openings inside Far East Plaza, and months and months passed by, we were hoping the lines might’ve been shorter at Howlin’ Ray’s, and we were craving their amazing Fried Chicken again. :slight_smile:

No such luck, LOL. We showed up around 11 a.m., just as they opened, and ended waiting about 1 hour in line. :smile: Oh well. (The newly opened NY transplant Baohaus, next door, had between 0 - 2 customers throughout our wait.)

Unsweetened Peach Ice Tea:

As refreshing as before. Light Peach aroma, crisp and cool.

The Sandwich (Boneless Breast, Slaw, Comeback Sauce, Pickles, Butter Bun), “Country” Style (Level 1, No Heat):

As absurdly delicious as before! :smile: Crispy with a slight crunch, juicy, well seasoned, tender Fried Boneless Chicken Breast. The crunch of their Housemade Cole Slaw and Pickles, the Comeback Sauce, the fluffy, soft Bun. There is no better Fried Chicken Sandwich in L.A.! :heart:

Market Side: Collard Greens (with Pork Belly):

Their Collard Greens are now a permanent menu item, and they are seriously the best Southern-style Collard Greens I’ve ever had! There’s a real, deep, long-stewed flavor that comes through. Fantastic! :slight_smile:

Fried Chicken Wings (3), Level 2 “Mild” Style (Brush of Heat):

Note, that Chef Zone has slightly tweaked their Level 2 Mild: The heat level is about the same (very gentle, just a touch of heat), but instead of being a Dipped Sauce + Dry Seasoning, it’s not dipped any more, which is actually better. The Fried Chicken retains its crunchy, crisp batter better. :smile:

The amazing crunch and just cooked through Chicken meat (still so juicy), and with just the right amount of salt (not overly salty). There’s a fragrance to the Level 2 Spice that brings a smile to my face. :smile: So good!

Deep Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie:

This is something Chef Zone decided to do off-menu. It looks disturbing at first, but oh no, nothing could be further from the truth: Imagine a battered Deep Fried Chocolate Chip Cookie, with a slightly crisp-crunch exterior, and molten soft Cookie with melting Chocolate on the inside.

Oh yes. Chef Zone went there. :wink: :slight_smile:

And this is the purest proof of how clean and what high standards are at Howlin’ Ray’s. Deep Fried in Peanut Oil (the same fryers as their Chicken), there is no scent of Chicken. It’s just a clean, nutty Peanut Oil fragrance, and molten Chocolate Chip Cookie. So good! :slight_smile:

FYI: Howlin’ Ray’s is closed for Christmas Break, going on vacation from December 24, 2016 - January 3, 2017.

Initial Hours (extended Hours will be added once they settle in):

Wed - Sun
11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Howlin’ Ray’s Nashville Hot Chicken
727 N. Broadway Ave #128
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: (213) 935-8399

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Is the cookie made in-house? Or outsourced?

Hi @ipsedixit,

Outsourced. Thanks.

I was waiting in line with you that day…

@Chowseeker1999 had the line eased up a bit by the time you left? I was there last Wednesday at around 11:00 am and the line looked noticeably shorter when we left around 12:30. I’m starting to think the strategy of arriving there at or before opening time is now counter-productive, at least on weekdays.

Hi @Bigmouth,

Interesting observation, now that you mention it, yah it was slightly shorter.

Was it a missed connection??? :smiley:

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It took me hr to get to this point. I will not waver!

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I told myself i would do a dance when i reached the pikachu cart. I’m dancin’.

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we are here rooting for you. Keep the faith.

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Hi @paranoidgarliclover,

Don’t give up the dream! Delicious Legendary Fried Chicken is near! :smile:

Remember to try one at Level 1 “Country” (No Spice) for the classic crisp-crunch Fried Chicken crust, and then sample whatever level you feel brave handling for the other pieces. :wink:

Hope you like it!

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Si se puede :wink:

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Buy me some. LOL.

I love chicken, but I am NOT waiting that long.

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the one time I went was just after they closed and only waited in line 10-15 minutes - they still served us. Ssssshhh. The Chef has a great rapport with the local kids :slight_smile:

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Thanks for all the moral support!

We finally got it!!! No pics b/c I’m back on my laptop (and the pics are on my phone, and I’m lazy). :wink: I’ll edit the post later w/ pics (and start the DoTM noms, for that matter).

@Chowseeker1999: I recall you saying that the country was the best to sample the crust, but I just had to get a little heat. :wink: I actually thought mild was VERY mild and really delicious. Just the tiniest amount of heat and wonderfully spiced (seasoning-wise). Meat was incredibly tender and juicy. I do imagine that the Country would’ve had a more consistently crispy crust, but I was happy w/ what I received.

My partner ate all his dark-meat portion, so I didn’t get a chance to sample his. :frowning: He says that the dark meat was “good” but that my sandwich was “great.”

Collard greens was good, as was the potato salad. I do think that the potato salad could’ve used a bit more salt b/c it was overwhelmed by the flavor of the chicken and collard greens. Pouring in some of the collard-green braising liquid took care of the lack of salt nicely. :wink:

No deep fried cookie today! Argh!!!

Overall, very tasty and satisfying.

I didn’t mind waiting 2 hrs b/c I had nothing else to do this afternoon. :slight_smile: Don’t know if I’d be willing to wait that long all the time! Easily worth an hr wait, absolutely.

As an aside, my partner really liked the coffee at the place across the breezeway.

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I had the Medium in a sando and didn’t think it was all that spicy would def go for hot another time. Was pretty impressed at how crunchy everything stayed despite being in a sandwich. I am curious to try the dark meat as well. Wasn’t blown away by it because I’ve had great fried chicken when I lived in the South but def the best I’ve had in LA.

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Hi @paranoidgarliclover,

Yay! Glad you finally got to try Howlin’ Ray’s and enjoyed it. :slight_smile:

Yah, Level 2 Mild is enjoyable and safe as well; definitely try Level 1 Country next time for some piece of your Chicken. :slight_smile:

Wait-wise, I totally agree. I feel bad you had to wait that long (crazy wait time!). It feels like if you want to try an earlier weekend outing, showing up at about 10:20 - 10:30 a.m. (before its 11 a.m. opening), has been pretty successful for us (the last time we tried that there were only 20 people in line).

My friends also have tried a late lunch (3 p.m.) and said the line wasn’t too bad either.

I hope they expand hours soon to ease up the wait times.

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2 hours, wow that sucks! I’ve been to Howlin’ Rays 9 or 10 times and have never waited over 35 min. I did bail on them and go to Chego a few weekends back when the line almost made it out to Broadway. The weekend only Fried Chicken and Waffles must be spectacular!

Warning:
No lines at Howlin’ Ray’s because they are closed DECEMBER 24 THROUGH JANUARY 3!!!

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