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Man, going by the pictures, I am pretty sure I would’ve reviewed a lot of these places way more, er…“colorfully” than you. I would have asked for my money back at Farmshop for damn sure. Did you actually end up paying $60 for that shit??
It’s crazy that Howlin’ Rays is so good. It changed my entire worldview on fried chicken. And you can get it with what must be some of the greatest hot sauce anywhere in the country/world as well. Truly ridiculous. I think if that hawker in Singapore got a michelin star HR deserves one. I should try their chicken without any spice one of these times though… but yeah, if they ever expand their sides options, it could be beyond amazing. The grits I had, and the looks of that dirty crab rice are just absurdly outstanding… ah… what a place… I don’t know how you can even stand to eat fried chicken anywhere else haha. It’s also surprising that it is not even really that expensive. They could clearly be charging way more if they wanted to.
I don’t know if you’re up to it, but you should throw in some more mid/high-end places if you’re willing. Would you count cornish game hens? They seem to be super popular to fry for some reason right now. Preux and Proper is doing one, as is Here’s Looking at You. I think a couple of other places are as well. It would be interesting to see what you thought of some of the more creative ones, but maybe cornish game hen isn’t fair play? Just a thought if you’re still out hunting.
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I declare @Chowseeker1999 the second coming of Exile Kiss.
I’ve been a little underwhelmed by the fried chicken at Flores and Sons myself. I get dragged there every so often for happy hour by friends who dig it. But I always find myself wishing I’d gone to Plan Check or Seoul Sausage instead.
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Damn you.
You’ve outed my secret source for haute fish sandwiches.
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Yes, we did actually pay $60 each for that. 
The Grits you had at Howlin’ Ray’s sounds like another winner. I can’t wait for them to make a variety of their great sides available daily. That would be amazing. 
There is something fun/surprising about walking in and seeing what their daily Market Side will be, though.
Someone told me they had Brisket as a side last week! I’m so sad I missed that.
if gus’s is elvated fast food chicken, how would you say it compares to popeye’s?
thanks for all the info.
Another fabulous, FABULOUS report. I daresay that this might be your most epic post of all. 
You know, I would consider contacting Farmshop to let them know of your experience. My understanding is that they’re very receptive to feedback (and I certainly trust your taste if you say it was bad!).
So glad to hear that Pann’s is a great value. Partner loves fried chicken and biscuits (and I love french fries), so I think we’ll try this place. It’ll be an easier sell to him them the (still not short) line at Ray’s or something else like Jamaican. 
But the crab dirty rice just might tempt him…
Many thanks again for your contributions to the board!
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Popeye’s chicken often suffers from “tired” oil - that’s been my experience with the La Brea/Jefferson location. All three times, I could taste the off flavors of overused oil.
One time, the counter person kindly asked if I’d be willing to wait ten minutes, she’d have a fresh batch of chicken fried up for me. Cool that she did it - too bad the oil was pretty far beyond its prime.
I know Honey’s Kettle gets a meh score from many, but I’ve never had this issue with their chicken. However, our last batch was in the salty side.
We went to Gus’s once a little after they opened. I don’t recall their chicken tasting oily weird. The chicken was in the salty side though. Parking can be pretty tough around here. And like everyone else who’s been to Howlin’ Ray’s, their chicken has ruined just about all other fried chicken choices in LA.
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Hi @linus,
I agree with @bulavinaka’s, thoughts. I haven’t been back to Popeyes in about 3 years or so, but the last few times it was extremely salty and the oil tasted old.
I think they were better before they expanded into a national chain with TV commercials etc. the quality back then seemed to be better, but I can’t say for sure.
It truly depends on the location. I have 3 Popeye’s locations within 15 minute of driving, but when we crave fried chicken, we go to the one in North Hills because they have the freshest chicken. No old oil either. The other 2 locations have chicken sitting around, and sometimes you can tell the oil is old.
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Oh I forgot to answer the last question: I don’t really want to complicate the topic by going with cornish game hens or other tangents. But thanks for the thought.
Thanks. 
Just glad to share food experiences with everyone here!
Re: Farmshop - Thanks for the suggestion. I thought about it, but what’s done is done. The table next to ours also had the same super dark, greasy-looking crust. I’m guessing that’s their style? I know I won’t be going back for that though. 
But for Pann’s - Definitely go to enjoy the Googie architecture and classic American Diner food (to really splurge after the Fried Chicken, order their Patty Melt! So good! (But I can only have that once every 5 years! ;))
But you should really really try and get to Howlin’ Ray’s. It’s too good not to try once. 
I guess the non-reply was pretty much the same reply then lol
Now I am wondering if frying cornish game hen is literally so different from frying chicken that it is its own separate category…and if so, why is that? On the surface they seem very similar.
That’s good to know. The La Brea/Jefferson location always seemed to do pretty brisk business, so I hoped this would work in my favor. Still, the red beans and rice is worth getting.
Hi @bulavinaka,
So true.
Have you gotten a chance to try Howlin’s Potato Salad and Jalapeno Mac & Cheese yet? (And their Beans, and their Dirty Crab Rice!)
No I haven’t - and your killin’ me!
Just fast food.
This is beyond amazing
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Inb4 eater’s18 essential fried chicken specialists
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