Howlin' Ray's.

Being a huge follower of the Food Network, recently I've been seeing a lot of craze over Nashville style hot chicken and I started to wonder what it was. Is it like chicken buffalo sauce? How spicy is it? What makes it special to Tennessee? Apparently, it's a type of chicken different than any type of chicken I've ever had. It's a type of fried chicken that is marinated in a water based blend of spicy seasoning, floured, and fried. It is finally sauced with a paste that is spiced with cayenne pepper. It is usually served on bread as a sandwich, but can also be eaten on its own. And pickles are the perfect thing to combine the flavor of the chicken with. It has been served in Nashville for generations since the 1930s and has recently been gaining more popularity.

A lot of the notoriety of hot chicken came from a restaurant in Nashville called Hattie B's Hot Chicken, and seeing as though I'm not going there any time soon, I made it my mission to find a hot chicken spot in LA. Even KFC has introduced a hot chicken special, but I knew I could get more authentic than that.

That's when I found Howlin' Ray's in LA's Chinatown. Howlin' Ray's is owned and operated by a husband and wife team, Johnny and Amanda, who are passionate about getting the best blend of spices to make top tier hot chicken. When I went to the restaurant, Amanda was there taking customer orders and Johnny was in the kitchen leading a team of chefs to make the chicken. I really enjoyed that they were a part of my experience, it made it seem more personal and authentic.

Howlin' Ray's has 6 different types of sauces for the chicken, each at a different level of spiciness. I'm usually a person who can handle her spicy foods, but when I asked Amanda which sauce she would recommend to me, she said to go with the Medium sauce. I was worried it wouldn't be that spicy, but let me tell you guys, my mouth was on fire eating it! In a totally good way. I ordered the sandwich, which had the chicken, slaw, comeback sauce, and pickles. The comeback sauce was another great accompaniment to the chicken and I used it to dip my crinkle cut fries in too. It didn't hurt also that they kept giving me as many pickle chips as I wanted.

It was to die for! The chicken was perfectly crispy, the slaw gave it the perfect element of crunch, and the sauce and pickles just brought it all home. The portions are also really large. I feel really bad about this, but I couldn't finish my sandwich. Sometimes I sit and think about the parts I left and hate myself for not finishing it haha.

The line can get pretty long at Howlin' Ray's, even on a weekday, which is when I went. I waited in line for about 30 minutes, but I've heard this is actually a short time. So if you're going to give it a try, try to go before or after the lunch rush. It's totally worth any wait you have though!

The Attic.

Last weekend, I ventured out to Long Beach for an event, and had heard great things about this cute place to eat called The Attic. It's nestled in a nice little area near downtown and has such a homey feel so I decided to try it out.

Walking in was like walking into a backyard barbecue at a friends house. It's really welcoming and cozy. I sat in the patio outside, which had comfy couches and multi patterned tables. It overlooked the street and the weather that day made it a perfect vibe. 

As a lover of Bloody Mary's, I was so excited to see a page full of different types of Bloody Mary's they served. Each one had a different type of garnish on top of it. My boyfriend got the Meaty Man Bloody Mary, which used bacon infused vodka and was garnished with a slider and Slim Jim stuffed olive. I loved mine...the Caprese Bloody Mary with basil infused vodka and a tomato, basil, and mozzarella garnish. They were both to die for. 

The star of the show, though, was what this place is known for...Mac and Cheetos! It doesn't get more decadent than this, people! A glorious cheddar and mozzarella macaroni and cheese topped with hot Cheetos! There are so many add ons you can get to it too. I added some bacon, but kind of regret not getting avocados too. If you're looking for even more decadence, you can even add a fried egg on top of it! 

If you're looking for other comfort food dishes, I also recommend the chicken pot pie. The flaky crust on top of a hearty pot pie is just a feel good meal. 

Honorable mention to the bison burger, which my boyfriend said tasted really good, but I'm just not a huge fan of bison. 

Next time you're out in Long Beach and looking for a great place to comfort your foodie soul, try out The Attic, you won't be sorry! Happy eating! 

The Broad Museum.

In LA, there are a bunch of beautiful museums to visit where you can see art, look back on history, or learn about a new culture. I've visited a lot of them, but when I heard there was a brand spanking new contemporary art museum opening in Downtown LA, I knew I had to check it out. Especially since entry into the museum is free!

Before opening, the museum teased everyone with its beautiful architecture of the building. It's a super modern look that looks almost like a mesh net(?)...that's what I thought of it anyway!

Upon walking inside, we were instantly greeted with this interesting piece, resembling a stack of plates by Robert Therrien.

Moving over to the left, was this lamp that looks like its sort of melting. This reminded me so much of a prop straight out of a Tim Burton movie.

All the art in this museum was very modern, which I actually really like. I think it allows the audience to use their imagination to delve into the deeper meaning of what the piece is trying to convey. Noting the date and location the artists created the pieces also influences the interpretations of the artwork, so I always make a note to read the placards next to them.

My favorite room by far was the Takashi Murakami Room! Murakami uses his Japanese heritage and American pop culture to influence his works. His art spills into fashion and film as well and has been compared to Andy Warhol.

I also really loved a video piece by Ragnar Kjartansson. I couldn't get any footage of it, just because it wouldn't have done it any justice, really. The piece was a looping video of a group of musicians who rented a dreary cabin in upstate New York. Each musician was set in a different room of the mansion each with different instruments and they all sang and played the same song from their respective rooms. Videos were taken of each room and displayed separately, but became harmonious when they were all played at the same time. This exhibit was totally worth seeing, I would even recommend it before the infamous Infinity Room!

We came across some very random but interesting pieces throughout, like this Double America by Glenn Ligon.

My boyfriend even found some height competition with this Charles Ray number.

I was feeling a little tiny standing next to this Robert Therrien piece.

There were even some Jeff Koons works like these basketballs.

I loved seeing some Roy Lichtenstein artwork as well!

Finally, we saw the infamous Infinity Room! Note that when you go to the Broad, come early and make a reservation to see this! Since everything is free, the museum has to track the number of visitors in the most popular exhibit so by the time we arrived, the reservations for the room were filled and we had to go on a standby list and we couldn't see it until 8:30pm. But it was totally worth the wait (kind of). We had (a full) 15 seconds in the room where you stand on a platform surrounded by water below you and mirrors on the walls. Lights are projected in there to reflect on the water and the mirrors. It really looks like you are in a room of infinite sparkle. My favorite part of it was looking down below me...it felt like I was floating in space!

I really recommend checking this place out guys! It's very different and unique and you can't beat the price.

Exploring the Super Cute World of Hello Kitty.

Hello! Hello Kitty is one of my favorite iconic characters and this year, she is celebrating her 40th anniversary! I remember as a kid always asking my dad to take me to the Sanrio store to buy me Hello Kitty stickers. I was obsessed and I still think she is the cutest. When I heard the Japanese American Museum in Downtown LA was holding an exhibit for Hello Kitty for her 40th anniversary, I knew I had to check it out. If you're a fan of hers or even a fan of Japanese art, this exhibit is really worth seeing.

The entrance to the exhibit with this Hello Kitty block sculpture.

She's ageless?! Girl's gotta tell me her secret...

The exhibit included relics from the 70's and 80's like backpacks, notebooks, and stickers designed with Hello Kitty on them. 

I had a lot of these items as a kid.

Hello Kitty's family, minus her twin, Mimmy. 

These adorable Hello Kitty bride and groom!

How Hello Kitty looked the year I was born.

Her bows lead to the next room of the exhibit. 

There was also a hall of different takes of adapted Hello Kitty art, which was super creative. 

My favorite part was the room of Hello Kitty fashion, where different dresses were on display made of Hello Kitty dolls and fabrics. 

This dress made of Hello Kitty dolls was worn by Lady Gaga. 

I'm about 14 apples tall. 

The sculptures throughout the museum were also very artistic. 

Pharoah Kitty. 

Kitty hieroglyphics.

Japanese Kitty. 

And the man who put up with my Hello Kitty fever. 

The exhibit is going on until May 31, so make your way there before its gone! 

Plan Check.

I'm always on the hunt for the next great burger in LA and when I heard about Plan Check, I knew I had to try it immediately. There are three locations, I went to the Downtown LA location and it did not disappoint. And the $6 happy hour old fashions didn't hurt either!

We sat in a half indoor, half outdoor area and overlooked Downtown as we enjoyed our dinner.

Checked in on Yelp for free beer nuts. I don't know what herbs these are roasted with, but it was very tasty.

Plan Check is known for their "ketchup leather". It's a "slice" of ketchup if you will...it looks like a slice of cheese but it's a concentrated ketchup that melts in your mouth when you eat it. It was so amazing...

Yummy ketchup leathery goodness. 

The Korean BBQ burger was also really yummy, but my plan is to eat the Chef's Favorite burger, which has a sunny fried egg and bacon. 

Grilled Cheese Invitational.

This weekend, my boyfriend and I attended "The Last" Grilled Cheese Invitational in downtown LA. I say "Last" because I really think its a publicity stunt. But anyway, I had never been, so I was really excited to try out the different types of grilled cheese sandwiches. When we entered, there was a sponsored tent that was serving free grilled cheese sandwiches. The bread was sponsored by La Brea Bakery and the cheese from Cabot. I chose a rustic white bread with pepper jack, gruyere, and cheddar cheese, which was great...but it definitely wasn't enough to satisfy our cheesy appetites!

So we went on to the trucks. The Grilled Cheese Truck was there and had a special, which my boyfriend had...

Grilled Cheese Truck Special: cheddar cheese, black forest ham, arugula, and blueberry bacon jam.

I went for the Cheesy Mac Melt, which had cheddar cheese and macaroni and cheese in between the bread. SO good!

Cheesy Mac Melt. 

Even though we were pretty full at this point, I couldn't help myself but to get a sweet grilled cheese sandwich as a dessert. I spotted a tent run by the Cheesy Amigos, which had this amazing sandwich...

Strawberry Grilled Cheese: cheddar cheese, Nutella, strawberries, and bananas.
photo from thrillist.com

Grand Performances

Downtown Los Angeles has been emerging as new lively social scene in LA and the Grand Performances in the heart of downtown is exemplary of this! I ventured there this summer with my boyfriend to see an exotic, cultural concert of various musicians and musical groups from different parts of the world including Scotland, Japan, Cuba, Peru, and Tunisia. Located on the corner of Grand and 4th between several corporate buildings is a small area with a gorgeous fountain where the stage is set up. The ambiance was great and the music was, well…grand! It’s a really cute date spot and had we planned it a little earlier, we would have been able to bring a picnic with us…including Chardonnay ;) It’s safe to say that Downtown LA is slowly becoming one of my favorite places to explore and with the concert’s proximity to a few swanky bars, I’ll definitely be back here again…