Chicken Wing Elbows! Chicken Wings at Howlin' Rays!

Surfing looks simple. And for some people, who make it look really easy because they're so good, it is. But for a Kook like me, it's never simple. Like executing a good pop-up. It's just getting to your feet! But, for me anyway, there's so much going through my brain at the same second it's often hard to get it all right. But lately I've been really trying to always nail it. Especially when it comes to hand placement. When you're paddling into a wave, and you start to move down it, it can feel like you're nose-diving. What do you do when you start to fall forward? If you're like most people, you throw your arms out in front of you to break the fall. Well, with surfing that's exactly a recipe for disaster! Don't ask me how I know this. Your hands need to be down by your ribs on the board -- so it looks like you have chicken wing elbows is how I've heard it described and it's a good description. So lately, while also trying to focus on where my feet are landing when I get to my feet (another recurrent issue), I've also been really trying to focus on hand placement and thinking about those chicken wings.

Which of course made me hungry. I love chicken wings. In fact I think wings are probably my favorite part of the chicken. So when I heard that the food truck Howlin' Rays, which does riffs on Nashville Hot Chicken, had opened a bricks and mortar space down in Chinatown -- just across from Chego and next to Pok Pok Phat Thai, and downstairs from Ramen Champ and now also including Scoops Ice Cream and...what the Hell kind of food court is this? A shockingly good one. Anyway,  I wanted to try Howlin' Rays, and because I had chicken wings on the brain, that's what I ordered. Here's a look-see:

First of all, here's a secret: I ordered the 3-wings, not too spicy, and they gave me four!! I didn't even ask for the extra! Nor did I ask for extra pickles, or extra sauce for my super crunchy and delicious fries. Okay, so the bottom line is these guys at Howlin' Rays? They totally rock. Get yourself downtown and try anything here. It's all going to be amazing. Just be aware -- the line gets long really really fast. So plan on waiting a bit.  But...just go. Eat hot chicken. And if by chance you're trying to improve your surfing skills, think of your elbows like chicken wings!

Howlin' Rays:  http://www.howlinrays.com

Even Kooks Can Sound Knowledgeable. Then Republique's Kimchi Fried Rice!

Sometimes I have really good days in the water. I paddle somewhat fearlessly (for me) into waves (okay small ones) and even catch them. Often, I'm still pretty much a Kook, not paddling hard enough and missing the wave, or popping up too soon and stopping dead in my tracks. My last surf session was a combination of the two. I was going well on some tame little waves, but just as I was feeling good about myself, a fellow surfer came along and decided to give me some pointers. This happens a lot, and I don't really mind. Except by now, I pretty much can identify every mistake I make. So when he said, "One or two more paddles, and you'd have had that wave," I knew it already. Still, I told him thanks and we chatted a bit about this and that. Then, a short time later, as I was strapping the Greco back to the roof of the car and getting ready to leave, there was a car that had pulled up next to me, with two guys and a girl, maybe college age, and they were unloading boards and wetsuits. One of them asked me how it was out there. Without even missing a beat, I said "Oh, well, you know waves were kind of mushy, and a little hard to gauge but it was fun." And the girl said, "Looks like they're closing out," and I answered, "Yeah, yeah. Maybe better later on when the tide gets higher, though." As I was driving off it occurred to me that I sounded like I knew what I was talking about, even if I'm not quite sure what I said was perfectly correct. I've picked up some information over the last few years of my surf odyssey though, and it seems that I might be able to pass some information along.

Here's some more information to pass along, in case you haven't made it to Republique on La Brea, in the old Campanile space. My advice is go! I've been here for a couple of lunches. The first was to sample Chef Walter Manzke's version of the delicious, but ultra-simple sandwich, the Jambon Buerre, which is basically ham and butter on a baguette. Republique's version was excellent, and there's a picture on my Instagram if you want to see it so check that out. But this time I got the Kimchi Fried Rice, because it's another dish I just love (I've talked about my fondness for the Kimchi Spam Bowl at Chego too -- get that if you're downtown!). Instead of Spam, Republique's version has chunks of tender braised short rib, and a couple of very softly poached eggs on top. This makes for very good eating. I pretty much want to go back to Republique and sample just about every breakfast, lunch and dinner item on the menu. Here's the Fried rice:

But wait, there's more!! This was a business lunch, and consumed by my lunch partner was this bit of deliciousness you see here, a seriously good Belgian waffle with seasonal fruit (in this case cherries) and Vermont Maple Syrup. Take a look:

Can't go wrong there, can ya? So if you're looking for seriously good breakfast, lunch or dinner and you're anywhere near La Brea between Sixth and Wilshire, go to Republique. Only warning: it gets very, very crowded!

More info: http://republiquela.com