I Only Came for The Chicks & The Dranks

      Normally I don't do blog postings about restaurants but Cha Cha Chicken has been a favorite of mine for about 10 years. It's located a block from Santa Monica Beach and when you're eating there you feel transported to whatever your favorite Caribbean island is. Their food is a blend of Latin and Caribbean cuisine. The only other combo that goes together that perfectly is Romney and flip flops. My absolute favorite dish at Cha Cha Chicken are their Jerk Chicken Enchiladas. Their secret recipe jerk sauce starts out with a spicy, Cleveland bus driver style upper cut, but then a sweetness kicks in to make it alllll better. Add to that melted cheese and perfectly pulled and shredded chicken breast and you'll look at your meal and say,"You goin to jail now!" Before it gets it's 5-10(hours)sentence in my belly, I like to wash it down with a fresh lemonade/watermelon mix. And if great food and fresh juices wasn't enough, they allow BYOB. WHAT!! Whether you prefer Boons or Bordeaux, bring your own and imbibe; responsibly of course. If you get a little too loose, hit the beach and wash or walk it off. 

 
  Cha Cha's Chicken has all the elements of a great date; Island ambiance, great affordable food, the option to toast it up with no corkage fee, and Santa Monica Beach only a block away. 



Details

When: Mon-Fri 11am-10pm                                   Sat & Sun 10am-10pm

Where: 1906 Ocean Ave(at Pico)
             Santa Monica, CA 90405

Why: Caribbean, Latin Food, Wine corks,           
          & Wave crests

Cost: Entrees in the $10 range

Parking: They have a small lot for about 6 cars, but people often park behind each other and move when asked. And of course there's metered street parking.

Levitated Cash

LACMA'a newest outdoor installation is literally a rock star in the art world. It's a massive, granite boulder weighing 340 tons and there's a 456 ft long slanted walkway that allows you to walk underneath it. It was a feat of logistics to get it from Riverside County to LA. Some argue whether or not it's considered art. Barny Rubble considers moving huge boulders, just another day at the office, so I think it's clear where he stands on the issue. I suggest you go see for yourself and make your own conclusions. But one thing you don't have to "Yabba Dabba" do is pay for the LACMA experience. Did you know that if you're an LA resident LACMA is free after 3 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It's also free ALL day on the 2nd Tuesday of every month to everyone. Tickets are normally $15 for adults. That's a $30 savings that you can put towards a gourmet meal at Ray's, which is right there at LACMA. Granted Ray's is a bit pricey so if frugality is a top priority, pocket the savings and grab a cocktail at The Stark Bar next to Ray's or head to your favorite spot to grub.

In addition to all the great contemporary and classic art, LACMA offers lots of FREE concerts. They have an on-going Sunday Classical Concert series and Jazz Fridays is going on right now through November. All Classical and Jazz concerts are at 6pm. So understand if you're an LA resident you can enjoy a great Friday night date including live jazz, great art, and it'll cost you nothing.

Go see the rock AKA Levitated Mass, stay for the art, hear some jazz, and enjoy your Levitated Cash.

D.O.A.D.(Dating On a Dime) "Keeping saving sexy, since 2011"

Details :

When: Free admission during the week after 3pm, and The 2nd Tuesday of every month

Where: LACMA

Why: You Gotta Have Art!!

Website: www.lacma.org/

Gone With The Wind-Fall Savings

Los Angeles is one of the best cities to enjoy a cinematic experience. But the unpleasant fleecing of your wallet at a lot of theaters here can start to get old Fast and make you Furious. The average parking ticket in Los Angeles is $58 and that's about what you'll pay for an evening for two, including popcorn and drinks at the Arclight. When an evening at the movies rivals the same price as a civil infraction you know things have gone bad. The Dark Price Rises, but there's something you can do about it!



All great action movies need a Brave superhero and now some local theaters have their own. Captain Save em Dough is her name and her only duty is fighting the rising price of movie tickets across the south land. She works part time so you can only catch her handy-work at a few theaters. If independent theaters are your thing, you can catch a first run, adult movie ticket anytime for $6 at The Highland Theater in Highland Park. On Tuesday's and Wednesday's tickets drop to $3 for everyone, all day. With prices like that all you do is win, win, win no matter what. So put your hands up; and they stay there and they say there. Unless the movie starts in which case, put em down and contain your excitement.




If you love glow sticks, bottled water, and techno music, and/or just love going to the movies, you'll love the savings at Rave Cinemas on Tuesday's and Wednesday's. On Tuesday's Rave Cinemas charges $5 for movie tickets at their Brentwood location and $7 at their Westchester location. On Wednesday's at their Baldwin Hills location tickets are only $6.



Don't get me wrong, sometimes enjoying an evening at a premiere theater in LA is worth the splurge, but hitting these bargain theaters more often than not allows you to pocket the savings and use it to extend your date with some after movie drinks, dessert, dinner, etc. I mean seriously, do you think Abraham Lincoln fought all those vampires so we couldn't be free of financial film bondage? Keep saving sexy my friends!

Details:

When: Day and times vary. See theater websites

Where: Brentwood, Westchester, Baldwin Hills, & Highland Park

Why: Making it rain unnecessarily at the movie theater box office isn't part of the forecast. It's part of the faux-cast

Cost: $3-7

http://www.ravecinemas.com/promotions_bargaindays.aspx

http://www.highlandtheatres.com/