Animal

It was my dear cousins birthday last night and she opted to do a small dinner of the 4 of us and we met at a new hip, hot, YUM restaurant named ANIMAL. You know, the name is funny but it really ties into their menu. i can honestly say that its one of the few restaurants i know that integrated their name into the food they serve. They pretty much use all parts of an animal, like pig ears, chicken livers and pig tail. It may be unusual, but it really is the combination of the flavors on the dish that really hit the mark. So between to four of us, i think we ordered a good amount of food and we were literally rolling out the front door after the dessert, Bacon Chocolate Crunch Bar (yep, BACON CHOCOLATE. more on that later ... )

For Appetizers we ordered :

Pig Ear, Chili, Lime & Fried Egg ($10)

i really enjoyed this dish! the combo of spicy and sour added to the crunch of the pig ear. i was a liiiitle grossed out about eating pig ear cause thats a dog treat that we give the dog, but it tastes really good!

Poutine, Ox Tail Gravy, Cheddar ($15)

Oooh, Poutine. i don't even know what a poutine is but every poutine i have from here on out will have to live up to the goodness of THIS poutine. Like my cuz says "its like high end chilli cheese fries". Oh man, the tenderness of the ox tail the flavor of the gravy, melted cheese on top of FRIES? forget about it, best thing on earth. MUST get.

Melted Petit Basque, Chorizo, Grilled Bread ($11)

This was yummers as well. Lots and lots of oozing cheese with chorizo sliced thinly like salami and with that homemade thick rustic bread catching all of the fat you cant go wrong. Perfect size for 4 people.

Pork Belly, Kimchi, Peanuts, Chili Soy, Scallion ($12)

FAT at its FINEST. a big slab of pork belly conveniently cut into 4 pieces with a slaw of kimchi and peanuts on top. When you bite into you feel the fat ooze out of the meat and run down your throat, but somehow you're not scared. you're not scared that your pants quite possibly wont fit the next day. you're not scared that your heart might all of a sudden clog up. you're not even scared that the fat has left a film of "natural chapstick" on your lips ( as jason says). because it is WORTH IT.

Entrees:

Balsamic Pork Ribs, Succotash, Herb Butter ($37)

First of all, forgive me for my horrible photo of the ribs. i really didnt do it justice, but if you had two boys hovering over your shoulder with knives and forks, you'd snap fast and not ask to retake also. Second of all, there really was no point for knives and forks because once you get ahold of the bone, the meat falls right off. Seriously, it was perfectly cooked. and the balsamic glaze gave it some unexpected sweetness. I also didnt get a picture of the Succotash cause apparently the boys said "we dont eat green things". Ah, boys.

Foie Gras Loco Moco, Quail Egg, Spam, Hamburger ($35)

Isn't the little quail egg cute? i dont know how they do it here, but the eggs are cooked so nicely. no brown edges or anything. anyways, this was an interesting dish. you can totally taste the foie gras, which is a good thing ( i think. ive never had it before so it was interesting) but it really is all the flavors together that makes this dish. We cut it up into quarters and each took a bite and it was a one bite wonder. delish. and i swear those little red dots are sriracha hot sauce, but i dont think anyone believed me ...

And the Grand Finale, Dessert:

Bacon Chocolate Crunch Bar, S&P Anglaise ($7)

The first time i heard of this dish was on the Food Network Show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and the whole show was about bacon. So Duff declared that this was his fave bacon dish. When i saw it i was like, thats so freakin weird. why would you eat bacon with chocolate? I would never eat bacon with chocolate! So when i saw it on the menu, i was like wait, was this the place on the show?! omg, im totally going to try it. I'm SO glad i did. i think i was probably one of the best desserts i've ever had. Mostly because i usually don't order things that i can make myself. and im so over chocolate molten cake ... ANYWAYS, bacon and chocolate. what a wonderful surprise. crunchy bacon bits on top of a rich chocolate bar with a drizzle S&P anglaise, which my clever cousin decoded as Salt&Pepper anglaise. it was really really good.

Family!

So after all those dishes, i really recommend this place. i feel like my culinary tastebuds have been heightened and you really do feel like your are dining on a dish that could easily win Top Chef. The restaurant is small and open for dinner only, so make your reservations early!

ANIMAL

435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 782-9225

Open Seven Days A Week

Sunday - Thursday

6pm-11pm

Friday - Saturday

6pm-2am

* PS, they use organic/local ingredients and their menu changes seasonally.