652798 Wed Sep 16 10:52:02 -0700 2009 3 2 Los Angeles Area 0 5034396 As promised, here is a brief review of Animal. I would like to thank all the hounds for their input and help yesterday. I pretty much went with your suggestions. To begin, hubs and I had a glass of the Jolly Pumpkin Farmhouse Ale. NIce, full body with a slight after taste. But, enjoyable. Everything we ordered, we shared. First food item, Crispy hominy w/ lime. Tasty enough, however I found it awkward to eat. Using fingers or a fork did not seem to work very well. Next up, Foie gras, biscuit, maple sausage gravy. Oh boy, this was wonderful. Rich and tasty! Next, Sweetbreads, creamed spinach, capers, hen of the woods. Delish! Done perfectly with a nice crisp on the outside. Probably the second Sweetbreads I have ever ordered and would do it again and again, here. Next, Pork Belly, kimchi, peanuts, chili soy, scallion. Loved the kimchi part of the dish, however we both found the pork itself, very fatty---least favorite dish of the night, for that reason. Oh, at this point I had ordered and really enjoyed a bottle of Avery Salvation beer. Hubs had a glass of cab. Really nice beer, but probably not worth $24 for a bottle. (large bottle). Last dish of the night, Quail fry, grits, chard, slab bacon, maple jus. Oh so good! Tied for first with most of the other dishes. Again, I have ordered quail maybe once or twice, but here, again in a heart beat. Speaking of heart beat.....if you have high cholesterol, careful here. Food is rich! No dessert ordered, too full. Tax and tip $158.00. Wed Sep 16 10:52:02 -0700 2009 11649 xoxohh 1 5034410 Thanks for the reply and thoughts on what you ate. I had the quail fry the first time we went and loved it too. We have found the service to be very good, (from the wait staff to the bussers to the hostess) and wondered how yours was last night? Wed Sep 16 10:55:24 -0700 2009 5034396 108169 Servorg 2 5034440 Sorry, I forgot that part. Our server, Ashley was wonderful. Very helpful and knowledgeable. She spaced our courses very well. Restaurant was pretty noisy, but heck, no big deal. Wed Sep 16 11:00:21 -0700 2009 5034410 11649 xoxohh 3 5034493 Hubs here---last night indeed was ummmazing. Really can't say enough about Ashley, who took care of us. Just the nicest person who truly cared about everything from the spacing of our dishes, as well as the dishes that complimented each other. My take on the hominy: Really dug it, but unlike Owen, I found using fingers to be a lot of fun. We went through only half of the amount, because it was a lot. But at $5, it was a steal. Hmmm, maybe I should have taken the rest home for tonight's appetizers . The house Cab, is Rutherford, and it's nice to find a glass of wine for $7 at any restaurant these days. My thanx as well to the CHOW posters who gave us the framework for a wonderful meal. Next time (and there definitely will be a next time), more than likely we'll re-order a few dishes, but discover some others that read so well. Wed Sep 16 11:19:18 -0700 2009 5034440 11598 JeffW