Animal

[Grog]

Never been, but I'm remedying that tomorrow. Tell me what you like? Unfortunately, their website doesn't offer current menus.

-TIA-

[Pink_pug]

Does anyone know if the bar in the back where you can eat is usually available early - around 5-6?
I'm having trouble booking a reservation on a Friday or Saturday so I thought I might just be able to drop in?

[Servorg]

They open at 6 and the bar is normally wide open for walk-in's at that time (if you aren't more than 4 people that is).

[Pink_pug]

No, we're just 2. Thanks so much!

[elnora]

the fried quail, with the grits, is also exceptional... and as aforementioned, the bbq pork belly sandwiches, the foie gras with the maple sausage gravy, and the hamachi tostada - delicious. i also like the marrow bone with the chimichurri.

[chez cherie]

went last night with my sous-chef son and (non-sous chef) husband. we DID eat well! shared all pig parts--crispy pig ears with egg (maybe my fav dish of the night--so spicy and good, with the yolk taming the heat just enough), pork belly sliders and pig tails buffalo style. followed the pigfest with hamachi toastada--maybe my second fave, and i don't really like raw fish. such bright flavors that really lingered! a radicchio, cara cara, pistachio salad with buttermilk dressing was a nice balace to this dish, bringing in some bitter elements, and creaminess. the one minor disapponitment was the balsamic pork rib, delicata squash dish. granted, the son works in an upscale bbq place, but to both of us, the ribs were too soft--no chew at all---and the sauce a bit overly sweet and flat. (husband finished those!) we finished with rabbit legs in mustard sauce with bacon, sugar snaps and black trumpet mushrooms. this was a nice dish, but perhaps we were a bit sated by then with all our other tastes and nibbles. if i'd ordered this as a main course, i think i would have been quite happy with it, but at that point, perhaps i should have ordered another pig ear for dessert! all in all, quite an enjoyable meal. no res, sat at the bar, early on a monday evening. can peek through a pass to the kitchen, which we always enjoy.

[Servorg]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Animal is still my favorite restaurant in LA, but I haven't tried the new Son of a Gun by the same two guys who are responsible for Animal.

-----
Son of a Gun
8370 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[Grog]

We had:

pig's ears - very good
hamachi tosdada - great
cod, creamed spinach, brown butter - very good
octopus & chorizo - not so great
cavatelli, lamb sausage, pea tendrils, croutons-very good

They messed up our resv. having us down for a different night. No big deal-we sat at the bar. No gestures offered. Service was good. I would return but not in any hurry.

[Grog]

Thank you for your great recs. Very helpful. I fell well armed.

Carter: I have a Mavasia Secco from Bermejos (Canaray Islands) & a Pegau Res lined up. I scratched the Coenobium as I learned it's on their list (a great Italian white from Lazio).

[Steve2 in LA]

Second time we went, our waiter recommended we try a bottle of 2007 Pink Girl Napa Valley Rose Syrah. Not only was it brilliant with the fatty-sweet-spicy-porky food but we liked it so much, we've purchased a case of the stuff over the past year.

[citizenx]

Was there after the Decemberists concert (so after midnight) and b/w me and my hubby ordered the chopped liver toast, hamachi, uni, octopus, a salad(can't remember which) and the sticky toffe pudding. I really liked the octopus, especially the chorizo it is served with.
I had the willpower not to order the foie (biscuit) since I love it and instead went with the liver toast. I have to say it was amazing. And for $3, one would assume it was ok, but I could not stop talking about it. Apparently, they use duck (fat or rlllette) and top it with sweet, sauteed onions.
I could eat several.
The uni dish was super fresh and tasty but very, very small.

[puppychao]

I really enjoyed the Quail Fry and the Chicken Liver Toast

[Phurstluv]

If they have the pork belly kimchee combo, GET IT!! The head cheese with fried conrbread was pretty delicious also.

[carter]

Based on what you have read so far, how are you planning your wine BYO's?

[Dapuma]

wine BYO's? I just got reso for Friday night...they let you bring your own wine there?

This thread sounds like everything is awesome, but the pig ear, hamachi tostada, and foie are to die for?

Is everything tapas style there? so you share each of the plates? Another thread i saw said it was about $50 / person but i couldnt tell if that was with or without drinks, just wanted an idea of what to expect pricewise

oxtail gravy here i come!

[Servorg]

They have a corkage charge (IIRC around $20) and not sure if they have a total bottle limit or not. They do have prices on their website, so you can do a pretty close "cost estimate" depending on what dishes you see there that you are interested in. I would say $50 pp to $75 pp is a realistic range, depending of course on what you eat and what you drink.

[Dapuma]

I just saw that on their site - so strange at work and my cell phone it wouldnt pull up the menus but at home it would...i checked that out

On their wine menu is the middle price the price for a half bottle or is that the to go price if you buy it on your way out

If corkage is around $20 i dont see any reason to bring my own bottle - might as well drink theirs - dont think there is any advantage there if you just have one bottle

[Servorg]

I believe that when you see 3 prices next to a wine that means first by the glass then by the half bottle then a full bottle. I almost always drink beer with their food, but the last time I was there my friend was treating and ordered a half bottle of wine, but I can't recall which one it was.

[Dapuma]

Do they have a good selection of draft or is everything bottles?

[Servorg]

I think it is only bottles. If you scroll to the end of their wine list you can see the beer listed there.

[honkman]

The middle price is the price for a carafe of wine (250 ml)

[Dapuma]

awesome thanks

What kind of wine's stand up to their heavier cooking? Or am i best sticking with beer

will probably do the hamachi tostadas and foie gras with the bisc. and pig ears for sure - then probably pick one or two other options

[Grog]

Dapuma asks, "What kind of wine's stand up to their heavier cooking? Or am i best sticking with beer"

Talk to your server. The staff should be versed in the drink menu. The managers also know the list quite well and could certainly offer suggestions. The hamachi is delicate yet the sauce is bold, flavored in a Thai style dressing. Consider a lower acid white (Riesling or something from Alto Adige). Foie gras needs something with big fruit and a touch of sweet (but can also be high acidity). The pigs ear is a spicy dish, beer would probably do the trick. In any case, it's a bit tricky to find suitable pairings using only one selection. If you are with a group, perhaps a few carafes could be shared.

[Steve2 in LA]

I've eaten at Animal a half-dozen times. The wine I enjoyed most (even more than those brought from home) was the Pink Girl Napa Valley Rose of Syrah.

Rosé. I know. But this was a very slightly fruity wine that complimented while enhancing the food. While I don't think I'd had a glass of rosé. since the 70's (Mateus anyone?) I'm a fan of pink champagne with barbecue so in this instance, rosé seemed a natural. We enjoyed it so much, we bought a case (on-line, that is. The vintner only produces about 300 cases a year so it's not available at the local warehouse store).

I'd ask the waitstaff for an opinion. They're probably tasting the new wines brought into the store on a regular basis. Enjoy!

[vinosnob]

Ain't nuthin' wrong with "rose"; it's incredibly food-friendly. I'm talking about the dry style of rose; not that cloyingly sweet swill.

Rose bubbly is another solid choice.

[Dapuma]

only two of us so by the glass / beer will probably be our way to go

thanks everyone, will post a report back after tonight - might have to snag a glass of the rose to give it a whirl if it is in stock

[mucho gordo]

The fois gras and pork belly sound superb but, pig ears??? That's something I give my dog to chew on as a treat.

[Steve2 in LA]

Not THESE pig ears, mucho g. While they're unidentifiable as anything but shredded pork on the plate, the combination of flavors, textures and zing will make you yearn for them during meals to come. I've introduced them to several people and to a person they've all gone "ahuminah-huminah-huminah" which means "yummy" in our reptile brains.

[andytseng]

I've asked before about what wine I should choose to go w/ certain sections of courses. I think the best advice was just to go with your own personal preference, because every course is so different (and relatively small). it's impossible to pair groupings of dishes with a wine, let alone each dish.

[Jwsel]

One of my only criticisms about Animal is the wine selection. I don't know if they still do this, but when we went, they gave us a sort-of "budget friendly" list of wines that were mostly mediocre and not even worth the "budget" prices. Their larger wine list had better offerings, but the mark-ups were fairly ridiculous.

Beer may be the way to go.

[wienermobile]

Get the octopus if it's on the menu. Boy was that good. And the barbeque pork belly sandwiches. And melted petit basque with chorizo. And finally the poutine with oxtail gravy and cheddar.

[john gonzales]

I like the reccos so far.
I would get foie biscuit, pig ear, pork belly sammie, hamachi tostada, poutine, and octopus

[Steve2 in LA]

I'm not a fan of either the loco moco or the foie but each time I've been, the pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg knocked my socks off. Of course, that's just me.

[TNT Adventures]

The foie gras with maple sausage gravy is one of my favorite entrees on the menu. One of my top favorite dishes of all time.

[groover808]

Love, love, love this dish too. It's for you if you like to dip/drown your sausage and bacon in maple syrup. The pig ear is very limey and tart if you like that. The pork belly sliders although good, I'd skip them for some of their more original fare others have mentioned here.

[chezwhitey]

do they take reservations? How hard is it to get one at this place? Thanks.

[wienermobile]

Yes they take reservations. They are not on Open Table. To reserve a table at Animal call after 2pm seven days a week. Here is the link with all their info:
http://www.animalrestaurant.com/

-----
Animal
435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

[ssl5b]

i still find myself thinking about this dish. right after tasting the gravy, we grabbed our waiter to order a second one. the maple bacon gravy matched with a buttery biscuit is perfect. i actually found the foie gras unnecessary, and i love foie gras. the sad thing is, i looked around and saw plates with unfinished biscuit and gravy. wtf. i also enjoyed the bone marrow dish and the hamachi tostada.

i will return.

[Servorg]

Just had the hamachi tostada and the grilled octopus a week or so ago and they were both outstanding. I also love the loco moko if they have it and if you like chili cheese fries at all get the poutine.

[wilafur]

for the most part, the menu does not change very much.

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