Animal

435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 782-9225

We decided to ring in the New Year with dinner at Animal, after having it on our food-dar for the last six months or so. The restaurant does not have any conspicuous signage and is fairly non-descript when coming down Fairfax. We had one of the night's first reservations at 6:00pm, but arrived a bit early and so we made our way down to neighboring Canter's bakery for a few goodies beforehand.

The menu changes daily and had no more then thirty items or so. With a name like "Animal", you don't go in expecting a vegetarian wonderland. The initial thought was to order about half the menu, but having come back to reality from the hypnotic appeal of pork and other meat products, we narrowed our selections to just enough food to feed a hungry family of four. Oh well, you can never have enough yummy...or pork.

1. fresh mint tea - initially ordered this thinking it would be a cold drink. but it turned out to be a good compliment to the meal. simply mint leaves steeped in hot water. we both thought this this teapot was cool.

2. chicken liver toast - we both enjoy a good liver now and then. the balsalmic reduction really helped cut the "heaviness" of the liver. the toast was just thick enough to provide a good balance to the whole dish.

3. pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg - not everyday you get to eat pig ear. these things are usually reserved for Fluffy and Toto. these were light and crispy. the egg provided a nice richness. lime and spice was a good way to round out this dish.

4. barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw - can't do much wrong with pork belly. tender, porky, and belly-y. slaw was good. the bread was a little soft and a bit too "buttery" which didn't hold up well against the already greasy belly. still good though.

5. melted petit basque, chorizo, grilled bread - firm, soft, goat, cow whatever type of cheese you prefer, "melted" is one of our favorites. meaty (chorizy??) and cheesy. the bread was essential to making this dish successful.

6. quail fry, grits, chard, slab bacon, maple jus - one of the least memorable dishes of the night. light and crispy, but didn't get much flavor from the fowl. maple jus was actually the star of this "meh" dish.

7. balsamic pork ribs, delicata squash, cippolini onion vinaigrette - stuffed. no more room. "what were we thinking?" we had one rib each and took the rest home. bloated belly didn't allow for an objective assessment of this dish. but with reckless disregard of what our stomachs were telling us, we forced ourselves to try the delicata squash that accompanied the ribs. after which, some real estate within the large intestine opened up and allowed for a couple more bites. it was that good.

Overall, a very enjoyable meal. Great way to ring in the New Year. Will definitely be returning to try the other items on the menu. Everything is a bit on the "heavy" side, but in this case, we don't mind doing the lifting.