435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 782-9225
http://www.animalrestaurant.com/
"So we meet again..." Our native Angelino friend transplanted to Hawaii made his way back home for a short visit. Wanting to share our culinary experiences with him firsthand, we decided to take him to Animal.
1. poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar - On our last visit, they'd run out of this dish. We'd seen other tables enjoying this and it was quite the disappointment to learn that they were no longer serving it when we ordered. So needless to say, this was highly anticipated. Turns out that the anticipation was quite for not. Although the flavors were all there, cheesy, crispy, meaty, gravy-y, the balance of this dish was tilted towards salty. So much so, that it detracted from what could have been a tasty dish.
2. black cod, corn, agretti, cippolini, mustard butter - The cod had a tender, flaky texture. The fish itself had a subtle hints of lemon. Otherwise, fairly unremarkable.
3. foie gras, biscuit, maple sausage gravy - The favorite dish of the night. The foie was rich. The maple and gravy paired well together. The biscuit provided a bit of texture and was a nice starch to support the main players. Could have eaten two of these, then hibernated.
4. marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions - Bone marrow has almost reached the status of "must order" whenever it appears on a menu. So seeing it on Animal's meant that it was destined to end up on our table that night. It was a nice generous portion of marrow. However, the richness of the marrow was overshadowed by the chimichurri. This dish was more herbs and lemon with marrow than vice versa. We would have preferred a better balance of the two for a truly yummy dish.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 782-9225
http://www.animalrestaurant.com/
"So we meet again..." Our native Angelino friend transplanted to Hawaii made his way back home for a short visit. Wanting to share our culinary experiences with him firsthand, we decided to take him to Animal.
1. poutine, oxtail gravy, cheddar - On our last visit, they'd run out of this dish. We'd seen other tables enjoying this and it was quite the disappointment to learn that they were no longer serving it when we ordered. So needless to say, this was highly anticipated. Turns out that the anticipation was quite for not. Although the flavors were all there, cheesy, crispy, meaty, gravy-y, the balance of this dish was tilted towards salty. So much so, that it detracted from what could have been a tasty dish.
2. black cod, corn, agretti, cippolini, mustard butter - The cod had a tender, flaky texture. The fish itself had a subtle hints of lemon. Otherwise, fairly unremarkable.
3. foie gras, biscuit, maple sausage gravy - The favorite dish of the night. The foie was rich. The maple and gravy paired well together. The biscuit provided a bit of texture and was a nice starch to support the main players. Could have eaten two of these, then hibernated.
4. marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions - Bone marrow has almost reached the status of "must order" whenever it appears on a menu. So seeing it on Animal's meant that it was destined to end up on our table that night. It was a nice generous portion of marrow. However, the richness of the marrow was overshadowed by the chimichurri. This dish was more herbs and lemon with marrow than vice versa. We would have preferred a better balance of the two for a truly yummy dish.
This was one of the more disappointing visits to Animal. Nothing has really changed with the restaurant. The service was still very good. Not to fault the restaurant, but everytime we go, we try to order something new. So we could simply order what we know to be good and not be disappointed. But with our prior positive experiences with so many other dishes, we figured we'd try the rest of the menu. Perhaps it's too much to expect that everything on a menu can be good. The foie gras biscuit was still a winner and nothing we ate was "bad". For us, Animal may be a victim of its own success where expectations rise higher and higher each time which can only lead to disappointment. We'll definitely be back, but it may not be for a while.