Work It, Berk: Eat in Los Angeles: Animal

Beef heart, baba ganoush, lima bean, tomato, harissa

Tandoori octopus, tamarind, mango, raita

Chicken fried sweetbreads, finger lime aioli, cumin

Crispy pig head, chow chow, sour cream, ginger-scallion vinaigrette

Marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions

Balsamic pork ribs, delicata squash, spiced pecan, arugula

Grilled quail, plum char-siu, pear, apple, yogurt, pomegranate

Shrimp & rabbit sausage spring roll, eggplant, sprouts, green curry

Bacon chocolate crunch bar with salt & pepper ice cream

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm usually not a bougie diner. (I am neither houtie-toutie nor a casual eating establishment.) Although many of the restaurants I've featured so far have been rather hip(ster), most of the meals cost less than ten bucks a pop. With that said, I'd like to share a delicious meal I had at Animal―a rightly popular restaurant found on Fairfax between Melrose and Beverly―in celebration of a close friend's birthday.

Our party of five eagerly dove into a nine-course, tapas-style dinner that was nothing short of extraordinary. As the restaurant's name suggests, every course at Animal included some type of beef, fowl, pork, or seafood. While some dishes are quite wide-spread, like a plate of ribs, others redefined my perception of which parts of an animal are actually edible and rather tasty at that. In other words, Animal is not for vegetarians or the faint-of-heart. Each dish had its own distinct and dynamic flavors, while also exploring different types of cuisine all under the same meaty umbrella. Some of the highlights were the marrow bone, which was sinfully indulgent, and the understated salt & pepper ice cream. In all honesty, you can't go wrong with any dish you order.

Since Animal has only 45 seats in its modestly-sized space, remember to make reservations in advance. Also note that their menu changes daily to maximize freshness and taste.

Work It, Berk

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Monday, December 10, 2012

Eat in Los Angeles: Animal