A Hop, Skip, and a Jump

Living in southern California, we’re pretty much inundated with Mexican food from the forgettable to the sublime.  It makes it tough for any specific place to stand out in this saturated market unless it’s the best of the traditional, or brings something new and clever to the table.  Anepalco’s, located in Orange near the OC Children’s hospital, can definitely fall under the later.  Bringing a not-entirely traditional, but very delicious style to it’s menu, the Cafe is a must for anyone who wants a fantastic brunch or lunch and despite it’s location, I would even consider it a dining destination from LA.

It’s been said in multiple reviews, but if you come, then trying the Chilaquiles is a must, otherwise, why bother coming?  I was lucky enough to enjoy weekend brunch with a group of friends, one of whom has been to Anepalco’s before.  Browsing thru the menu, it is not your typical tacos and tamales selection.  Along with traditional dishes like their enchiladas and aformentioned chilaquiles, they also offer a selection of more traditional sandwiches, salads, and crepes,  many of which show off some mexican and french influence.

What we sampled in our group included:

The chilaquiles – This house specialty features a mix of tortilla chips, red sauce, scrambled eggs, cotija cheese, sour cream, avocado mousse, pico de gallo, put together into an almost casserole-like creation, or tortilla lagsagna.  It’s a far cry from the garbage I’ve seen in many a cafeteria bearing the same name.

Jalapeno chimichurri beef sandwich – Beef marinated in Achiote, Mushrooms, Provolone, Green Leaf, Roasted Tomato, Poblano Aioli, Ciabatta Bread.  Hints of spicyness served with side greens, I thought was a terrific sandwich.

Chocolate chicken mole enchilada – Chicken, Chocolate Mole, Red Radish, Sour Cream, Jalapeño Relish,Cotija Cheese.  This was a lighter and more delicate dish than I imagine, not heavy on the cheese unlike in many americanized mexican places, the tastes of the chocolate mole enhanced rather than overpower the enchiladas.

Anepalco's chilaquiles

Jalapeno beef chimichurri sandwich

Chicken chocolate mole enchiladas

There are too many great dishes on the menu to count and they’ve earned my repeat business, I just have to figure out when I can make my way back to Orange from LA the first chance I get.  If you come, parking maybe sparse in the strip mall lot out front and there may be a line for seating, but it’s well worth the time spent.  Be warned as they close early: 4pm on weekdays and 2pm on weekend days.

Anepalco’s Cafe

415 S Main St
Orange, CA 92868
(714) 771-2333
http://www.anepalcoscafe.com

Posted in Food, Los Angeles, Restaurants
Tags: Anepalco's cafe, CA, eater, food, french, fusion, mexican, orange, restaurant

Go figure a new gastropub hotspot would open up on Sawtelle, less than a month after I move away from the westside.  Regret?  No.  Slight ire?  Sure, perhaps.

Fortunately since I merely moved across town and not halfway across the country, Plan Check is still accessible and I find excuses to go eat any time I have business or meeting up with friends on the westside.  After having tried the hell out of everything else on Sawtelle, PC offers a nice change to the mostly asian offerings of the neighboring businesses.

Taking over a former, failing grocery store space, they extensively remodelled into a modern, sophsticated dining area that combines individual tables and a large central communal dining table on the inside, as well as large outdoor dining patio in front of the main windows.

While the odd name was inspired by the owner’s previous experience with real estate development, fortunately enjoying the food doesn’t require appreciation of architectural design.  Adding new entries to the Los Angeles burger game, Plan Check offers a simple menu limited to a few burgers, appetizers and non-sandwich entrees. By rotating their menu items periodically, they not only keep diners interested and coming back, but also make the order turnaround much faster.  With hrs good for lunch and dinner, their kitchen stays open until 11pm so you can sneak that late order in before they close.

Plan check offers a full bar with an extensive wine & beer menu as well as many of their own original cocktails. Some cocktail highlights:

Godzilla ($10) – pisco porton, midori, orgeat, lemon, lime.  Green & mean with a little bit of bite.

Spaghetti Western ($10) – vida mezcal, tapatio, red bell pepper, lime, agave, beer.  Spicy and full of attitude, like a bloody mary with a gun, looking for a fight.  My friend’s preferred cocktail.

Godzilla cocktail

Spaghetti western

Oysters on half shell (3 per order) – Served with a yuzukosho cocktail sauce, a great starter.

Southern Fry ($10) – Smoked jidori fried chicken, spicy green pimento cheese, duck breast ham, pickles.  Not just any ordinary fried chicken sandwich, the inclusion of the duck ham lends a texture and flavor all the better to the sandwich.

Oysters in half shell

Southern fry sandwich

Blueprint burger ($11) – Smoked bleu cheese, pig candy bacon, fried onions, steak sauce, peppercress.  I love bleu cheese in burgers so I ordered this over the more obvious namesake burger.  It didn’t fail to dissapoint and ranks up there among my top burgers in town.

Short Rib Pot roast ($15) – Red wine, bone marrow turnover pie, sweet n sour mirepoix.  Tender cuts of braised short rib go well with the flaky pastry turnover.  Portions are a little on the small side for the price, but still a good choice for those not in the mood for a sandwich.

Pastrami Nosh ($12) – Double smoked pastrami, swiss cheese, kimchi mustard, pickles, fried egg.  Unlike most pastrami dishes I’ve had, this strays from the thinly sliced treatment I’m used to and comes as a solid block served in a mini skillet plate.  Heavy, dense, but flavor packed, eating it feels like a dish twice it’s size.

Blueprint burger

Short rib pot roast

Pastrami nosh

Good food and great atmosphere, it strikes a nice balance between casual and dressy, where you can spend time with your buddies or take a date for a fun and unpretentious meal.  It does get crowded quickly, especially on weekend evenings and if you are looking for a quiet meal experience, you may want to go on an off night to hear yourself think.  But I’ll be returning for the food again soon.

Posted in Food, Los Angeles, Restaurants, Westside
Tags: CA, eating, food, gastropub, LA, los angeles, plan check, restaurant, west

Bruxie is one of those local favorites you hear buzzed about but don’t really appreciate until you try it for yourself.  Being located down in OC kept me from actually checking out the location in Orange for a while, but after going I can see why the locals line up around the block to get a taste of their waffle sandwiches.

Tucked away in a small Orange neighborhood block, the parking lot is a bit short on space so you may have to find a spot on the street.  All the seating is open air, as well as the front counter for ordering, with their menu on display above.  Bruxie’s menu offers a combination of sweet and savory waffle sandwiches.

Similar to the waffles of Roscoe, they are thinner, yet still chewy with a hint of crispness.  While the meat or sweet fillings are tucked away in the folded wallet, ‘sandwich’ is a bit of an exaggeration and for some, its much easier to eat with a fork & knife.

Fried chicken & waffle sandwich – A juicy filet of deep fried white meat is seasoned with herbs and honey, garnished with fresh cole slaw.  I could easily eat this every time I come.

Guiness short rib waffle sandwich – Guiness braised chunks of short rib are served with waffle fries in the sandwich itself.  The beef cuts were tender and easily fell apart with the touch of a fork.

Fried chicken & waffle

Guiness braised short rib waffle sandwich

While I am biased towards the savory, the Belgian style waffles are probably still best experienced paired with fruit and maybe the best choice for first time goers.  Still those looking for a complete lunch shouldn’t hesitate to try their buttermilk fried chicken and others.

(714) 633-3900

Posted in Food, Los Angeles, Restaurants
Tags: bruxie, CA, county, food, orange, restaurant, sandwiches, waffle

Following in the footsteps of many of LA’s popular food trucks-turned-brick & mortar businesses, Flying Pig opened their first permanent restaurant in downtown’s Little Tokyo district.  While opinions of the Flying Pig Cafe may vary among reviewers and my yelp bretheren, it is in fact one of my favorite go-to asian fusion places in the area.

When you step in, decor is clean, modern and sophsticated with their pig imagery everywhere.  Seating is a combination of counters and regular tables/booths.  They also have a full bar located by the back wall complete with full beer & liquor menu.

Speaking of the menu, the cafe carries over many of their favorites from the lunch trucks including the various asian fusion tacos, burritos and garlic fries.  The tacos and pork belly buns range in price from $3-4 while the burritos run closer to $7.  The cafe also brings many new original dishes to the lunch and dinner experience that range from various seafood, meats and rice dishes that infuse a blend of western and asian tastes.

Carne asada taco

Pork belly bun

Tamarind duck & spicy pork tacos

Some of my favorites included:

Loco Moco – Taking the hawaiian classic, complete with spam, burger with gravy and fried egg.  The inclusion of the baked beans takes an already rich dish and makes it even weightier.

Lobster mac & cheese – Flying Pig’s version nicely combines the flavors of the lobster with the tangy cheese sauce.  A popular starter item among many of the diners.

Pork belly ramen – Thick cuts of fatty pork belly swim atop a bed of fresh cut vegetables and noodles.  While certainly not a traditional tonkotsu style ramen, I thought they do a decent combination of noodles and soup, altho the pork belly cuts could be a little more tender and was tough to chew at times.

Loco Moco

Lobster mac & cheese

Pork belly ramen

In addition to the regular lunch & dinner menus, they offer a Happy Hour menu from 5-7pm which includes many of their smaller items for $5 (including a pair of tacos) and beers (draft & bottles) ranging from $3-5.  For those not ready to take on the full dining experience, this is a nice and affordable way to dabble with their offerings.

Flying Pig Cafe
141 S Central Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 621-0300

http://www.flyingpigcafela.com/

Posted in Downtown, Food, Los Angeles, Restaurants
Tags: asian fusion, cafe, downtown, eat, flying, food, LA, little tokyo, los angeles, pig, restaurant

My new favorite dive bar.  This deceptively packaged watering hole in the Little Tokyo area of downtown is difficult to find, even if you know the address.  The lack of a clear sign or lettering outside the establishment will almost guarantee you’ll pass by it multiple times wondering where the hell it is.  During the daytime it is near impossible to find, especially because the parking lot is used as an open pay lot on weekdays.

Outside seating area

It’s only after 6pm and when the sun goes down, one may notice the two telltale signs: the glowing blue arrow point to the questionable looking ramshackle building, and the odd sign on the street corner with the creepy staring eyeball.  If you see either of those on San Pedro, then yes you’ve found your place.

In the true fashion of dimly lit drinking establishments, you’re greeted with dim lighting, sports on the wide screen TVs and good old rock music playing on the speakers, with the only lighting coming from the bar and overhead lighting that barely tells you other human beings are sitting next to you.

Fried pickles

Aside from the full bar and all it provides, what draws me back to this place repeatedly is the food menu.  Far from being your typical ‘bar menu’ yes it is dominated by the typical deep fried snacks, obligatory salads for the health-concious alcoholics, but the sandwiches & burgers really make this place shine.  The burgers, in particular are hilariously named after TV and film stars, many of which will have no meaning if you were born after 1980.  Among the one’s I’ve sampled:

The Rip Taylor Burger

Slim Pickins ($10) – Bacon, canadian cheddar, BBQ sauce, red onions, funion crunch.  Bacon, cheddar & BBQ sauce makes this one of the more ‘normal’ burgers, as they only get more unusual from here.

Truckstopper ($9) – Provolone, garlic mashed potatoes (yes its a topping, not a side), vegetarian gravy.  While interesting in concept, the mashed potatoes make eating this burger in the normal fashion a little tricky. I found myself scraping them off to the side and eating them separately.  Burger was otherwise good but unremarkable.

Capt Kangaroo ($11) – Over EZ eggs, hash, cheddar, canadian bacon, gravy & cholua.  Yes its a heart attack breakfast on a plate, but they shove that all on top of a burger and between a couple buns.  Messy, but delicious goodness, especially if you don’t mind running egg.

The Escondite ($8) – Styled after Chicago’s famous Italian beef sandwiches, this is served in a hoagie roll with mozarella, au jus gravy and spicy peppers.  This sandwich is pretty spicy and I found myself wiping my brow more than once before I finished the first half.

The Slim Pickins burger

The Don Ho burger & side salad

The Escondite Italian Beef sandwich

Just a note, while the sandwiches are a la carte, all the burgers have choice of fries or side salad included in the price, making it a meal bargain, especially for made to order gourmet burgers.

Escondite is definitely one of LA’s better kept secret holes and its great for just drinking, eating while keeping it real.  Anyone is welcome but feel free to leave your fancy dress and pretentions at the door.

The Escondite
410 Boyd St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 626-1800
http://www.theescondite.com

Posted in Downtown, Food, Los Angeles, Restaurants

Lemon Moon, West Los Angeles

Ludo’s famed series of popup kitchen operations around the Los Angeles area has now reached it’s 8th incarnation.  Setting up shop in the popular westside lunch place, Lemon Moon, which ironically was mere minutes from my old place before I moved across town.  Still it was worth making the trips out to check out the interesting creations on Ludo’s new menu.

Counter seating @ Lemon Moon

Following the same format as his previous operations, Ludobites 8.0 ran for a limited 6 week period, evenings only Mon-Fri and constantly made changes/additions to the menu, always consisting of an interesting fusion of french with other ethnic flavors.  Due to the heightened awareness of chef Ludo’s increasingly popular presence in the LA dining scene, reservations have grown more difficult to obtain.  And following in the footsteps of other increasingly popular, overbooked events; Comic Con, Coachella, and others, for the first time, reservations were given thru an electronic lottery system only, with the majority of people understanding they would not be able to book a table.  When half of LA’s dining scene is trying to score seats in a small lunch place during a narrow window of time, this only makes sense to me.

The wine & beer list

I was one of those unsuccessful in scoring online reservations, but thanks to a hot tip by Darin Dines, I knew walk in seats were available on a first come, first serve basis.  Thanks to this, I was able to try out the menu a couple nights and this writeup is a compilation of those experiences.

Team Ludo

As usual, Ludo’s team of chefs and servers are collected from various restaurants across the LA area, as my waiter also works at Sotto and 2 other restaurants during his normal hours.  Service was great and unlike some previous Ludobites incarnations, seemed less rushed and frenetic, making for a fun and relaxing dining experience.  Perhaps the open air atmosphere and space of the venue helped with this.

Ludo plating his lobster salad for hungry diners

Starters:

Burgundy Gougeres $5 – These light puff pastries are the definition of simplicity, free of filling, excess flavoring.  They took about 15-20 min to bake fresh and their soft, flakiness made them perfect for dipping and soaking up the sauces of the other dishes we would try later.

Chicken Tandoori Crackling $5 – One of my favorites of the menu, so good I had to order it each time I came.  A dollop of lightly whipped chicken live pate is served atop a bed of fried crispy chicken skin.  While different in character from fattened goose or duck liver, the crackling still had that rich, unctuous texture that brings that phrase ‘party in my mouth’ to mind.  A single taste and I had that blank, glazed look in my eyes, imagining eating a whole tub of this.

Lobster Salad, Yuzu, Honey $16 – A delicate trio of lobster tail pieces was dressed in sashimi atop of bed of yuzu & honey flavored dressing.  While I normally like my lobster tail large and in charge, this was a nice counter to the stronger flavors of the of the chicken liver, providing a good mix of sweet & sour.

Gougieres puff pastries

Chicken tandoori crackling

Lobster salad, yuzu, honey

Sweet shrimp miso cream white beans smoked salmon $16 – I love sweet shrimp, aka ama ebi to sushi lovers.  Freshly killed shrimp tails were served on a bed of miso cream, garnished with smoked salmon and beans on the side.  While the shrimp quality was great, I was hoping for the cream to have a stronger miso taste.  The smoked salmon provided some of the contrast I was looking for, but the white beans, I felt was there more for visual and texture differences than taste.  Still an odd addition to me.

Truffle scrambled eggs $35 – I really wanted to like this.  In fact the first time I came I was tempted to pull the trigger but at that price, really wanted to share it and tried it the next time I came.  Both my friend and I felt the same thing; the truffle presence wasn’t what we hoped and while I liked the texture and tastes, it felt a little underwhelming, especially for the price.

Uni creme brulee $24 – Forunately, this second favorite dish of mine made up for the shortcomings of the truffle eggs.  Break thru the glazed crust on top, and once again, Ludo shows off his brilliance taking the challenging taste of uni and making it accessible to the most seafood-averse of palettes.

Team member giving the uni creme brulee a searing

Sweet shrimp, miso cream, white beans & smoked salmon

Truffle scrambled eggs

Uni creme brulee

Entrees

Veal w/ black olive tapenade crust & orange caramelized endive w/ buerre blanc $28 – This was a bold presentation, taking one of the most juicy, succelent cuts of veal this non-animal-cruelty-conscious diner has ever tasted, and giving it a faux-charred cover consisting of the aforementioned black olive crust.  While I loved the veal and appreciated the simulated char as a work of culinary art, I felt the black olive crust was a bit too overpowering and if anything, covered up the natural taste of the veal.  The orange citrus overtones further added to this confusion in my mouth.  I wouldn’t say it was a bad preparation of veal, just not to my taste.

Hanger steak w/ beets $28 – Probably one of the prettiest dishes of the night, the hanger steak was also one of the few dishes that tasted exactly as I expected, with little surprise or twist.  This however is a good thing in this case, with the shallots & goat cheese making a nice addition to the beef.

Veal w/ black olive tapenade crust

Hanger steak w/ beets, shallots, goat cheese

Dessert

Brown butter almond cake, apples, salted caramel, orange creamsicle $13 – Presented as a deconstruction with the various components arranged on the periphery of the plate, the almond cake was a nice, solid, simple dessert that went well with the other ingredients.  I think it’s best enjoyed if you take a piece of cake and add only one of the following flavors, either the applesauce, or caramel, or creamsicle ice cream, and not mix them together.

Lemon meringue $13 – Once again, I’m reminded why true meringue is a fantastic dessert and nothing close to the styrofoam, pre-processed horrors found in supermarket bakeries traumatizing many a childhood.  Delicate, airy, yet creamy, compared to the simple earthiness of the brown butter cake, the meringue was sophisticated elegance.  I would take this deconstruction over the classic pie format any day.

Brown butter almond cake, apple, caramel, orange creamsicle

Lemon meringue

What did I think of Ludobites latest venture compared to meals past?  I wish I could have returned one more time to give a few other promising looking dishes (judging by the happy looks of the diners sitting next to me) to give a comprehensive opinion, but overall I was pleased with the latest effort, especially with a couple of the starter dishes.  I think this ranks above Ludo 4.0 and 6.0 for sure, but some of the highlights of 007 still stay in my mind to this day and are difficult to top.  I still enjoy all the creativity put forth in the menu wether they align with my tastes or not.

Lemon Moon

12200 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 442-9191
www.lemonmoon.com

Posted in Food, French, Los Angeles, Restaurants, Westside
Tags: 8.0, CA, dine, food, LA, lefevre, lemon moon, los angeles, ludobites, ludovic, popup, restaurant

Not the greatest thai food, but far from the worst in Hollywood.

Taking over the original space for the famed Palms Thai (which subsequently moved down the street), Thai Patio kept the same interior setup, complete with stage set up for live music performances.

While it shares the same valet lot with a host of other restaurants including Red Corner Asia and Ruen Pair, I find myself constantly drawn back to the Patio to satisfy my thai cravings.  Perhaps its the spacious interior, good prices, or the fact I never have to wait long to get a table.

Or sometimes I just want to have live easy listening ballads in the background when I have my Pad Se Eew and chili lime pork.

Perfect for your Valentine's Date.

Food:  Most dishes run in the $8-10 range and come in hearty family-sized portions, definitely meant for sharing.  Aside from the usual pad thai noodles and curries that most associate with your typical ‘hung on the doorknob menu’ thai carryout, they also offer a creative array of meat and seafood dishes, most that are very appealing to the western palatte, on disply in brightly colored menus.

Some of my favorites:

Pineapple fried rice – lightly fried up with cashews, egg, and topped with scallions, it never feels overly heavy or greasy and a nice counterpart to any meat dish that I order.

Papaya salad – while a little light on the namesake fruit, the crunchiness and strong flavors more than make up.

Chili lime pork – one of my favorite dishes which I order repeatedly. The chili lime works really well with marinated pork slices, becoming a mini party in the mouth.

Basil pork belly – A newer discovery of mine, thick chunks of pork belly are stir fried with onions, chilis, basil and garnished with cilantro.  Some of the pieces were slightly overcooked and tough, but overall I enjoyed the combination and could see myself ordering it again.

Pineapple fried rice

Chili lime pork

Papaya salad

Pad se eew noodles

Basil pork belly

Thai ice tea

Parking – Sharing a crowded valet lot with several other restaurants, it can be sort of a pain, and a long wait to drop off or pick up your car after dining.  For those who don’t want to put up with the wait may be better off finding street parking, which is free after 8pm.

While not on the same level as distinguished thai town eateries like Jitlada Thai, it doesn’t have the prices nor long wait like JT either, and has quickly become my go-to comfort spot for any pre or post Hollywood activities.

Thai Patio
5273 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 466-3894

Posted in Food, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Restaurants
Tags: food, Hollywood, LA, los angeles, patio, restaurant, thai, thaitown

Kula sushi bar has finally moved to downtown.

The popular kaiten or conveyor belt sushi restaurant in Rowland Heights & Irvine has recently opened a new location in downtown Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo district.  In an area awash with sushi restaurants of all price ranges and quality, one would wonder if this was such a smart move.

A month later, judging by the crowds I see lining up at the door daily, I would say it was a smart one.

Taking over the space left vacant by the recent Takumi sushi (a place I’ve never tried, and to be honest, never looked particularly inviting from the exterior) Kula changes the look of the space completely with an all glass windows design letting passerby customers see whats going on.  From 2nd street, it is now the most eye catching business on that stretch.

Like the parent location, all regularplates and items are priced at $2 and before you wrinkle your nose and wonder if that comes at it’s own cost, rest assured the fish is reasonably fresh and high quality.  Sugarfish, this is not, but I’ve certainly had the same quality, maybe even worse, at higher priced sushi places.  Kaiten sushi places, sometimes gives off the image of low quality sushi, cheaply made, and circulating endlessly around the belt until someone picks it up, and a bit of a novelty gimmick.  If you’re the type who wants to order directly from the sushi chef or menu and want your items as soon as they’re made, then there are plenty of other options, but for the convinience, price and quality, this place can hardly go wrong.

I’ve already been a few times, always grabbed a single seat at the counter, altho if you go with larger parties and want to sit at a proper table, they have a fair number of normal tables complete with servers, but the price is the wait, versus the instant gratification of snatching your plate right off the belt.

Some of my highlights included:

Tuna seasoned w/ sake & soy sauce
Seared scallop w/ japanese mayo
Spicy salmon yukhwe w/ cooked egg
Spanish mackerel

tuna seasons w/ sake & soy sauce

seared scallop w/ japanese mayo

Dragon roll

Salmon yukhwe w/ cooked egg

Seared salmon w/ japanese mayo

Spanish mackerel

For the price, location, and quality, sushi-lovers looking for an convinient meal that won’t break the bank without putting their digestive tracts at risk, I would say that Kula is a pretty safe bet and will take a bit of business away from their sushi neighbors.

Kula Revolving Sushi Bar
333 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 290-9631

Posted in Downtown, Food, Japanese, Los Angeles, Restaurants
Tags: bar, belt, CA, conveyor, downtown, food, kaiten, kula, LA, little, los angeles, restaurant, revolving, sushi, tokyo

Back in 2004, Gov Schwarzenegger passed a law to ban the sale of foie gras in the state of California, in response to the cries of animal rights protectionists who uphold the view of cruelty in the force feeding of ducks and geese.  The law, which is due to go into effect July of this year, has created waves in the food and fine dining industry throughout the state, particularly in many of the top restaurants in Los Angeles.  This has also put many fellow food enthusiasts in a bit of distress as well as one of their favorite delicacies will be relegated to memory or destination trip meals.

In response to the impending ban, chef Ludovic Lefevre teamed up with fellow white coats Jon Shook & Vinny DeLoto, and co-owners of the restaurants Animal & Son of the Gun, to create a special menu in celebration of all things foie gras.  Their 8 course fixe menu was to be served out of Animal’s kitchen, for a special two night run on Oct 14th & 15th only, priced at $175 per person.  Yes the price and scarcity of dates put this gastronomic collaboration out of the reach of many of LA’s food lovers, however those who were fortunate enough to land a seat or table can attest that these three culinary masters gave a proper send off to what will soon become a forbidden food.

The menu

Ludo and the Animal boys contributed equally to the night’s menu, creating 4 items each, with 7 savory and 1 dessert.  Each chef retains their own style and personality in their dishes, and those familiar with the works of both had a fun time trying to guess who made which.  Eventually I had to ask my server to give me the full breakdown:

Course 1: Foie gras terrine & proscuitto ham by Ludo – This traditional looking block of terrine was delicate, light and easily spreadable on the crusty bread served on the side.  While not particularly innovative or original, it made for a nice starter to kick off the meal

Course 2: Foie gras crudo seasoned with black brioche & lemon confit by Ludo – Thinly sliced, sashimi-style foie gras is garnished with the granular brioche, spreadable lemon and mushroom.  While colorful in plating, the flavors fell a bit flat and I didn’t get that unctuous texture one looks forward to when eating foie.

Course 3: Roasted foie gras w/ beef tongue by Shook & DeLoto – Entering with their first item, the Animal team sticks true to their carnivore reputation and gives us a lobe of roasted foie served with slices of marinated beef tongue.  Rich and savory textures are the words that come to mind with this entry.

Course 4: Roasted foie gras ssam lettuce wrap by Shook & DeLoto – Something that resonates with my korean roots.  Another sumptuous lobe of roasted foie is served alongside a ssam-style lettuce wrap, complete with bottle of sriracha sauce on the side for seasoning (seriously, what doesn’t sriracha improve) leading to a wonderful fusion of european and asian flavors.

Foie gras terrine & prociutto ham

Foie gras crudo w/ black brioche & lemon confit

Roasted foie gras & beef tongue

Roasted foie gras ssam lettuce wrap

Close up of the wrap

Course 5: Steamed foie gras wrapped in lettuce with mustard ice cream by Ludo – This reminds me of a dish I had at Ludo 5.0 and unfortunately it did not resonate with me at that time either.  The steamed lobe of foie in my opinion gives it the most liver-like taste and texture of all the various preparations I’ve tried.  While the mustard ice cream adds an interesting combination of flavor & texture to the dish, I’m not sure how this pairs up with the steamed foie and cabbage wrap.

Course 6: Bacon cheeseburger deconstruction & seared foie gras by Shook & DeLoto – If there was a way to take the essence of working class food and combine it with the taste of the goose liver, this attempt is as good as any.  Scattered throughout the plate are all the components for a burger, complete with the strip of crispy bacon, pickles, tomato, lettuce, cheese and sauce.  Just sampling the taste made me dream about what the full burger would actually taste like.  One of my favorites of the night.

Course 7: Foie gras ravioli w/ truffle oil by Shook & DeLoto – Foie + pasta + truffle oil.  The perfect combination.  That’s all I can say.

Course 8: Brownie ice cream sundae w/ whipped foie gras by Ludo – The final dish in this Iron Chef like challenge, Ludo pulls off a good fusion of the savory foie with the simple dessert style of the classic sundae.  The foie flavors hovered in the background, never overpowering the ice cream & chocolate.

Steamed foie gras wrapped with cabbage & mustard ice cream

Bacon cheeseburger deconstruction w/ roasted foie gras

Foie gras ravioli w/ truffle oil

Foie gras ice cream sundae

By the end of the night, I felt that chefs Ludo, Shook & DeLoto pulled together a proper sendoff and celebration of all things fatty fowl liver; a meal to last in the collective memories of the lucky diners and vocal writers for years to come.  In a way it saddens me to think what me may lose next with the ongoing pressures of animal rights, food industry, issues with sustainability in food production.  But sometimes good things must come to an end.  Hopefully not forever.

Animal restaurant
435 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 782-9225.

Posted in Food, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Restaurants, Uncategorized
Tags: animal, ban, CA, california, deloto, dine, diner, eat, foie gras, food, jon, LA, lefevre, los angeles, ludovic, menu, popup, restaurant, shook, vinny