I finally had the pleasure to indulge in Animal, I have had this restaurant bookmarked for years, hearing me talk about it repeatedly Jay decided to surprise me for my birthday! Upon arrival we were seated right away, our server promptly come over and explained the menu pointing out the popular dishes, she also explained that they only serve wine, beer and wine-based cocktails. Therefore, no alcohol is served here!
The restaurant is small, so reservations are a must. The décor is very clean and simple, so simple you won’t even find signage. If you are walking by you might miss it so, look out for a black building with black outlined doors and windows. They make up for simplistic décor with the food, which in my opinion is outstanding. Below are the dishes that Jay and I ordered. I am putting them in order of least favorite to excellent.
Barbeque Pork Belly Sandwiches w/Slaw: I personally would pass on this dish when I return. I thought the mixture of flavors were solid, however, the texture wasn’t there, I prefer a little crunch on a sandwich if all the elements are soft (i.e. the bun, the meat etc.). To me the slaw was good it just didn’t add the crunch I was looking for. I think I will try the marrow bone dish next time, I LOVE BONE MARROW!
Chicken Liver Toast: I am not a liver fan, but this one was good. The sauce on top was sweet and complimented the flavor of the pate. The chives (or what I believe to be chives) also added another layer to the dish, AND the toast was perfectly grilled as well! Instead of your normal birthday dessert they brought this to the table with a candle. I am not a huge sweets fan so I was happy to get this toasty goodness in it's place.
Hamachi Tostada: This too was a good dish. It had the perfect amount of crunch, was light and refreshing, and visually beautiful...a perfect addition to our meal! The flavors reminded me of Vietnamese Bún. I think this dish is a must if you order a few of the richer dishes on the menu.
Smoked Turkey Leg with Celery Root, Apple, and White Barbeque Sauce: OK, this might be the best smoked turkey leg I have ever had. Yes, better than Disneyland’s! The white barbeque sauce was amazing with the turkey, the celery root and apple set the dish off in a direction that I wasn’t expecting! Just a good solid dish all around.
Foie Gras on Biscuit with Maple Sausage Gravy: I keep thinking about this dish. If I had to order only one thing for a month it would be THIS! As stated above for the hamachi tostada it is one of the richer dishes on the menu. The biscuit, maple syrup in the sausage gravy works together so well it dances in your mouth. OMG…have you ever had a dish you can still taste days, months, even years later? Well for me THIS IS THAT DISH!
Thank you for stopping by and checking out another food post. If you have any good recommendations please let me know. I eat any and everything (minus bugs), I also do not mind spending money on a good meal, so go ahead and drop me a comment or shoot me an email!
XOXO,
KJ
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