Animal Restaurant is Jon Shook and Vinnie Dotolo’s gem of a restaurant in Los Angeles. They serve a variety of animal parts from a wide spectrum of species and all the dishes are at once creative yet comforting.
Henry and I came here tonight with Melissa & Dallas (of Whole9), Melicious (of The Clothes Make The Girl) and Dave. Together, we ordered two-thirds of the entire menu – even doubles (sliders!) and triples (marrow!) of certain dishes. We were all on a mass gain protocol.
The menu clearly states: “changes and modifications politely declined” so we just ordered everything that looked tasty, even if there were non-Paleo ingredients. Stop gasping – when it’s worth it, you indulge, then jump right back onto the Paleo bandwagon.
Here’s a quick rundown of what we ate:
Seared foie gras over a biscuit and maple sausage gravy…
…foie gras terrine, boysenberry jam, and rose geranium gastrique…
…grilled chicken hearts, baba ghanoush, yogurt, tomato, and flat bread…
…chicken liver toast…
…coconut sweetbreads, raita, mango, and tamarind…
…shrimp and rabbit sausage spring roll, eggplant, sprouts, and grain curry…
…marrow bone, chimichurri, and caramelized onions…
…veal brains, vadouvan, apple sauce, and carrot…
…crispy pig’s head, pickled vegetables, and aioli…
…pig ear, chili, lime, and fried egg…
…pig tails, “buffalo style,” celery, and ranch dressing…
…barbecue pork belly sliders and slaw…
…flat iron, artichoke hash, and truffle parmesan fondue…
…Alaskan halibut, corn, wild fennel, cherry tomatoes, and lobster butter…
…balsamic pork ribs, tomato & cucumber panzanella…
…crispy rabbit legs, meyer lemon aioli, and green beans…
…bacon chocolate crunch bar, salt and pepper ice cream…
…and berries, vanilla custard, lavender crumble, and opal basil.
The chow was AWESOME but the company was even better! I love nomming with adventurous eaters, especially those who are sharp, funny, and warm.
We spent three-and-a-half hours laughing, sharing stories, and gobbling up liver, heart, sweetbreads, tail, head, and a good amount of SUGAR, GLUTEN, & DAIRY. I savored every bite ‘cause you can’t live like an animal, especially if you’re eating at Animal.
I can’t wait to return to this restaurant!
