Animal - Los Angeles, California

Address: 435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Items Ordered:

• Marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions
• Pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg
• Quail fry, grits, chard, slab bacon, maple jus
• Flat iron steak, sunchoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue
• Foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger

Located in a nondescript venue on Fairfax, Animal's concept and interior is typical of a trendy L.A. restaurant. Although we were early for our 8:30p reservation, we were seated promptly at 8p and had plenty of time to peruse the menu as well as gawk at Zach Galfinakis' table in the middle of the restaurant.

My favorite dish of the night came early; the bone marrow was soft and succulent and tasted absolutely scrumptious spread on the accompanying toast. We even ordered more toast so we could slowly savor the dish. The pig ear appetizer received good reviews on Yelp, and while the sunny side up egg was cooked perfectly, the pig ears tasted overwhelmingly of lime. The consensus was that the next time we order pig ears, it would be at a Chinese restaurant.

The fried quail and mashed potatoes were great, but even though it tasted just like chicken, it was a much smaller dish than fried chicken would have been :( . The flat-iron-steak was nothing extraordinary and the parmesan fondue was a little overpowering. Last but not least, the bite of the foie gras loco moco I had was delightful, and the birthday girl thoroughly enjoyed her dish! Overall, Animal has some interesting dishes, but I'm not tempted to return anytime soon.

--y