Animal

I ran into my food writer friend Brian Freidman and told him that I would be in LA for 48 hours in a few weeks. Being just there the weekend before, he recommended three restaurants that I should go visit. With time being a main constraint, I narrowed it down to one place which looked most fascinating.

The reservation line for Animal does not open until 5:00PM each day, Pacific Time. I did the next best thing. I call the concierge at the hotel. “Humm.., Animal is extremely hard to get in…you usually have to call at least a month away… it’s a small restaurant… I’ll give it a try,” came the reply. I didn’t know. I didn’t know that it’s such a highly regarded restaurant. I didn’t know that it has a cult following. I didn’t know it’s known for its creative use of animal parts. I didn’t know that it was the Best Restaurant of 2010. Brian didn’t tell me any of these. He only told me that the food was good.

Fast forward to me sitting in the hotel in LA eating breakfast reading the New York Times on an article about foie gras being banned in California (http://tinyurl.com/5vssu3z) Animal is mentioned in the piece with an anti-ban protest dinner for 320 people that was sold out in 16 minutes. My dinner reservation is tonight. This is going to be interesting.

The dinner menu changes every day. There are twenty six items for this night. They all looked good. With only the eating power of two people, we had to do something very painful and not usually done at our meals. We ranked the items!  It was painful to eliminate the chicken liver toast, the bone marrow chimichurri, the crispy pig’s head, the oxtail poutine… in order to force ourselves not to over-order.

We started with a glass of 2008 Cotes de Provence “Nowat” from Dupere Barrera ($14 ). We thought the wine was too acidic, and might have been a bit oxygenated. The waiter had no problem replacing it with a 2009 Barbera d’Alba, ‘Sori del Drago’   from Brovia, Piemonte. We enjoyed this wine much better.

Hamachi Tostada

A tostada with flash slices of Hamachi, herbs, fish sauce vinaigrette, and peanut. The Hamachi was delicious, however, the meat was buried deep under the greens and the sweetness of this delicate fish was overwhelmed by the vinegar in the dressing. I liked the crunchiness of the tostada against the soft texture of the meat. The sauce reminded us of a Vietnamese salad; unfortunately this sauce also killed the delicate sweetness of the fish. ($15)

Rabbit Loin Spring Roll

There was a good amount of meat in the spring roll. The rabbit was perfectly cooked. It’s tender, moist, and tasted exactly what any good rabbit meat would taste like – bland. Luckily, it was saved by the sprout vinaigrette sauce. Although it was called a vinaigrette, I would say it was more of a sauce bursting with Asian flavor than a true vinaigrette. ($14)

Pig Tails, “Buffalo style” Celery, Ranch

“That’s all yours…I wouldn’t eat that …” Tourist Tree said to me when we were deciding on items to order. However, this Buffalo piggy wiggly with its seductive aromatic sauce got the best of her curiosity. It tasted just like an upscale version of Buffalo wings except the skin was thicker and hence sustainably more crunchy, and the meat was super tender and flavorful. Yes, there’s bone in it and also small pieces of soft cartilage. I could do without the ranch sauce. It just wasn’t doing its job to balance out the Buffalo sauce. It was a very nicely done dish but the most important thing was it getting Tourist Tree’s seal of approval. ($11)

Pig Ear, Chili, Lime, Fried Egg

There could be more than one surprise a night sometimes.  This is one of those dishes I did not think the Tourist Tree would let me order. Surprisingly, she did not even make a face after the waiter described the dish. The ear is stewed till tender soft, then julienned thin, fried, dusted with chili, and dressed with lime vinaigrette; then topped with an egg. We cut the egg up to let the yoke go wild. The pieces were crunchy and followed by a nice hot spicy unexpected left-hook. The egg and its soft yoke made a nice contrast to the spicy and crunchy ear.

We found the lime dressing would have been perfect if the kitchen had dialed down the vinegar end of it. Despite this little shortcoming, the Tourist Tree enjoyed the dish without reluctance. As she had put it, “It’s different from a regular ear...” ($12)

Liquid foie gras Agnolotti, Corn, Black truffle

There are times when certain thing would give you “the moment”. This is one of those things. Foie gras, corn butter, and truffle cooked together before being injected into the yoke base agnolotti. “The moment” comes when the little piece of agnolotti bursts in the mouth flooding it with intense dose of foie gras truffle butter liquid of gold.  This is melted goodness at extreme.  We could taste the cholesterol going in with each bite, but if that’s what cholesterol tastes like, I would die a happy man. On a side note, the pasta was perfectly cooked and dusted with parmesan cheese. This dish was featured in the special foie gras dinners that were held over the weekend. It was so well received that it was carried over to the regular menu for this night. We didn’t mind that at all. ($19)

Smoked Foie Gras, Veal Tongue, Pumpernickel, Crab Apple

This was also another item that was carried over from the special foie gras dinners. From the description, I wasn’t too crazy about it since I couldn’t quite picture what it would be like, but I was surprised that Tourist Tree actually was interested especially since it involves another body part that she usually would be quite squeamish about.

The smoke foie gras was a smooth mousse with salt sprinkled on top. The veal tongue was super tender and accompanied with a sweet Asian influenced sauce. The pumpernickel was the little crispy pieces which provided the crunch, not the bread that I expected. The spread on the side was the crab apple. This is a dish to be played with. Eat one item at a time, add it with another one, or combine everything together. Each combination of items resulted in a different flavor and texture. ($14)

Foie Gras Loco Moco, Quail Egg, Spam, Hamburger 

The most expensive dish in the restaurant also happened to be a low-brow comfort food.  But don’t let the thought of comfort food fool you. The perfectly seared piece of foie completely changed the profile of this dish both in terms of flavor and texture. Except the a bit heavily handed ladling of the sauce, foie and spam turned out to be a good combo which could dance a nice dance together. Foie and rice were also good mishmash.  It made us kept wanting more! ($35)

We switched up to the 2003 Barolo, “Rocche dei Brvia”, Brovia, Piemonte ($24 /glass) toward the later part of the dinner. The wine was very earthy, dry, and a bit more refined than our first wine. Looking back, we would have had beer with the dinner. Some of the flavors of the dishes, especially those with the lime or vinegar, were killing the wine.  The restaurant offers several beers that would work very well with the flavor profiles of their dishes: Avery “The Beast” Grand Cru ($18 ),  the Mama’s Lil Yella Pils ($6) or the Unita XVII anniversary Barleywine ($8).

Bacon Chocolate Crunch Bar, S & P Ice Cream

It was not a crunchy crunch bar per se, there was a lot of stickiness in this bar yet it was not a sticky gooey type of bar that you would imagine. The bacon definitely had made it presence known. Its smokiness and saltiness certainly made this bar a standout.  The salt and pepper ice cream was unique. It was one of the more unique flavors I have had tasted this year. The balance of salt and spice was just right and it was matched by a subtle amount of sweetness. A good complement to the bacon chocolate bar. ($7)

Tres Leches, Dulce de Leche 

When the Tourist Tree wanted this dessert, I wasn’t sure exactly what we were getting. It came in the form of a sponge cake; very light in texture, moist and delicious. The caramel sauce was quite good, but it could become an issue with the slowly building up of sweetness which could lead to a surprised overdose. ($7)

It was a wild journey through the animal kingdom. We had trouble narrowing down our choices but a less adventurous diner may have a problem finding something he could eat. That would have been a shame. Besides missing out on some of the more interesting ingredients, he is also going to miss out on creative preparations and ingenious techniques. We never tested out the “Changes and modifications politely declined” as printed on the bottom of the menu. Tourist Tree decided to Benadryl this meal so she could put all the hassle aside and fully enjoy everything. I was glad that she did. Plaid shirts, hipster jeans, a few tattoos and piercings here and there, the wait staff may not be dressed for a refined restaurant but their service was certainly refined, attentive and friendly.

Our walk on the wild side was rewarded with more than a few wowing dishes. We certainly hope to go back for another walk soon and highly recommend those less brave ones to follow our footsteps.

animalrestaurant.com

Mica

We have had a very enjoyable meal at Mica and decided to return for the tasting menu in order to fully appreciate the talent of our friend Chef Chip Roman. After informing the staff of Tourist Tree’s allergy, and our desire for them to pair the wines for us, we left the kitchen to entertain us.

King Salmon Tartar

This amuse bouche was so finely chopped that one might have thought it had been pureed

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Almond Bianca
 
White almond soup. Smooth and Tourist Tree safe.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Fluke, Pineapple Piquant, Pressed Watermelon

An interesting dish. The fluke was very fresh while the pineapple carried a very subdued pineapple taste. We also detected a very light hint of wasabi, however everything would have been enhanced with another sprinkle of seasoning.  

Heirloom Tomato, Stone Fruit, Yogurt

Yogurt and fruit! It’s like what I eat for breakfast, except I don’t consider tomato for breakfast even it is a fruit.

Foie Gras, Brioche, Raspberry

The foie, the home-made bread, the raspberry were exactly what one would expect: Perfection!

Sweet Corn Risotto

Corn in season is my weakness. This simple dish of al dente rice and corn permeated with the sweetness of the kernels and the richness of the butter with cheese sprinkled on top was anything but simple.

Day Boat Scallop, White Chocolate

The allergy safe version of the sweet corn risotto for the Tourist Tree. The white chocolate was indeed made into a powder which paired quite interestingly with the scallops.

Coddled Egg, Polenta, Veal Jus, Black Truffle

Sounds like an odd chopsuey of ingredients but the juxtaposition of flavors and textures made this an incredibly delightful comfort dish.

Squab, Trumpet Mushroom. Sour Cherry Sauce

One of the most perfectly cooked squab we have had, accompanied by an interesting array of side ingredients.

Maple Acres Farm Fruit patch

Take the fancy name away, it becomes a dish of nicely plated tasty fruit accomplished by fancy knife work. 

Spumoni

This Mica version of the Italian dessert is made with thicken rice milk on a piece of almond cloud cake, mingled with thin almond slices, and some form of strawberry thingie.

Instead of having a pseudo real Tourist Tree safe dessert, she preferred to concentrate on a very nice glass of sauterne instead.   

The tasting menu started out quite nice until the kitchen ran into some bumpy roads. There were long gaps between courses during parts of the evening and the kitchen at one point had forgotten about Tourist Tree’s allergy. It was fortunate that she was vigilant about what was on the plate and replacements were made once the kitchen was reminded again. We did enjoy our meal with the locally sourced ingredients and the creativity and fancy techniques that the kitchen had put behind them. We are looking forward to returning to the restaurant in a few months after both the front and the back of the house have some time to mature into a first class establishment.

Victor / Victoria

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Nothing is what it appears to be

Not to be confused with the lubricant that carries a similar name, WD 50 is a non-descript restaurant in a non-descript neighborhood that pushes out cutting edge cuisine from the kitchen of the hugely talented but slightly off-beat Wylie Dufresne.

We were slightly surprised when we walked into the restaurant. With its reputation, we were expecting a more stolid formal atmosphere, yet we were greeted by a causal relaxed setting with tables set closer together like your typical neighborhood byob. Our worry over interpreting the “casual” dress code on its website proved to be futile. While wearing jeans or without a jacket may raise some eyebrows in some restaurants, one would feel right at home in this dining room. This casualness and the close table setup played a big part in our dining experience later on that night.

Armed with a twin pack of Benadryl, the Tourist Tree and I chose the 12 course tasting menu with wine parings. This would be the best way for us to experience the variety of offerings from this skillful kitchen with this unique opportunity, even if we had to forgo some of the equally fascinating items on the regular menu.

A box of flatbread arrived at the table as we were waiting for the first course. The flat bread was so wafer thin that it was almost see through. The sesame on the bread gave it a strong but very unique characteristic.

Cobia, Avocado, Black Bean, Grapefruit-Horseradish

Prosecco di Conegliano “Castello San Salvatore” Collalto NV. Veneto, Italy

Our culinary adventure started with several fresh pieces of cobia sprinkled with grapefruit horseradish dressing. Although mild tasting, this smooth meat hit right on target with a major punch of umami. It was accented by black beans which were slightly dried and firm in texture with a salty dirty taste. It reminded me of the Chinese salted black beans that are used in Asian cooking. The avocado paste smoothed out the edginess of the black beans and brought together all the flavors in the dish nicely.

 

The dry prosecco had a very light subtle feel. It was a very nice wine to start the evening and paired very well with the cobia without overwhelming its delicate flavor.

 

 

Everything Bagel, Smoked Salmon Threads, Crispy Cream Cheese

Prosecco di Conegliano “Castello San Salvatore” Collalto NV. Veneto, Italy

A non-traditional play on the traditional bagel and lox. There was no gluten in this bagel. It was made with ice cream with sesame and poppy seeds on top! The salmon was a dried mound of threads. It was very strange to have that in the mouth until the saliva rehydrated it to release a power punch of salmon flavor like the fish was swimming robustly upstream jumping in and out of the water. The cream cheese was the little piece of crispiness on the side. Each individual component had a unique taste that characterized the intended element of a bagel and lox. Eating them together did indeed give me the flavor if not the textural experience of eating the real thing.
 
 

Hamachi, Asparagus, Saffron, Smoked Macadamia Nuts
Prosecco di Conegliano “Castello San Salvatore” Collalto NV. Veneto, Italy

Despite Tourist Tree’s mild insistence on staying true to the tasting menu items, the kitchen played it safe by preparing her a dish from the regular menu that would agree with her allergies. This actually allowed us an opportunity to taste more dishes! The hamachi was everything it should be; fresh, tender, tasty, and moist. Everything in the dish was nicely balanced with the sourness from the meat and the sweetness of the asparagus.
 
The prosecco was also paired with the second courses with our glasses promptly refilled several times. It may seem odd to have this with the ice cream bagel but everything worked out quite well when you have an open mind.
 
 

Foie Gras, Passionfruit, Chinese Celery

Riesling Kabinett “Mussbach” Mûller-Catoir 2009. Pfalz, Germany

Just from the look, this is a simple foie gras touchon with some shredded celery stuck on top. You have been fooled.



 
 
 
   

We were instructed to cut the foie gras in half before digging into the dish. By doing so, we were surprised by the passion fruit that was well hidden in the middle. This passion fruit was fruity, sweet, citrussy, full of exotic flavors, and…not in a solid form. I do not know how many nights Chef Dufresne spent experimenting with this liquidly passion fruit concoction. Its consistency was perfect! It was not runny, sticky, nor solid. It did not drain out like a broken egg yoke when cut but remained consistent staying in the foie gras shell. The citrus had a hit-you- in-the-face punch but it was also just right as a counter-balance to the silky smooth textural and heavier taste of the foie gras.

 

 

The green granular particles on the bottom were celery salt. Not your typical kitchen celery salt made of salt and celery flavoring. This was dehydrated rendered celery with a few grains of salt thrown in. I rather enjoyed my virgin experience pairing the exotic flavor of the passion fruit to a foie gras dish. The pungent citrus flavor and the celery salt definitely brought this creation into a whole new universe. The ingenuity of this dish completely overwhelmed not just the Tourist Tree and I, but everybody else having the same plate around us.

 
The Mûller-Catoir Riesling was not a very sweet Riesling. However, this lack of sweetness was in good harmonization with the citrus and the acidity in the passion fruit.
 

Poached Egg and the Shell, Caesar Dressing, Pumpernickel, Lily Bulb

Chardonnay Lioco 2009. Sonoma, California

“Everything on the plate is eatable,” the server told us. We looked at each other, looked at the egg shell, looked at each other again. With a leap of faith, we smashed into the egg and let the yoke go wild. The egg with the Caesar dressing was odd but tasted quite good together (granted there is coddled egg yoke in the original Caesar dressing recipe). The shell has the texture of an actual egg shell. Like a real shell, it did not have much taste but it was made of lavender powder and edible clay. Very interesting!

We liked the Chardonnay. It was light and without the typical heavy oaky taste characteristic of California chardonnays.

King Oyster “Udon” Sweetbreads, Banana-Molasses, Pickled Ginger

Côtes de Provence Rosé “L’Alycastre” La Courtade 2010. Provence, France

I thought the udon was made with the king oyster; like using flour, egg, and some peculation of a king oyster. It indeed was made with king oyster, but with no usual ingredients found in the making of pasta. The “udon” was made with actual oyster cut/shaved into the shape of the noodle! Strangely, it also have the texture and taste of the udon, al dente. Mingling within the “noodles” were wonderfully prepared sweetbreads sweetened with banana molasses and banana crisps dusted with ginger powder. These two ingredients brought out a very nice flavor and textural enhancements to the dish. To top it off, the broth at the bottom had flavor so deep that it was umami in liquid form.  Everything in this dish; flavor, texture, etc. was awesome!  I only wish there had been more broth so I could do shots with it….

The rosé was fruity, funky, and light. It matched up so well with this dish both in taste and character. Definitely, nothing like your average Reunite.

Scallops, Bone Marrow, Parsnip, Black Sesame

Pinot Noir “Block 7” Old Parcel 2009. Oregon

The scallop was prepared wonderfully with a tamarind sauce as the accent. What appeared to be dusting of shaved parmesan on top were in fact shaved parsnips. These were just a few of the many layers of depth experienced with the flavors in this dish. The parsnips had a very slight sour note. I couldn’t tell if they were marinated or pickled but this touch of sourness counterbalanced the heaver sauce and the bone marrow nicely.

Unlike the more traditional Old World pinots, this Old Parcel “Block 7” from Oregon exhibited lots of lightness and was very easy to drink.

Beef and Béarnaise

Shiraz-Viognier Keith Tullock 2004. Hunter Valley, Australia

This is when Anthony Bourdain would say, “The chef is really fucking with my brain.” I was looking for the beef without knowing that the “beef” was actually the broth while the Béarnaise was the solid in the dish. This solid form of the sauce was made with sour bread crumbs and everything that normally goes into a Béarnaise. This dish was garnished with thinly cut green peapods that were actually…green peapods! So we have the protein and a sauce, the starch and the vegetable on a plate, in an abstract kind of way. Talk about being Victor / Victoria.

Shrimp Spaghetti, Tomato, Basil, Garlic

Shiraz-Viognier Keith Tullock 2004. Hunter Valley, Australia

To keep the Tourist Tree out of the ER, the chef sent this dish which according to our dining neighbor next to us was the most popular dish at the restaurant. There were no actual pieces of shrimp or spaghetti on the plate. This “spaghetti” was made out of shrimp. It was light and cooked perfectly just like any al dente pasta but without the worry of a gluten attack. The marinara sauce was more traditional with lots of tomato chunks fragranced with basil and garlic.

Squab Breast, Cheese Pumpkin, Corn Bread, Pickled Cranberries

Shiraz-Viognier Keith Tullock 2004. Hunter Valley, Australia

I have tried but couldn’t find a more suitable word to describe the texture of the squab breast other than “smooth”. Maybe tranquil or unruffled? But that would be more on the state of mind after tasting the meat than a textural description of such. The breast (middle piece in the picture) was prepared in such a way that it resembled a more gamey tasting version of a steak tartar in consistency and taste instead of a piece of perfectly medium-rare prepared meat.

Guarding the breast on both sides were a mini hockey puck size corn bread with the pickled baked cranberries inside and Chinese broccoli on the other end, with corn sauce as an accent on the plate.

Australia has been making phenomenal shiraz with its unique variety of the Rhone Valley grape. This wine was lighter in taste but it was well suited to the variety of dishes that had been paired for us.

Buttermilk Ice Cream, Kumquat, Orange Blossom, Cumin

A simple yet complicated dish. The buttermilk ice cream was accompanied by small candied kumquat pieces. The orange blossom had been turned into foam and served as the pillow for the ice cream cushioning the pool of vinegar toffee sauce sitting below.

Licorice Custard, Sake Sorbet, Bartlett Pear

(Dopy us forgot to take a picture of this)

Instead of the buttermilk ice cream, the kitchen brought out this Tourist Tree safe version of cold treat.  Tree does not like licorice but the custard was to her liking since it captured the essence of the licorice without overwhelming it with the flavor that she didn’t like. The sake sorbet was also nicely done with a very low-key sweetness personality on the sorbet side which allowed the essence of the sake to shine through.

Grapefruit Curd, Campari, Hibiscus, Sorrel

Late Harvest Riesling “White Bluffs” Claar Cellars 2008. Columbia Valley, Washington

This dish took us into eating garden plants, in alternative forms. We did not know what sorrel was and had to Wikipedia it later. It was the main flavor ingredient in the sorbet (green scoop in the picture). The hibiscus was magically made into the crunchy aggregate lumps (reddish-brown in the picture) while the grapefruit was transformed into the yellow curd. There were also a few pieces of the grapefruit left au natural after being treated with Campari. Each component was very distinct both in flavor, texture, and form.

We thought the late harvest Riesling would be sweet, but the lighter characteristic of this wine had just enough sweetness to complement the dessert without overpowering the delicate flavors of its garden fragrances.

Soft Chocolate, Beets, Long Pepper, Ricotta Ice Cream

Rosé Brut ‘Ventuno” Grimaldi 2008. Piedmont, Italy

This Picasso-gone-wild dessert had frozen beets, shortbread, meringue, ricotta ice cream, and chocolate. I couldn’t quite figure out if the long pepper was a distinct component on the plate or if it was combined with another ingredient. The plate looked busy and was confusing at first. As with the other dishes we had enjoyed, each element was distinctive in taste but with new discoveries when combined with another component. I limited my experiment with just two elements at a time and was rewarded with surprises and new sensation with every trial. Mixing everything together would just be like eating the melted soup at the bottom of an ice cream sundae bowl.

Soft Meringue, Passionfruit, Banana, Star Anise  

Rosé Brut ‘Ventuno” Grimaldi 2008. Piedmont, Italy

 

The Tourist Tree got her own version of a tamer and allergy-safe dessert. I love passion fruit, and I loved how this was done with the meringue. Soft, fruity, airy, light and satisfying yet not filling or overkill.  Unfortunately, after many dishes and wines, she had no recollection of this dish except it was very good.

Instead of a heavier dessert wine, we were served a dry rosé sparkling wine from the Piedmont region. Although full from all the dishes, we ended this meal with a refreshing feeling from the sparkling wine, which also happened to have done a very good job in balancing the strong flavors of the chocolate dish and accented nicely with the fruitiness of Tree’s meringue dessert.

Cocoa Packets. Rice Krispy Treats

The cocoa packets reminded me of those packets of mints sitting in a bowl by the door of those old fashion restaurants your grandparents love to go. In this considerably more modern restaurant, the packets were filled with cocoa powder and, of course, the soft pliable wrapper itself was edible. The Rice Krispy balls were delightful without the over-sweetened treatment usually found with this type of dessert, however they were pale in comparison after I had popped the cocoa packet in my mouth. A sense of euphoria overcame me when the wrapper melted away and then delivered me a nice cocoa shock. Any chocolate lover would have left this restaurant on a high!

Dining at WD-50 was really nothing as it appeared to be. We anticipated walking into an uppity formal restaurant. Instead, we were greeted by a casual relaxed atmosphere but with impeccable prompt and attentive service by knowledgeable and very informative staff. There were no linens on the table but silverware was reset promptly and properly after each course. Timing is critical in a multi-course long meal. From our table, we caught glimpses of the expediter standing at front of the semi-open kitchen watching the dining room like a hawk with the manager circulating the room continuously. They have a system worked out even better than some 5-Star restaurants.

Without needing any further elaboration, the food was phenomenal! The creativity and the execution were extraordinary. It was an exercise for all five senses plus the mind particularly when what you see, feel or taste may not necessary match.  Nothing was what it appeared to be.

We felt a bit uncomfortable when we first sat down. I, who like a lot of personal space felt too claustrophobic to enjoy a highly anticipated expensive dinner with the tables set so close. However, on this particular night, with the couple to our left celebrating his birthday; the man to our right who was in town for a conference; and the couple next to him who was from Los Angeles; we all became friends. With everybody doing the tasting, we spent our night ogling each other’s food and sharing our experiences. Our closely set four tables became one large communal table with each of us getting more than just his share of dinner but an experience of a shared meal with people of a similar interest, sense of adventure and appreciation of a cutting edge art form. Our meal would have been just as wonderful between us but it was spectacular with our new friends.

www.wd-50.com