The LA Times does some great restaurant reviews, and recently they did one on a place called Animal.  It’s basically a carnivore’s heaven.  So I told Boyfriend about it, and we went.

the coolest purse i have ever owned

I have never had so many delicious meat dishes.  And my stomach was all, “Yes, yes, yes.”  How the fuck did it not occur to me to take a damn photo?  With my iPhone.  Which was in my tiny orange purse.  Frankly, I was too distracted by the delicious food, and the Abita beer which I love and haven’t had for years, and it went perfectly with every dish.  So while I really, really regret not taking any photos, I feel that this lapse in judgment is totally justified.

First thing: foie gras (liver), biscuit, maple sausage gravy
Ok, let me just get this part out of the way: DELICIOUS.  There it is, in caps.  Everything was delicious.  Now on to why.

So, this first dish was delic- I mean super good.  It was sweeter than I thought it would be, and not overcooked.  Texture was pleasant, not rubbery or too soft.  It had a bacon-ish, light sauce covering the whole thing.

Second thing: marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions
This was my favorite dish of the night by far.  The marrow came in a giant bone cut in half with a small spoon to dish out the marrow and onion, covered in the chimichurri (a combo of parsley, garlic and olive oil).  We scooped out the marrow and put it on fluffy, sweet toast.  A completely unique experience which I loved.

Third thing: flat iron steak, sunchoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue
I’d never had a flat iron steak before.  It sounds like a bad idea, squeezing a tender piece of meat like that, but the results were great.  My favorite part of this dish was the revelation that came with it: I finally understand why people like truffles.  When Boyfriend suggested we order it, I was resistant, but because going to that restaurant was an adventure, I decided to give it a shot.  It’s the first time I’ve enjoyed truffle flavor in any dish.  So I’m pretty excited about that.

Fourth thing: poutine (french fries), ox tail gravy, cheddar
This was my least favorite, but it was still a good dish.  It tasted heavier than pot roast, but the visual resemblance was hilarious.  I thought, “We just got ripped off.  We’re totally eating a normal pot roast.  There’s definitely no ox in here, lol.”  Not a good dish to end on because it was so heavy.  But who cares, it was very tasty and hearty.

Technically, this was my birthday dinner with Boyfriend, so he drove to and from the restaurant, and paid for our meal (not cheap).  What a sweetheart.