The foodie club that I put together went on a field trip to Animal recently. I had heard a lot about this restaurant because it contained a lot of quirky items on the menu that may be repulsive to some. Brains, liver, bones, rabbit legs, and booze. A wonderful, odd combo that birthed a glorious party in my mouth. Less words, more pictures.
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Animal Restaurant
435 N. Fairfax Ave, LA 90036
I just have no words. This little unmarked, unnoticeable restaurant in Venice completely changed my impression of breakfast burgers. No longer will I ever think about Sausage McMuffins or the words “Jimmy Dean’s” again. *Sidenote: I know, these are horrible comparisons, but what I ate at Oscar’s won’t ever be beaten by anyone. Ever. Or until further notice.
The Chorizo Breakfast Burger with Mexican coffee. Heaven.
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Oscar’s Cerveteca
523 Rose Ave, Venice 90291
Dine LA, February 2014.
I eat out a lot, and I love food to death. I decided this year that I wanted to start a Fatty Foodie Club (please join if you want!) to gather all those – whether friend or stranger – who loved to eat to come together and dine. We had our inaugural dinner at Black Hogg during Dine LA and it was wonderful. The food was fantastic, but that combined with the company of wonderful people made my tummy and heart full. I’m grateful.
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Black Hogg
2852 Sunset Bl, LA 90026
A questionnaire once asked me what had changed my life and I put down “SRIRACHA” without even thinking for a moment. Ever since I was first introduced to it in college, I put it in everything. Chicken bowls, ramen, pizza, two-minute microwaveable rice, soups, cheese and beef jerky (yes, in that combo). So when the news started going around that the production of this delightful sauce was ordered to cease, I panicked. I immediately called my mother and demanded that she buy a few emergency Sriracha bottles from Costco. I nearly cried when I received a whole large bottle of it for Christmas. This is me, and I ain’t ashamed.
Then BLD in LA announced that they would have an exclusive five course Sriracha menu for one night only. I immediately booked a table for four, asked Facebook if anyone wanted to join me, and the party was set. I had my worries, but what other time will there be that a restaurant feels the need to create a Sriracha menu because of this catastrophe that we were facing? I had to be a part of this!
I apologize for the quality of these photos (they wanted a romantic mood for all the couples on dates, but this just makes single Instagrammers like me cranky) but this was the best I can do to share what I consumed that night:
First course: Lobster Roll in brioche bun and sriracha aioli. This was a good starter, although I would have preferred the bread to be warm or crispier. I love lobster to death and swim a thousand leagues to eat all the lobster I can encounter. I just like my lobster rolls to be gooey and hot in my mouth. But if this was a sandwich instead of a roll… that would have been fab. But that’s just the glutton in me talking. Oh and that shot glass contained sriracha-infused beer and it was pretty damn tasty.
Second course: Sriracha Tagliatelle. Prawns, broccolini, and tomato confit. Sauce was pretty yummy, and the pasta was just that right texture between soft and tough that I really like. I don’t know if it was the Asian in me, but I popped those bad boy prawns in my mouth like it was candy. I had to convince a couple of my friends to eat the whole thing, but I can’t believe some people throw away the shells of prawns! THEY’RE LIKE THE CRACKERS OF THE SEA!
Third course: Crispy Pork Belly, with sriracha soy glaze, vegetables, bean sprouts, scallions, and a bed of jasmine rice cake. I am sorry to pigs everywhere because they’re beloved pets to some people and they portray adorable and smart creatures with spiders for best friends. However. When it’s on my plate, all my compassion goes out the door and I will eat the crap out of that. This was the type of pork belly that melts in your mouth, and there was a good layer of fat. I LOVE FAT. The sriracha content was a little low, and the soy sauce was slightly heavy. And I hate bean sprouts so I just focused on the chunk of meat.
Fourth course: Ribeye Poutine, with jalapeños, cheese curds, and sriracha gravy. Oh God. Sriracha GRAVY? These are two words that define my existence. That’s dramatic. No but really, I loved this combo. This plate reminded me of The Hat and their horrifyingly delicious gravy fries, so there wasn’t anything particularly unique about this. But I still enjoyed the gravy and it was thick and wonderful.
Fifth course: S’More in a graham cracker with chocolate and topped with a sriracha marshmallow. Just put the damn marshmallow in my mouth because it was so delicious. That top burnt part was the best part, but I loved the taste of sriracha in a chocolate s’more?! Amazing. I just wish it wasn’t so damn small. I had to keep a leash on my mouth and make sure not to pop in the whole thing. Gotta keep it classy in some way.
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It was $45 for this whole meal, but with a drink and tip, it came out to close to 70 bucks. Was it worth it? No. Was the company worth it? Absolutely. I just wish with all the hype that went into “Sriracha-pocalypse,” they would have paid more attention to the menu and tried more bold, new things. And OF COURSE they would announce that the Sriracha production was resuming after I already made my reservation at BLD. Anyway, loved the new experience but they could have done better for the people who are obsessed with sriracha and may have gone to Costco to buy a few tubs of it when they announced the factory shut-down. THERE ARE PEOPLE LIKE THAT OUT THERE, OKAY?
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BLD
7450 Beverly Bl, LA 90036
When I went to Paris, all I wanted to do was sit in a cafe and smoke elegantly thin cigarettes. However, the whole time I was there, it was raining and the French were horribly mean. I was grumpy, and the romance of everything I had envisioned was completely shot.
After seeing the Moulin Rouge and miserably stuffing my face with baguettes that were damp from the moist air, I passed by a nondescript cafe and backtracked when I smelled the most amazing scent of cheese. That was the first time I ever tried a Croque Madame, and my perspective on grilled cheese had changed forever.
The Croque Madame from Huckleberry in Santa Monica was the first Madame I tried here in the US. The eggs were beautifully cooked, the bread was enough to slice into but still produced a satisfying crunch, and the ham and Gruyère blended together like one soft pillow of heavenly quality. Good start to my 100 New Things! 🙂
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Huckleberry
1014 Wilshire Bl, LA 90401
Caroline Hungers 