Animal

The front of restaurant Animal (via Eater.com)

For weeks leading up to my first trip to Los Angeles I couldn't help but constantly think about Restaurant Animal.  It was first opened in 2008 by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo.  You may recognize these punk rockers from Food Network's "Two Dudes Catering".  Soon after opening Animal and losing the catering business, they grew to national culinary fame with their small meat and offal-centric, 45-seat nondescript restaurant, even being awarded some of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs title of 2009.

I first met Jon and Vinny at Meattopia 2011.  By now I knew of their reputation, after watching them on Food Network and skimming through their cookbook from time to time.  Although they don't match any type of contemporary look for chefs, one thing is for sure, these guys know how to cook, and they can cook pretty damn well.  

Lamb Head Skull, the only decor on the walls

Animal was inspired by trips to Martin Picard's Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal, and Fergus Henderson's St. John in London.  Their chicken hearts with burnt eggplant puree that I tasted at Meattopia was just a teaser for things to come.    For now I am finally here in Los Angeles.  Looking at the no-name restaurant with black beams, full wall-size windows, and the numbers 435 across the top from across the street, I became a giddy schoolboy.  Come on Chef Floyd Cardoz, it's time to eat.  

The decor of Animal is very minimal, with nothing more on the walls than a lamb head skull.  A small bar in the back of the room provides the only color contrast to a small restaurant with wooden tables and beige walls.  Forget about it, though, you're not here for tablecloth wine service.  Take one look at Animal's menu and be prepared for the rich, fatty, spicy, fresh, well-balanced meal to come.

ilili

I received my first taste of Lebanese cuisine many years ago at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Brooklyn.  I didn't know what to expect of the cuisine before heading in.  With a friend's help, she navigated me through the menu and after one bite of the fresh baked bread covered in za'atar (a fresh herb blend mixed with sesame seeds, sumac, and lemon), I fell in love.  I will never forget that first taste, and that first meal.

For years that followed I became intrigued by Lebanese, as well as other Mediterranean cuisines. Small plates of mezze (think tapas) of traditional hummus, baba ganoush (baked eggplant mixed with various seasonings), tabbouleh (bulgar and herb salad), to large skewers of meat (mainly lamb and chicken), fresh pita breads, and heavy seasonings of garlic, lemon, fresh herbs, cumin, aleppo pepper (a mild type of chili flake), and sumac (a dried reddish berry powder with a lemony flavor, but not as tart).  There are few that could dislike this cuisine, and if you have yet to try it, I am hoping my descriptions have made you willing to do so.  

At nighttime it can easily be seen as a restaurant

However, it has always served as a medium-profile cuisine.  Small restaurant owners setting up shop serving traditional small plates of hummus, pita sandwiches, and grilled meats over rice.  With the introduction of ilili into the NYC restaurant scene back in 2008, Lebanese cuisine has finally come into the major spotlight.  

Located just a short distance from Madison Square Park, it is very easy to pass by ilili in the daytime.  Like the service staff inside, the restaurant is painted black.  Unless you notice the brown lettering sketched into the black awning over the front doors, the space looks vacant.  Step inside, though, and its a whole other story.  

Resto

Resto (French for "casual restaurant") opened its doors in the Spring of 2007.  Being a line cook at Tabla at the time, my coworkers and I used to visit this restaurant every other week for their amazing Belgium-style pub fare. The menu is nose-to-tail, the beer selection is amazing, and it's just a great place to hangout and enjoy yourself.

It has been just over three years since I have been to Resto, but after seeing it was participating in Summer Restaurant Week this year, I decided to make a reservation and come back.  Memories of the opening menu four years ago flooded my head.  Deviled eggs on pork toast were my favorite.  Pig's head sandwich served on toasted white bread and curried mayonnaise was a close second.  The house-made sausages, the beef cheeks, and the memories of the rest of the nose-to-tail menu excited me and I couldn't wait for lunch on Friday afternoon.

The restaurant has undergone some changes in the past few years.  The executive chef has changed to Bobby Hellen, and the menu is now a lot more developed.   However, everything else about the place is the same.  The decor is still boring.  Eighty seats spread around 26 tables in a large room, with six outside on the patio.  And if you visit the bathroom, the large, heavy sliding door will annoy the **** out of you.  Yup, that's really all there is to say about that.