Animal, LA

Foie Gras Loco Moco

On my last night in LA, I went with my friend Dan to Animal for a full tilt offal feast. When we first arrived, it reminded me of Au Pied De Cochon with its casual atmosphere combined with a truly indulgent menu.
As a penance for the prior few days and for the meal to come, we started with a vegetarian course: a salad of shredded baby kale, pecorino cheese, lemon chili vinaigrette, and breadcrumbs.

Our secord course was recommneded by the ladies of Lindy & Grundy butchers, friends of Dan. When we had visited their shop, they wrote up a list of their favorites from Animal on a piece of paper. We had the hamachi tostada. It had an Asian flavor to it as it was sprinkled with peanuts and a fish sauce vinaigrette.

Our next course was pig tail segments cooked "bufffalo wing style" with Ranch dressing. The skin was crispy while the tail meat was tender and delicious.

Fourth course was on special for the day: pork head cheese with fried corn bread threads, & mustard sauce. The head cheese was beautiful, and fatty.
We followed with crispy pig ear with chili and lime served underneath a sunny side up fried egg. It had flavors reminiscent of Mexican cuisine, very fresh tasting.

The sixth course was a roasted marrow bone topped with chimchurri sauce and caramelized onions. The chimchurri was an inspired replacement to the traditional parsley salad I've had before.

Our 7th item was Animal's well known foie gras loco moco (see top). It consisted of a bed of rice, a hamburger patty topped with Spam, then a piece of foie gras, smothered in a beef gravy, finally capped with a fried sunny side up quail egg. This decadent take of the Hawaiian classic was one of my favorite things I've eaten this year.

I was still reeling from the last course to recall what Dan had for dessert. I think it was a carrot cake with root beer foam. I opted for just a few bites of the tres leches cake as my finish.
Animal is a spectacular restaurant. In some ways though, I'm glad I don't live near a place like it as I would get into serious trouble with my waistline and cholesterol levels.





435 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 782-9225

The First Gastronaut Society Dinner at Corner BYOB, Baltimore

Last week, Corner BYOB in Hampden held the inaugural dinner for their Gastronaut Society. The emphasis of the society is an exploration of "exotic meats". Members get a specially engraved knife, and discounts for the special dinners.
When I arrived, before being seated, members shared drinks and some hors d'oeuvres around the bar. My favorite was an oyster topped with pomegranate sorbet and American caviar. It had a pleasant mix of briny and sweet.
We also had asparagus wrapped with proscuitto and small toasts with pate and cornichon.

We were then instructed to take seats in the restaurant. There was no assigned tables, so we were able to sit with other diners and socialize. I liked this idea as I had come on my own. During dinner, we had great conversation and had a fun time sharing the experience of the meal.
The dinner was composed of seven savory courses, and the chef placed feedback sheets for each course that we were encouraged to fill out.
First up was kangaroo tartare with a raw quail egg and rosemary crostini. This was my first experience with kangaroo. It does not have much flavor, reminding me of a very bland lean beef. While I liked the presentation of the plate, it was just an ok dish.
I was happy that the next course took us into the wonderful world of offal. We had cow penis in a vegetable coconut curry broth. The penis had the texture similar to beef tendon or sea cucumber- firm, gelatinous, and it took on the flavor of the broth. While I wished the dish would have been served piping hot, I liked it.

The third course was braised boar cheek on a bed of parmesan truffled polenta covered with a foie gras froth. The cheek fell apart easily, and as you ate more, the foie gras flavor became more evident.
The fourth course was actually my least favorite as it was the least "adventurous". It was a pan seared diver scallop, cooked beautifully, on a bed of Napa cabbage with basil oil, prickly pear, spherical juice, steelhead caviar and a little rambutan.

The next plate was a roasted wild Scottish squab and brussel sprouts with a jerk lingonberry sauce. The meat of the bird paired well with the slightly tart sweetness of the sauce.
The last main dish was antelope loin with a green apple mustard sauce, salsify with Cherry Glen goat cheese, and bone marrow pommes Parisian. The antelope, particularly with the apple mustard was just great. I also liked the salsify. I don't think I could appreciate the marrow in the potatoes though.

The final course was a cheese plate with selections from Cherry Glen. My favorite was the Monocacy Silver that was served with dried cherries. We also had a fresh goat cheese, the Monocacy Ash, and  slightly bruleed Monocacy Crottin.
The next society dinner is in January. Can't wait.

Incanto, San Francisco, CA

 If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that we at TIGBG love nose-to-tail eating.  So when we had to go out to San Francisco a couple weeks ago, we made a reservation at Chris Cosentino's (www.offalgood.com) place Incanto, in the Noe Valley neighborhood.  The restaurant is on a quiet corner in a residential area, and is warm and inviting inside.  We were really looking forward to our meal because of the strong porky aroma emanating from the kitchen.

There were two appetizer specials that night, so we ordered both of them -- trotter cake with foie gras, served with a red wine reduction;  and testa (head cheese) ravioli with pig's blood in the pasta, in a sauce that had cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, dried fruit.  The trotter cake was the best dish we had that night.  You can't go wrong with a lobe of seared foie gras.  The cake was a bit like scrapple with more meat - chunkier (I got a nice chunk of cartilage in one bite).  I appreciated the use of grapes and wine - a nod to the local region.  The ravioli, though, were a bit disappointing -- I didn't really get any offal-ness - no satisfying funk from the head cheese or blood.  The waitress had described the sauce to us as "kind of like a mole" so that was disappointing as well.  It had none of that concentrated richness of a mole - I mean, yes, it had cinnamon, and pumpkin seeds etc., but not ground in, reduced for hours, had it been a true mole.  One thing the Top Chef judges have dunged people on was calling a dish something that it really wasn't.  If they hadn't said "mole" I wouldn't have been disappointed that it wasn't one.

Because we still had five more days in the Bay area and wanted to conserve our appetites, for our main dishes we each order a half portion from the pasta section rather than one of the larger meat dishes, though we did go all pig (after all, it is their specialty).  Redneckhunter went traditional with handkerchief pasta with pork ragu.  I went with the Corzetti, cotechino, mizuna & pangrattato.  First off, I liked that I didn't know what any of those words meant!  Here's what it was - corzetti are flat round pasta (Incanto's were imprinted with their piggy mascot), cotechino is an Italian sausage sliced thin like salami, mizuna are mustard greens, and pangrattato are breadcrumbs.

 I thought Redneckhunter's was just ok - personally I think he makes a better pork ragu (but then again we get some really delicious ground pork from the Asian market in Plainsboro).  I liked mine, the slight bitterness of the greens and the texture of the breadcrumbs were nice, and I got how they were going for similar flat and round of the sausage and pasta.

For dessert, we also ordered the special which was an ice cream float in strawberry verbena soda.  It was light and refreshing.  All in all, we had a good meal, but not one I'm going to dream about.  Though they celebrate the pig here, it's a far cry from the temple of pork indulgence of the likes of Au Pied de Cochon, by any stretch.

Incanto
1550 Church Street
Noe Valley, SF
415.641.4500

BrookLen Goes to Au Pied de Cochon, Montreal

It only took me getting into five years of career starts and stops, a marriage, and a little guy we'll refer to as BrookLEn Jr, and finally, I was able to stroll through the doors of Au Pied du Cochon, for the great Northern TIGBG eat-athon. There is nothing adorning the alley-sized apartment of gluttony, and in a city (nay, country!) that seems to have no shortage of space, you find yourself lucky to be eating and chatting elbow-to-elbow with patrons and staff alike. Even though I already had in mind a couple classic dishes I had read about in this very blog, I was prepared for whatever specials might come down the gangplank to our onerous party.
Redneckhunter scaled the winelist, and came up with the smart suggestion of a Boujoulais Nouveau, which would be a tidy excuse to sip red with shellfish. Although they were actually out of the listed wine, their substitute, La Tentation Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu was beyond the par of what I hoped for, and we gladly shared a couple bottles. 1000yregg ordered like his hair was on fire, and I had just enough time to yelp for the ever-famous duck in a can.
And then we waited. For this, I was finally getting into the Quebecois mindset. I am sick of impatience- in myself, in Americans. I was ready for Royal Mountie Time. If you can wait for an hour, then the chef will give you what you deserve. If you can't, go down the road, there's a border crossing nearby.

An hour later, we saw our first dishes. To start, the mystery cubes. I was told to let the foie gras cromesquis cool, and I waited with apprehension. What I afraid of disappointment? I lifted one up, and let it break on my tongue. The liquified liver poured down my throat, a surge of fat for what was to come. Two orders of the foie gras poutine landed between the seven of us, and not a fry survived. In describing that dish, it is hard to imagine that it would actually be lush and velvety. Along with this came some spicy fried cod balls, and a tarragon bison tongue, tough but made bright with my secret new favorite herb.


Then, it arrived: the inimitable Duck in A Can. The presentation of that plate was done for BrookLEn Jr., to awe and some exhaustion (it was after his bed time, after all). The duck was a revelry; watching in come out was like a downward parade onto the plate. I'm sure I saw a sprig of thyme amongst the dark gravy and red meat. Juiced with fat, but a touch of tender lean in the duck made their set-piece dish still feel like a standout.

To my surprise, most dishes had a nod to more than just meat and gravy. There were vegetables, amazing potatoes and morels; our table made neat work of a single salad that had octopus and bacon amongst some sweet and fresh greens. It truly was a food parade, but the secret parade that happens at midnight. It's the parade that still beguiles the internet, and manages to find that sweet alley to march. Between courses, thunder rolled in, and a heavy rain poured on the skylight.

Next, the second wave of plates arrived. Boudin noir propped up in mashed potatoes.


A lobster roll with foie gras slices adorning.


And the plateau des plateaux, a tower of Canadian seafood orgy: fried AND boiled crabs legs, oysters, crawfish, mussels, clams, and a pan of Szechuan-spiced snails worthy of 1000yregg's drool. One of the oysters that had a slice of gelée might have been the best thing I ate all night. Just when I started thinking about where I left my will, the collar was affixed to our table.














The tuna collar, one of the two available for the whole night, was a beautiful nightmare of aquatic eatery. The C-shaped bone held tender meat that would melt in your mouth, doused in a rich, buttery sauce, and garnished with a stack of onion rings. Yes, onion rings. The table tore into this food, and before I knew it, the TIGBG crew were taking turns working at the tuna collar, exploring its secret meats. The meat sweats started in.

1000yregg: Just adding my two cents, as this was the first time I had tried the tuna collar as well. I was still feeling the seafood "high" from the plateau when I took my first bites of the collar. Oh my god, this was the most tender tuna I have ever eaten. Fougoo and I also noticed that the collar had several different areas where the meat went from a white color to dark red. These areas all had different levels of flavor and texture. I probably continue eating 45 minutes after the rest of the table cried "uncle". I blame the shellfish high munchies which gave me the second wind.

fougoo: No matter how many times we come here, they still surprise us! The tuna collar was truly an experience. I only wish that it hadn't come last, so that I could have eaten more - it was like no fish I'd ever tasted. I had fun picking scraps of meat off with my fingers after everyone else was done... I also thought it was funny that different people in our party would walk out of the restaurant for periodic breaks for fresh air throughout the long meal - whew!


Over four hours later, with a ravaged table, we entertained dessert, marveling at what we'd done. The fantastic pouding chomeur, swimming in a mild maple sauce, complimented the classic creme brulee, and dark chocolat pot de creme. It's been a long wait, and I'm already thinking about when I can make it again.






536 Avenue Duluth Est
Montréal, QC
(514)281-1114

Le Comptoir Charcuterie et Vins, Montreal

On researching for the Montreal trip, I had heard some good things about Le Comptoir Charcuterie et Vins, another recently opened restaurant that specialized in small plates of housemade charcuterie. Le Comptoir translates to "counter", and we sat at the main counter that evening, watching the food prep area that was on the other side.
We started with a large charcuterie plate. All the items are made at La Comptoir. We had their pâté de foie gras, saucisson sec, sopresseta, country pâté, and chorizo. We had something else that was lot like scrapple- very liver-y- seared so it was crunchy on the outside, mushy inside. Fougoo really liked the house made cumin mustard, and bought a jar to take home.
Their menu is listed on a chalkboard, and highlight what is seasonal and available. We ordered two items to share. First was a beef heart confit served chilled topped with a salad of octopus & potatoes with a red wine emulsion.
Second, we had a boudin tart with a shallot confit, bacon and "soft boiled egg". The boudin was nice and creamy, and tasted great with the shallots.
For dessert, we got a marquise au chocolat with strawberries, rhubarb and a hazelnut tuile.
Le Comptoir makes me wish there were more restaurants following the same low key style with amazing no nonsense food and casual atmosphere. I know I'll be back next time I'm in Montreal.

4807 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montréal, QC
(514)844-8467

Joe Beef, Montreal

On Canada Day, the whole TIGBG crew got together in Montreal for an unforgettable dinner at up and coming restaurant, Joe Beef. We figure we’d try a different approach to our posts and turn this into a discussion about our meal.

fougoo: First off, before getting into the food, the atmosphere at Joe Beef is absolutely charming. Even though we had a little mix-up with the reservation, the staff were accommodating, and we were lucky enough to get a spot in the corner of the garden. Dining out there in the early evening sunshine, with plants, flowers, herbs, and vegetables all around us was just a perfect setting - as if you were invited over to your fabulously bohemian friend’s house for dinner on their patio. Our waiter was helpful translating the menu posted on the chalkboard, offering suggestions, and letting us know what was fresh and where it had come from.

brooklen: By our dumb luck, we got the best seat in the house; on one side of my seat I was smelling the smoker, on the other I was getting whiffs of basil. There was thyme growing out of the tree stump at the end of our table!

1000yregg: We were so fortunate to be sitting in the backyard of Joe Beef for dinner on such a perfect summer evening. Redneckhunter selected a 2007 Castiglion del Bosco Rosso di Montalcino, a versatile wine for the evening's dinner.

fougoo: We ordered french fries for the 2-year-old BrookLEN Junior, but everyone ended up stealing from the poor kid - they were crisp, garlicky and delicious!

brooklen: Poor Junior spent all of Montreal subsisting on french fries... he didn’t inherit his daddy’s palette (yet)...

fougoo: our cousin, stephen, managed to eat a foie gras Double Down all by himself! I was totally satisfied with my one delicious salty, fried, rich, creamy bite.


1000yregg: I was actually a little hesitant to get the foie gras Double Down, feeling it would be too much, but since we had a good sized group, I knew we had to. It was wonderful. The batter was deliciously spiced and crispy like fried chicken skin, and the lobes of foie gras were beautifully fatty and rich. Even the honey under the “sandwich” was awesome. I understand how my cousin could want more, and yet I also felt very scared for him.

brooklen: Ohh, the Double Down. Stuff of legend, though I have to admit, it won’t be the dish I remember forever. I think the sauce had a touch of honey, to give it that Southern-fried flair.
fougoo: As 1000yregg and redneckhunter devoured the Double Down, I focused my attentions on our other foie dish, a foie gras confit with rhubarb, which I preferred - a perfect summer dish - the tartness of the rhubarb melding nicely with the smoothness of the foie.

brooklen: Yes! I believe foie gets a lift with a little sweet; a Northern chutney of Pie Plant. Even the jellied fat was summery. Might be my favorite of the dinner.
fougoo: we ordered the Smorgasburg toast when we heard that they smoked all the seafood on it just feet away from us in the back garden. It was a nice dish -- a bit hard to share among so many people, but really a perfect appetizer if I had to order something for just myself -- a nice variety of fish and shellfish, an oyster, whitefish salad.

brooklen: My first oyster of the trip; not icy cold as we Americans tend to take ‘em, but it was graced with a touch of herbs that seems to be the Quebec style.

brooklen: The cavatelli with morels was simple in appearance, but the cream sauce was perfectly rendered. I might have fallen in love with morels on Canada Day.

1000yregg: The lobster spaghetti was my choice on the menu, and boy was it good. The lobster was huge, and the lobster sauce was rich and strongly flavored. As clean up guy for the table, this was the plate that I finished first.

fougoo: I marveled at 1000yregg’s prowess as he finished up claws bigger than my own hand, large chunks of lobster tail, and bite after bite of sauce-heavy pasta. If they bottled that lobster sauce, I would have bought a jar to take home and savor.

fougoo: The porchetta with summer vegetables was my menu choice and I’m glad it didn’t disappoint. We probably didn’t need another meat dish, but I did love it. The pork was fragrant with herbs, not overly salty (as it sometimes has been at Porchetta in NYC), the perfect marbling of fat, just melted in your mouth. The waiter chided us for not finishing all of the skin, but by this point 1000yregg (who had cleaned up the lobster spaghetti) was saving room for dessert.

brooklen: The secret side-players on this dish were the veggies; gorgeous chard, and perfectly cubed beets. This was also the brightest sauce of the night- what was in that green stuff?

fougoo: Agreed - the green sauce was awesome! Parsley perhaps?

fougoo: I couldn’t believe how much schnitzel we got - two huge flat platter-sized pieces, along with a mountain of potatoes and veggies.

brooklen: The girotte mushrooms made this dish, not to be outdone.

fougoo: Our waiter had recommended the cheval (horse) with red wine sauce when we told him we were die-hard carnivores, but it was actually our least favorite meat dish. The marrow, however, was one of the largest portions I’ve ever seen. Redneckhunter always says that marrow is the Frenchie litmus test of whether someone is worthy of French cuisine or not. I have to say, after seeing 1000yregg pull out a massive glob of marrow onto his plate - jiggly and goopy like a mound of snot - the fact that we all thought “ooh, yummy!” at this stuff that would probably turn other people’s stomachs says a lot.
1000yregg: It was a little disappointing. Horse seems to be a leaner meat, and ours was a little dry. We guessed it could have sat while our other items were being made. I’d still try it another time. The veal bone marrow was spectacular and a huge portion. As with the porchetta, the side veggies, spring onions, were wonderful.

1000yregg: As a counterbalance to all this protein, we also ordered a Parc Vinet salad. The Parc Vinet refers to Joe Beef’s own garden located in the back of the restaurant. One of the waitstaff told us that he had hand picked the vegetables in our salad that evening, a wonderful medley of lettuce, fennel, and radishes.

1000yregg: For dessert, I was glad we got the Bavarian cream with rhubarb. It was very seasonal, and not overwhelming, especially following our amazing meal.

fougoo: by this point, 1000yregg and I had to keep up our 3-day streak of rhubarb desserts, though I have to admit I was too stuffed to eat more than one bite. Bavarian cream was nothing like the American “Bavarian Creme Pie” filling - a lot more subtle, but than most things un-American are...


fougoo: While we were dining, we were a little jealous seeing chef/owner David McMillan talking to some of the other diners and showing them the smoker. But as we were leaving the big man himself stopped 1000yregg because he had noticed all the picture-taking, and asked if we’d let him know when they were posted online. He showed us a soon-to-be “secret” table in the adjacent alleyway.

1000yregg: Chef David McMillan chatted with us for a while after dinner. He said despite all the press about the foie gras Double Down, he had not eaten a whole one by himself until recently with David Chang, who was in town the previous week working on content for Lucky Peach.
He said he wanted to be known for other items on the menu such as his vegetables. It was generous of him to talk with us, and I know that we're going to go back on our next trip to Montreal.

2491 Notre Dame West
Montreal, QC
(514)935-6504