Hit Animal on impulse on my last evening in LA. Walked in shortly after they opened and there was plenty of room at the counter. Seriously great meal.
easter egg radish with Liptauer and dill, drinking Grüner to start
rabbit larb, didn’t seem as spicy as the last time I had it but maybe that’s because I’d eaten so much hardcore Thai food at Jitlada, Luv2Eat, and Spicy BBQ
Sweetbreads, fucking awsome, crisp and crunchy on the outside, creamy and moist inside, in a sort of a piccata dressing offset by mushrooms and creamed spinach, if you like that kind of thing go and get it before they change up the menu. Drinking Saint Joseph at this point.
brains with vadouvan and apricot puree, the sweetness didn’t go with dry wine so the bartender recommended a Madiera on the rocks with a twist, which was perfect
pig ears as presented
pig ears, tossed with the egg and chile sauce, got a carafe of Furmint since red wasn’t really right
tongue with pickles, salmon roe, and black mustard, kind of a lot going on, didn’t quite come together for me compared with the other dishes which were pretty much awesome across the board, might have worked better if I’d been drinking cocktails
P’tit basque and chorizo, simple and good.
Food cost before tax and tip was $108, great value.
A friend joined me toward the end of my three-hour meal and ordered this off-menu “burger,” which was really a patty melt.
It feels like a return visit to Animal is in the works for me, thanks for the reminder. 
That’s impressive you were able to eat so much.
like their Foie Gras Loco Moco, Foie Gras Maple Biscuit, or Pork Belly dishes. (They’re so good, but I don’t think it’d be good to tackle it alone.)
