ANIMAL

The words of Animal by Mike Snow were drumming through my head as I was on my way last night to meet my favorite foodie for a late night dinner at Animal restaurant in West Hollywood/Mid-City. We had read so much about these hot young chefs that won Food and Wine Best New Chefs of 2009 and a James Beard nomination for Best New Restaurant- we had to try it for ourselves!

Dropping my car off at the valet (the easiest, quickest way to park here), I was instantly impressed by the simplicity of the decor. As my partner in crime put it "They just get it. The ambience is subdued so all the customer can do is focus on one thing: the food." The simple wine racks behind the bar, the black tables and chairs, and the egg shell colored walls, all added to that elegent New York City style of restaurant that speaks to my epicurean senses.

Greeted by our hilarious, knowledgeable waiter John was also a treat...

His recommendation for two: two appetizers and two entrees.

Our choices:

- Pork belly, kimchi, peanuts, chili soy, scallion

-Melted petite basque, chorizo, grilled bread

-Leg of lamb, merguez, salsa verde, alubia criollo beans

-Quail fry, grits, chard, slab bacon, maple jus

As witnessed by our choices, this menu is definitely NOT for those of us aiming to lower our cholesterol. If you do not fall into that category, however, find your way to this place immediately.

Save for one piece (out of the 8 pieces on the dish), the pork belly tasted EXACTLY as it should, with that amazing flavor of chicharron. Perfect blend of fat and meat (and yes, we ate the fat). The kimchi tasted straight out of a Korean kitchen. Mixing those two flavors together would not be something I would ever think to do, but the crisp, cool, spicy nature of the kimchee was an ideal pairing for the pork belly.

I don't think I've ever had melted cheese of any kind that did not taste good (pretty tough to get the gloriousness that is melted cheese wrong), but the addition of the crisp chorizo underneath of the Petit Basque cheese, then placed atop thick pieces of a french baguette had me reminiscing back to my days in Spain...perfection.

My eating mate had the leg of lamb. Upon first glance, we were surprised at how obviously over-cooked it looked. Beware of first impressions. We were proven wrong. Apparently the young chefs in the back roast it, quickly pass it over the grill, and then add some secret ingredients to create the flavor of this lamb which I have never heretofore tasted. Also not a huge fan of criollo beans (bad childhood memories) but this preparation, paired with the salsa verde, really hit the spot.

The quail fry. More moist on the inside, crisp on the outside than the best friend chicken. The chard, grits, and maple jus took me down to the South in a nuveau home cookin' kind of way. One bite with all the ingredients on my fork caused a tasty explosion in my mouth...and it was even better when finished off with with a gulp of the Mourvedre from Hug Cellars our waiter John so highly recommended.

And finally...

the Tres Leches. One of my favorite desserts of all time. As witnessed by the picture, we couldn't even wait to snap a photo before we dug into this one. I've had my fair share of Tres Leches. As simple as they are, I believe the flavors in this dessert ecompass everything I seek when deciding to eat a dessert (which I do only so often). This tres leches beats all that I have tasted.

Though we left this dinner a little over-satiated, we can't help but give this place our nod of approval. When in WeHo, check this place out.