Damn that looks questionable. Looks like they took the name “Charleston Ice Cream” too literally.
Isn’t Animal’s style very bold, super rich (to an almost self deprecating degree), and unapologeticaly heavy? I’ve never been, and dishes like the sweetbreads sound interesting, but others like the foie loco moco and that rabbit dish sound really, really not my style. Every time I read a report about this place, I’m conflicted.
The one time I got the rabbit dish it was great, there was a lot less gravy - just enough to mix in with the rice and fried bits.
Some of the dishes in my pig-out were rich, but none were heavy. I avoided the ones that sounded heavy.
The short answer to your question is no. The long answer is that they have some dishes that are like that, and they built their name on some of those dishes + hype of being “crazy temple of meat” somehow. All of that hype died at least 5 years ago, though.
It’s also entirely a la carte, so how you eat there is up to you. But looking at their current menu, the crazy heavy dishes are pretty much all those “classics” like the two foie gras dishes (biscuit + gravy and the loco moco) and the classic oxtail “poutine” as well as the rabbit;s legs, which by now as basically in that classic category. I think the bone marrow with chimichurri and caramelized onions also a heavy classic. Some might through their classic BBQ pork belly sandwiches in that category or the melted p’tit basque, both of which are also dishes that have been on the menu forever. (Balsamic pork ribs and the smoked turkey leg are also classics, but neither feel very heavy to me; they turkey leg is quite possibly the best turkey leg I’ve ever had).
Nearly everything else on their menu looks rather light and finessed.
http://www.animalrestaurant.com/menu/
Unless dishes like:
boniato yam, lemon crème fraîche, pepita, salsa verde, za’atar
market citrus, kohlrabi, pecan, ricotta salata, chili oil
tandoori octopus, tamarind, yogurt, kumquat
peads and barnetts pork toro, plum char siu, cabbage, kanzuri, green garlic
Sound like monstrously heavy?
Admittedly, they serve a few newer dishes like:
pork katsu, yuzu aioli, mustard greens
quail fry, grits, slab bacon, kale, maple jus
bone-in ribeye, potato aligot, foie gras sauce
Perhaps the use of aioli with katsu is a bit too over-the-top for most people, or the inclusion of bacon AND fried bird in grits is enough to make someone faint at the mere thought. Certain intellectuals might wonder whether it’s really necessary to serve a ribeye with potatoes aligot and foie gras sauce, and it is true that the dish seems crafted to put diners into early graves, but supposing you are aiming to live a bit longer, these dishes are pretty easily steered around when dining it seems.
Personally, I enjoy both aspects of Animal; and I will say this about the heavy dishes, typically they are not heavy for their own sake, but pulled off with a lot more finesse than one would imagine from the descriptions and photos.
The real sad thing about Animal is that they don’t have cocktails… =P
This would be marked with a red pen if you used that in a journalistic piece, or even a high-school term paper.
Why?
Vague, making a point without naming sources, intending to bolster ones argument by using presumptive, unsubstantiated statements, straw-man argument. Ya know. 
That is the intended point.
[quote=“Aesthete, post:24, topic:5338”]
they built their name on some of those dishes + hype of being “crazy temple of meat” somehow.
the crazy heavy dishes are pretty much all those “classics” like the two foie gras dishes (biscuit + gravy and the loco moco) and the classic oxtail “poutine” as well as the rabbit;s legs, which by now as basically in that classic category. I think the bone marrow with chimichurri and caramelized onions also a heavy classic… [/quote]
Thanks for the rundown. I’m thinking of those foie and poutine dishes for which they’re well known. Maybe their reputation has changed, but I haven’t kept up with it.
If I do ever find myself there, it’ll probably be for those. Ribeye with foie gras sauce and quail with bacon and maple just sound too over the top for me; maybe I’m getting old…
One of their best dishes (and lightest) is their hamachi tostada with avocado and fish sauce vinaigrette and the tandoori octopus with kumquats
Thanks for the pics. Are their seafood dishes better than those of Son of A Gun? I thought Son of A Gun, which is maybe a sister restaurant or something, was OK/not bad.
Having eaten at Son of a Gun many times, to me, it doesn’t even register anymore. I had so many disappointing meals there outside of the small hits of the shrimp toast and lobster roll that I stopped going. Animal seems to be on a different level of cooking.
I would recommend Jon & Vinny’s over Son of a Gun within the Shook/Dotolo empire.
The draw of Son of a Gun is completely lost on me. It seems like a worse version of Animal more oriented towards seafood…I suppose if that sound amazing, then it’s worth a visit.
I would rather eat the Hamachi Tostada at Animal than almost any of the dishes at Son of a Gun except the shrimp toast maybe. In my view, having a subpar meal after a $10 single bite of loveliness makes for a bad experience (Son of a Gun) compared to having an incredible meal full of amazing dishes with a strong seafood dish tossed in (Animal).
You may, of course, feel differently.
I think they are better known as a hipster wine bar at this point. Their venture Jon & Vinny’s across the stress is FAR more packed than they are these days. You have to keep in mind that they were originally so cool because of their stand against the kale salad dining ethos of LA (also serving tons of pig parts next door to Canter’s which was supposedly a part of their lease). In a certain sense, I still appreciate the wanton fatty, meaty hedonism that is latent within their menu in a pushback against that; but they’ve since pushed back with a variety of lighter more refine dishes, although they’ve kept somewhat of the meat ethos. I truly believe anyone wishing to dine on the lighter side could have a really enjoyable meal there.
As I said in the rundown, there are those for whom these types of dishes will be extreme and over-the-top, but they are easily avoidable.
How did you get that bright of lighting on the Tostada?
I think almost every dish at animal, i including the seafood, is better and more interesting than son of a gun.
The only memorable dishes to me at son of a gun are the shrimp toast, leche de tigre, and the chicken sandwich.
Brunch
oh, im not so convinced serving pig parts next to canters was ever part of animals appeal.
im a glass half empty sort on my best day, but nobody is THAT big of an asshole, are they?
Supposedly it was a condition of their lease that Canter’s enforced because Canter’s didn’t want any competition in the space.
There’s a skylight that lets in a lot of natural light. The first photo in my report from last week was taken at maybe 6:15 and the last around 9:00, you can easily see the difference in quality.
Indeed, I forgot; I always seem to eat there after 8 pm for some reason. They used to be open until midnight every night so I found myself there often around 10-11 pm.
I also forgot about brunch haha (well I forgot they served the tostada at brunch).
