Heading back to animal for first time in a while

how was the burger prepared ??? what were the sauce and toppings ???

and did you order the fried rabbit legs ???

Oh man, yeah, we’re all kind of pieces of shit probably… if everyone else on this thread is anything like me, they didn’t recommend the poutine because they’ve eaten it like a billion times in every conceivable state of consciousness… so it kind of recedes in the memory and becomes a fixture of the decor of Animal as opposed to an actual dish still on the menu.

But that fucking poutine, although nothing like the stuff in Montreal, is fucking incredible, if you go back again, you know, those simple BBQ pork belly sliders may be the best damn sliders in the city as well. Both dishes (and the hamachi tostada) are staples of Animal from their earliest days, and they execute them absolutely flawlessly. One could conceivably wander into Animal, order just those two dishes for themselves and have one of the best fucking dinner experiences ever, plus walk out of Animal for like $40 incl tax/tip.

The success of that dish alone should have made rabbit the next “it” meat in this city…but alas…

It does make me weirdly wish that the Animal guys (and Ludo??) would open a modern Southern joint. I love the Hatchet Hall, but the Animal crew might do it even better based on that rabbit dish. I don’t think I’ve ever had rice so fucking spectacular before. Reminds me of Sean Brock’s soliloquies on Carolina Gold rice (the stuff Animal is using) in Mind of a Chef whenever I eat it. Not sure why Dunsmoor doesn’t have a prep of it at Hatchet Hall (even though HH is still really fucking good) =(

fucking soliloquies ???

hmmm.

interestingly enough, some people think $40 per person is way too much too spend on food. maybe even more than some.

but I guess some of us are a different kind of person.

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I don’t think that those people are on these forums lmao

We have people here that double up on orders of rare shrimp that cost $49 bucks an order BEFORE tax and tip my friend, so that’s like ~$130 JUST on rare shrimps to augment their meal.

And you are known to go drop $100++++ like 3-4 times a week on steak and pasta at Tana’s lmao Even posted an Ode to the habit, so you can’t exactly deny it?? lol

But serious, you know it costs probably more than that to even at the cheesecake factory n shit???

But yeah, I’m pretty sure $40 bucks for some poutine and sliders is chump change around these parts pardner!

But you know, I’m a cheapskate myself, usually toughing it out with sandos from Gjusta; basically a street bum. I often go beg for money on Skid Row so I can afford to get some of Centeno’s ridiculous taquitos that are only $7 bucks after 10 pm tho, that’s the real height of fine-dining on the cheap baby!

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That is an incorrect assumption.

I would say that there are people on this (and other) forums that have a wide spectrum of income and varied budgets that are available for dining out (and even how frequently they can/do dine out). there are as many posts about tacos and pizza as there are about high end sushi.

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Great point.

And that’s why I’m perpetually in BK.

You can eat both high end sushi AND tacos. Or, well, I do…not sure what would stop someone?

not everybody can afford to eat high end sushi. so, i would say that the high cost would stop someone.

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The cost isn’t like so insane that anyone that is genuinely into food and not literally living on the streets should be able to afford eating it once in a while. Even a place like Q with a $165 dinner… That should not be completely unaffordable for any adult making an even slightly reasonable income to splurge on at least once a year. And if you already care enough about food to be writing on a forum, I would imagine that it is a fairly large part of your life in terms of what you enjoy…

I’ve never seen a post on here that said “Best meal under $5??”

Nearly every post is about some high-end place.

To guy that just tried to push this crap about $40 being expensive just posted about a $50 dinner he had last night at Sotto lmao

And like every other post has people posting pictures of foie gras, or super expensive sushi, or shit…someone posts pic of a box of uni that must’ve been like $500-$1,000 worth of the stuff.

The majority here seem like seriously high-rollers. Wherever these people that can only afford $5 meals are, they sure are quiet…

$2 - Chowhound - The Site for Food Nerds: Cooking Tips, Culinary How-To's, & More.
$5 - Chowhound - The Site for Food Nerds: Cooking Tips, Culinary How-To's, & More.
$10 - Chowhound - The Site for Food Nerds: Cooking Tips, Culinary How-To's, & More.

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exactly—there were posts like that all the time on the CH LA boards.

The url I am on says FoodTalkCentral.com ?

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Huh?? Last time i checked, at least half of the threads here are about pizza, tacos, sandwiches and ramen

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I think that the posters who have the largest food budgets are also the posters who dine out more frequently and have more info to share with the rest of us—therefore those folks are more active on this forum.

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Tacos and ramen aren’t “high-end” places, high quality yes.

Yes, that’s a fair point I suppose, but given that the people with the high budgets do most of the contributing, it seems more than fair to assume whoever you are talking to is one of them since they are actively replying to you on a forum where most of the posts are made by people with large dining budgets…no?

You are proving my point so beautifully for me lol

I didn’t even use the words “high end” I literally just said “high quality”.

And by arguing that these options are indeed the epitome of cheap eats, you prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the majority of people here have massive food budgets.

I’m well aware that your average person cannot afford to drive an hour in the afternoon to spend $20-$30 on a bowl of perfect tsukemen at the hottest join in LA/OC area.

However, I don’t feel the need to pretend to be an average person, nor do I feel the need to pretend a forum like this is composed of mostly average people, when clearly it is not.

You have illustrated this point most gloriously in your reply =)