Animal

Animal
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on 101 in 1001: 2/143
if you didn't get a clue from the name, Animal caters to meat-eating foodies. even though the meats were surprisingly lean, you could easily fill up on meat-heavy appetizers alone. i went with a group, and most of us shared, so i was able to sample a broad range of appetizers and entrees on their single sheet menu.

appetizers
i found the appetizers to be more interesting than the entrees, though no less heavy on the protein.
house smoked pork belly, lentil & butterbean salad- one of the better choices of the evening, the pork belly was a shockingly lean piece of meat with a section of fat. marinated in a thick bbq sauce, it was sweet on first bite and ended with an almost too salty finish. thankfully, the tangy vinaigrette from the beans cut through some of the intensity of the sauce.

pork ribs, balsamic, delicata squash & rocket salad, pecans- smothered in a dark balsamic sauce, the meat was tender and easily came off the bones. thank goodness for the spicy rocket salad with sweet slices of squash to balance all the pork. the sauce was somewhat generic.

poutine, ox-tail gravy, vermont cheddar- theirs is a gourmet version of a canadian specialty that consists of french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. the gravy on this had pieces of ox-tail in it. without much to compare it to, all i can say is that french fries do taste good with gravy on them. the cheese was a little scarce on this one.

entrees
flat iron, sunchoke, lobster & chanterelle mushrooms, hotel butter- this is a quality, thick piece of meat. another diner in the group thought their medium rare was a little too rare, but i found it to be just right. the steak was tender, simply prepared and mostly focused on the natural meat flavor. personally, i would have preferred more mushrooms, less meat.

halibut, king crab, tabasco butter, gold rice succotash, cipollini- one of two fish dishes on the menu, this one consisted of a piece of halibut that has been pan seared and covered with a good amount of king crab, plated with a mixture of beans and sweet corn and a butter sauce. i love crab, and it was good with the butter, so nothing to complain here.

although the preparations are straightforward, and the flavors are a little uninspired, overall, i thought the food was tasty. the ingredients, fresh, high quality, mostly organic and locally produced/grown, were good. our waiter was attentive and friendly, answering the various questions from our large group. though it's definitely not a place for vegetarians, but they do have fish and vegetarian salads, so if you wanted to eat a little lighter, it is possible.