Animal

Late Night

As a seemingly endless series of streetwear boutiques replace the kosher bakeries and junk shops, does the opening of mid-scale Animal signal that the newly hip Fairfax corridor has finally arrived? Launched in June 2008 by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (a.k.a. the Food Dudes). The menu is small (maybe half a dozen small plates and half a dozen entrees) but it's carefully curated and reveals an impressive culinary savoir faire. The menu is heavy on meat -- even the asparagus are dressed with bacon chunks -- but not so much that the dishes feel heavy or superfluously rich. Animal's grits are delicious -- arguably the best in the city -- and even better when topped with a thin layer of cooked chard and two golden fried quail. The lightly battered and fried soft shell crab (delicious though it's drenched in too much pungent, spicy, Thai-inspired sauce) comes with a slice of pork belly that's so succulent it nearly melts in your mouth. And the pork ribs bathed in barbecue sauce with a hint of citrus are so tender the meat really does fall off the bone. Portions are perfectly sized i.e. you won't feel cheated by artfully plated but puny entrees. The people who run this place like to eat.

Though it's not the best dessert on their menu (that might be the nectarine and blueberry crisp), the one that will certainly get the most attention is the bacon chocolate crunch bar. Half way between a brownie and fudge, the nutty bar (literally and metaphorically) is topped with smoky bacon crumbles. The chocolate bar is terrific. So is the bacon. But together? Not so much. Still, it's worth trying once in your life just to say you did.

Animal makes its minimalism work by paying careful attention to detail. The long, dark wood bench lining the small, Spartan restaurant's North wall is actually comfortable. With an attentive and friendly waitstaff, Animal is a good place to take a group of intimate friends for drinks and/or dinner, but leave the picky eaters at home. This is not the place for variety or substitutions. This is, however, the perfect place to share small plates with adventurous eaters. On Fridays and Saturdays the kitchen stays open until 2 a.m. (11 p.m. the rest of the week).

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