Sunday, February 10, 2013

Littlefork, Hollywood's New Food and Cocktail Gem

The new Littlefork in Hollywood brings Chef Jason Travi back on the dining scene after Fraiche, with a bar program helmed by Brian Butler (Sunny Spot) and Dino Balocchi, formerly of Longman and Eagle in Chicago. With my fond memories of Longman and Eagle's cocktails, I was pretty excited about Dino moving here! The exterior of Littlefork was a bit out of place - a white corner building with a small "littlefork" painted on the wall - but the inside is a beautiful bar and a spacious, elegant dining room.

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Chef Travi makes his own pickles here, and he really goes all out. As you walk in to the restaurant, take a look to your right, behind the hostess stand. There's a whole wall of pickle jars.
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From pickled beets to brussels sprouts (my favorite!), he pickles them all.
Pickles
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The cocktail menu here features house-made bitters, house-made tonic and ginger beer (cocktails are $11 each). The El Perdido is made with tequila, lime, chartreuse, cocchi americano, and the house-made strawberry chile bitters.
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The house-made ginger beer makes an appearance in the Thai Town Mule (gin, lime, thai basil, peppercorn, house ginger beer). The “Gin and Tonic”'s flavor profile moves away from the classic with the addition of ginger and bonal.

A fun appetizer for the table is the Maple eggs with crispy bacon
Maple Bacon Egg
A little taste of breakfast in egg-shaped cups. No, they're not real egg shells. Yes, I had two of these.

Our multi-course tasting meal continues with the Chowder: clams, bacon, oyster crackers
Clam Chowder
served with a mini bottle of tabasco!
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The Clam cakes with house tartar sauce are airy and fluffy
Clam Cakes

Hot smoked salmon, leek fritters. The leek fritters were more pancake-like. Another elevated breakfast dish for dinner.
Salmon

Kale salad, avocado, egg, red onion, blood orange
Kale
I couldn't stop eating this salad. While simple, the combination of flavor and texture was excellent with the creamy avocado. It was also the perfect break between the protein-heavy dishes, just right to prep the palate for the Brisket with three mustards (including raisin-infused mustard)
Brisket
"Brisket with three mustards" didn't sound like something I would really order off a menu, but this applewood-smoked brisket was just amazing. Juicy, fatty, flavorful, this plate is the making of one of the best meat sandwich.

Duck breast, braised greens, maple cider sauce
Duck Breast
The skin was crispy, the meat tender and flavorful, the sauce lightly sweet. This was a great entree all around.

Brussels sprouts, apple cider braised, sage, crispy chicken skin
Brussel Sprout
Yes, crispy chicken skin. In your brussels sprouts. The sprouts were just there to make me feel healthier, but all I really wanted were the crispy skin.

We tried two dessert starting with the Whoopie Pie with marshmallow fluff. The whoopie pie was a bit too sweet for me to have too much of. I much preferred the Apple cider donuts with apple butter, which were neither too sweet nor too dense.
Apple Cider donuts
Don't forget to dip it into the apple butter

OK, back to the cocktails.
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Saskatchewan Summer
(rye, cardamom, honey, fernet, forbidden bitters)
Dino has also brought in Letherbee gin, which is made in Chicago. Littlefork is probably the only bar in Los Angeles that currently carries this gin. Dino uses it in a cocktail aptly named Logan Square (gin, carpano, benedictine, angostura bitters, chocolate, mint), which you should definitely try.

Oh, and yes, Dino did also bring Malort from Chi-town (taste at your own risk). I've heard it described as "swamp water", "rubber tire", and "dying old man".

I do, however, recommend the 19th Century Sour (bourbon, pinot noir, demerara, lemon, bitters, egg white) and the Georgetown Swizzle (dark rum, Jamaican rum, EXR, lime, demerara, mint).

I loved both the food and cocktails at Littlefork and can't wait to return. At least on the Sunday night that I was there, the place is not yet crowded and would make for a great, chill spot to have dinner or drinks in Hollywood.

Littlefork
1600 Wilcox Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-3675
www.littleforkla.com
Littlefork on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

lynn

kale salad and donuts! sounds right up my alley.

Kstylick
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Unknown

This place sounds great, I can't wait to check it out. I just recently began following your blog and also am a new blogger myself. I have been reviewing food trucks, check out my first post: http://magsmind22.blogspot.com/2013/02/pasadena-taco-truck.html

xoxo
Mags
http://magsmind22.blogspot.com/

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