Little Beast Lands in Eagle Rock

Little Beast in Eagle Rock has been open for about two months now. I had always wondered what would go into the old Larkin’s space. The cute little house sits north of the main drag on Colorado. We sat on the patio and it felt like our own little corner of the world.

I had seen a picture of the wild salmon tartare earlier in the day and when I sat down with friends, I declared we had to get it. The pretty tower of salmon was ringed with thinly sliced kumquats. I loved the “tostada” feel of this with the guacamole as well.

We also got the duck liver mousse. For foie fans who hate the California ban as much as I do, take comfort in this legal appetizer. Perhaps it doesn’t have the full fattiness of foie but that generously oiled up toast points help it along. Not to say the mousse isn’t great but this girl misses her foie gras.

For our meal, I chose the Tor Del Colle Reserve 2008 Biferno. This medium-body red wine went great with our seafood dishes and played well with the Little Beast burger as well.

The scallops were my fave dish of the night. They were cooked perfectly and I liked the cauliflower two ways- it was roasted whole and also pureed into a sauce.

The flavors of the halibut were great but it was a touch dry. I wanted to stick everything between two pieces of bread. It’d be a great sandwich with the slaw and dressing.

Eating with Valentina from Eastside Bites means a burger. We of course had to try the amazing looking burger with the juiciest heirloom tomatoes.

We were full or at least I was full but we couldn’t resist a dessert. Little Beast also generously sent out two other desserts including the blueberry cheesecake and the bread pudding.  I really enjoyed the bread pudding. It was my favorite of the three though it was pretty hard not to fall in love with the blueberry.

We had a discussion with our server what a fallen apple pastry was. It’s based on a European pastry. The “fallen” means the pastry has collapsed a bit and not made with apples that fell from a true like I romanticized.

I’m a big fan of bread pudding though it always reminds me of a lady I knew who grew up during the Depression. She said they ate it all the time and she hated it. I suppose it was like my dad who ate nothing but rice before the Communists took over. He told me a funny story once how he traded his dinner rice for another boy’s bun. Like dad, I have a weakness for mixing things up and don’t mind the occasional bread pudding.

I can’t wait for Fall to see how the menu evolves. Perhaps some heartier fare for this New American restaurant?

Little Beast

1496 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90041  —  (323) 341-5899

 

© The Minty  2013