Tag Archives: seafood

Son of a Gun

17 Sep

After I ate at Animal (their meat heaven sister restaurant) and loved it, I had to try their seafood restaurant Son of a Gun. I will post later my heavenly experience…

I could not believe my luck this time I called the restaurant to check if they had anything available for that same wednesday night and the lady said “Yes, we have one opening at 6 and another at 10.” You do? What time did you say again? I wanted her to repeat what she just told me to make sure I was not hearing things. And finally, after trying for quite sometime, I had a reservation!

But do not despair! If you must go on a specific day and couldn’t get reservations, you can try lunch, or as a last resort,do what I did at Animal: go early and stand in line. When they open, you can seat at the bar or the communal table. I am sure their line is not as crazy as Animal’s where I stood in line for 1 and 1/2 hours, and almost didn’t get in because there was a line already at 4:30 pm!

Communal table

The restaurant does not have a sign, so you have to be careful not to miss it. Look for a gray restaurant with a red door. You can’t see the name painted on the glass from the street.
I suggest parking on the valet which is only $5, since it is very hard to find parking in the area.

The walls are bluish gray with a nautical theme decor. There are around 55 seats, including the comunal table and the bar.

The staff is extremely friendly, and the crowd is very cosmopolitan. The dress code is casual.

The menu changes daily, but some dishes keep coming back, so I already knew what I wanted to eat, from reading the menu online. I learned that they didn’t have the Brandade I was looking forward to try, but it will be back in the fall/winter.

They serve small plates, which I think is genius, because you have the chance to taste many different dishes, as opposed as being stuck with one large plate of the same thing. Some items are supposed to be bite size, so you might want to order more, such as the Lobster Roll.

I would say that 5 dishes are enough for two people, but you can always order more. No matter what, save some room for dessert. They are soooooo good!

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Shrimp Toast Sandwich

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Peel & Eat Shrimp Boil+ Pimenton Picante+ Rouille: Tasty and Spicy

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Linguini with Clams,Uni Aglio-Olio, Breadcrubms: Awesomeness

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Fried Chicken Sandwich, Pickles, Coleslaw: Best Sandwich of my life! Crispy Chicken+Crunchy Pickles+Soft Bun+Tangy Coleslaw

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Deconstructed Meringue Key Lime Pie with Lime Yogurt: Just like heaven

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Even the restroom is nautical

“Substitutions and modifications are politely declined.” says the menu. So,when the couple seated on the table right next to us ordered the Ribeye, the only meat dish on the menu, and asked if they could have it cooked well done, the server said she had to ask the chef. She came back and I don’t know what she told them, but they changed their order to a Fried Chicken Sandwich. After analyzing the menu for a while they agreed they didn’t like any seafood and ordered another chicken sandwich plus french fries! I am sorry if you don’t like what I am about to say, but what the heck are you doing at a Seafood restaurant, if you don’t like it? And why are taking up seats that could have been occupied by people that actually like seafood and are trying to get a reservation for ages? Some people …I just cannot understand!

The food is spectacular, extraordinarily exceptional! I will be coming back!

8370 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 782-9033

Son of a Gun Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Super Easy Beurre Blanc

18 Oct

Beurre Blanc literally means “white butter” in French. It is basically an emulsified sauce made by combining white wine, vinegar and cold butter. Vinegar is sometimes substituted for lemon. It is perfect for fish, or any seafood.

Classis French Beurre Blanc does not have cream, however many chefs prefer to add cream in order to “stabilize” the sauce, so it makes it last longer when serving it at a restaurant Just like any protein emulsion, it will quickly separate and break if overheated or solidify if too cold. So, it is always better to serve it immediately after preparing.

It can be modified by adding flavored vinegar to it. This is what I did. I had some Tahitian Vanilla Bean Vinegar home, and I decided to make a Vanilla Beurre Blanc to compliment the beautiful Langoustine tail I had. Vanilla blends perfectly with lobster, it is a marriage from heaven!

I bought some fresh Spaguettini from the pasta restaurant by my house (actually cheaper than buying Barilla!) and made a wonderful Spaguettini with Langoustine Tails in a Tahitian Bean Vanilla Beurre Blanc.You can find very affordable frozen Langoustine tails at your local Costco or Trader Joes. I know it sounds so fancy and elaborate, but it is not! It is a super easy recipe to impress your friends next time you cook them dinner ! Enjoy!

Tahitian Vanilla Bean Beurre Blanc

Ingredients

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar (or any other vinegar you have, flavored or seasoned is better)

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot ( or any type of sweet onions)

1/3 cup heavy cream; salt and pepper to taste

1 sprig of thyme

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and chilled

Instructions

1) In a small sautee pan, boil the wine, vinegar, and shallot(or onions) over medium heat until liquid is reduced to 2 to 3 tablespoons, for about 5 minutes.

2) Add cream, salt, and white pepper and boil for about 1 minute.

3) Reduce heat to medium low, lift the pan from heat, and add one to two tablespoons butter, whisking constantly. Add remaining butter one piece at a time, whisking constantly and adding new pieces before the others on the pan have completely liquefied (the sauce should have a consistency of hollandaise), lifting pan from heat occasionally to cool mixture.
Remove the pan from heat, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4) Pour sauce through a cheesecloth on top of a strainer into a serving container, pressing on and then discarding shallot and thyme. Serve immediately.

Langoustine

I bought one pound of frozen Langoustine Tails and let it thaw on my fridge for a day. The next day I patted the dry with a paper towel, and quickly sauteed them with some butter and salt. No extra seasoning required, because you don’t want any other flavors clashing with your wonderful Beurre Blanc.

Cook the pasta according to directions but turn the oven off one minute before ready so it is al dente(to the teeth). Scoop the pasta out of its water and place it on the Beurre Blanc Sauce so it finishes cooking on it for about one or two minutes.

Add the sauteed Langoustine, some grated Parmesan, and Bon Appetite.

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