Redbird (Los Angeles, CA) [2]

Redbird
114 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Dining date: 9/2/15

I’ve been to Redbird a few times; I consider it to be the best ‘new American’ restaurant in the downtown area. It seems to have a little bit of something for everyone and it helps that it’s such close proximity to my home and office. On this occasion, I introduced an out-of-town coworker to the restaurant.

It was a great time to take advantage of the open roof on a warm summer evening. It had a little bit of the al fresco dining feel yet still had the elements of a beautiful, modern dining room.

Bread was first, highlighted by a take on a gluten-free Brazilian cheese bread.

New Zealand Tai Snapper Crudo yuzu kosho, shiso, lemon, california olive oil

Tender slices of snapper showed off a clean flavor and was brightened by yuzu kosho and meyer lemon.

Gnocchetti Sardi maine lobster, tomato confit, chanterelles, fines herbes

Paired with sweet lobster, the gnochetti had a nice chew and lingering spice. The sauce was a tad soupy; I wanted it to adhere to the pasta a little more.

Tagliatelle foraged mushrooms, fiore sardo, thyme

Tagliatelle maintained a nice texture with plenty of earthiness and a hint of fresh thyme. Simple, clean flavors.

Gnocchi Romana beef tongue, tomato ragu, parmesan

This may have been my favorite dish of the evening. Gnocchi were pillowy soft. Tender cubes of flavorful beef tongue were saturated by a hearty tomato sauce.

Basque Cod morcilla, piquillo peppers, squid ink, rice

This black cod had a velvety smooth flesh. The piquillo was definitely the most prominent flavor in this dish. Unfortunately, both the morcilla and squid ink flavors were rather subdued.

Rabbitchetta anson mills polenta, pea tendrils, thyme sauce

This was a fun take on porchetta with rabbit in place of pork. Though the protein was cooked well, the subtle flavors of rabbit was overshadowed by the strong smokiness of the bacon. I didn’t get much of the rabbit flavor when eaten together, but it was delicious nonetheless.

We finished the meal with a duo of desserts.

Chocolate Caramel Bar bourbon chocolate, smoked pecans, bananas foster ice cream

Polenta Cake blueberry compote, corn, honey, thyme ice cream

The first dessert was rather simple and satisfying. Chocolate and caramel flavors complemented plenty of textures and hints of bourbon. The second dessert was much more complex. Sweet and savory flavors were met with an interesting mix of polenta, thyme, corn, blueberry and honey.

This was another good meal at Redbird. I love the decor here and was very pleased dining under the open roof. Perhaps a bit of extra finesse and detail would have enhanced the meal, but I liked the food nevertheless.