If Son of a Gun could sing, it would sing some sort of hipster sea shanty, a rollicking, jaunty tune that, once examined, would reveal incredibly intelligent lyricism beneath all that salty fun. Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo's quasi-Southern, seafood-focused restaurant is somewhat less frenzied than Animal, their other, more famous business. Here, the room is quieter and the crowds less pervasive. Wood-paneled walls and beach-house tchotchkes set the stage for Shook and Dotolo's riffs on the fish house of their dreams, one where oysters reside on the menu next to crudo, and raw king salmon comes with jerk spice and kiwi fruit. There's fried decadence here, in the form of the much-celebrated, outrageously rich shrimp toast with Sriracha mayo and the even more celebrated fried chicken sandwich. But there's also a lot of delicacy — one of the best dishes we had this year was Son of a Gun's uni with burrata and yuzu, eaten at one of the restaurant's relaxed lunches with sunshine streaming in through the windows. Music to our mouths. 8370 W. Third St., Beverly Grove; (323) 782-9033, sonofagunrestaurant.com. Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner: Sun.-Thurs., 6-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 6 p.m.-mid. Entrees $7-$23. Full bar.

 

Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

The 99 Essential Restaurants List:

A-Frame
Alma
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Attari Sandwich Shop
Bäco Mercat
Bar Amá
The Bazaar
Bestia
BierBeisl
Bludso's
Cacao Mexicatessen
Canelé
La Casita Mexicana
Cemitas Poblanas Elviritas
Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
Eva
Father's Office
Fred 62
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Go's Mart
Il Grano
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Hatfield's
Ha Tien Quan
Hawkins House of Burgers
Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
The Hungry Cat
ink.
Jar
Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
Kang Ho Dong Baekjong
Kiriko
Kiyokawa
Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
L&E Oyster Bar
Langer's
Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Milo and Olive
Mo-Chica
Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
Pa-Ord Noodle
El Parian
Park's BBQ
Philippe the Original
Picca
Pink's
Pizzeria Mozza
Playa
Pollo a la Brasa
Providence
R&R Soul Food
Ración
Red Medicine
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Rivera
Rocio's Moles de los Dioses
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Savoy Kitchen
Sea Harbour
Shanghai No. 1 Village Seafood
Soban
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
The Spice Table
Superba Snack Bar
Tacos Leo
The Tasting Kitchen
Tavern
Tsujita LA
Vincenti Ristorante
Wurstküche
Zam Zam Market

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