Gold Dig #54

A regular on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list, I have been wanting to try Redbird for a long time. So when dineLA time came around and Redbird was offering a brunch menu, I jumped on a reservation. It’s located downtown in what was formerly a cathedral, so the space is unique and the ceilings are beautiful.

The Dish

The menu has always sounded interesting to me, described as “New American” but there is a fair bit of Asian influence apparent.

Financier

We started with an almond and citrus financier. I love almond cakes and am always happy to have such things to kick off a meal, but I’m sad to report I found this financier underwhelming.  It wasn’t all that different from what you can get in a lot of pastry cases, certainly not the elevated version I was expecting from a place like Redbird.

Burrata Salad

The burrata salad, on the other hand, was pretty divine. It was a wonderfully complementary assemblage of pears, pistachio, duck prosciutto, and chocolate sourdough. A great combo of fresh, sweet, and salty, with crispness and crunch over creamy burrata.

Bacon Wrapped Trout

The bacon wrapped trout looked beautiful, but I didn’t feel the flavors were balanced very well. The trout itself was bland and overwhelmed by the powerful bacon flavor. The sprinkling of golden raisins was a nice hit of sweetness against the salt of the bacon, but I just felt like it all distracted from the trout rather than helping it to be the star of the show.

Rabbit Tinga

I adore rabbit – it is one of my favorite meats and there are just not enough places where it is a part of the offerings. So when I do see it on the menu, I don’t let the opportunity pass me by. I was thrilled to order this dish and tingling with anticipation when it arrived at our table. Perhaps I overhyped it in my mind, because the rabbit tinga sadly tasted a whole lot like chilaquiles I’ve had at a multitude of random breakfast spots. Don’t get me wrong, I like chilaquiles, but I was just hoping for something more.