There’s a handful of LA eateries generating a substantial amount of buzz right now and this gem here happens to be one of them. In fact, there’s SO much buzz, and praise might I add, it was imperative I investigate the fuss over Son of a Gun for myself. Shortly after their opening this year Son of a Gun was placed at the top of my list after repeated, mind you shockingly abrupt, peer pressure situations involving accusatory remarks along the lines of, “I can’t believe YOU haven’t been to Son of a Gun.” So, in true personal fashion I took that observation as more of a challenge, and proceeded to challenge this shit outta some positively delicious foods at this Son of a Gun restaurant. Fortunately the LA hip dining scene is the kind of “challenge” you want to take part in, because lesbereal… it ain’t really a challenge at all. The answer to “do you want to go out to dinner at a nice new place in LA” will always be yes. fuck. yes.
There’s three big things that stand out about this latest 3rd street addition: ambiance, price points, and… the lobster roll. Son of a Gun, esthetically speaking, is indeed esthetically pleasing. We completely appreciate their attempts at hinting at a kitschy, seaside shanty vibe with pictures of people and their catches cluttering the wooden wall space, but of course it wouldn’t be true Jon Shook/Vinny Dotolo fashion without a few mounted antlers strewn about to mix things up – why not we say. It’s a small space so it’s cozy. It’s a small space so reserve a table ahead of time… way ahead of time. If you hadn’t guessed yet, Son of a Gun focuses heavily on the food that comes from the high seas with a bit of a Southern inspired twist; everything from raw fish, shellfish, cooked fish, fried fish, this is where this establishment excels. They offer more than just your average seafood dishes of course; I usually could care less about the land animals when I’m at a seafood restaurant for a reason, BUT, the country ham/honey butter/hush puppies is one dish that is a must have – you rarely go wrong with bread and butter but this is some special bread and butter.
As mentioned price points for Son of a Gun are… something to be aware of. I have to say, for as much as we felt we ordered, the bill was quite high for not exactly feeling as full as we would have hoped. However. Truth be told the one thing you have to remind yourself of when dining at this hot spot is quality, quality, quality. You know how fresh your meal is. You know how perfectly prepared each dish is. If you can accept the fact that you aren’t getting out of there feeling full for less than $100 for two people, it’s a meal completely worth experiencing. There’s a reason we’re all begging to get in for a taste: it’s effing quality deliciousness.
The number one thing that stands out about Son of a Gun was their gorgeous, god damn heavenly lobster roll. They’re a bit smaller than you may assume so don’t even think about trying to share one because I assure you, you will each want more than one to yourselves. I actually went ahead and had two to myself. I can feel you judging me, but it’s a taste bud party you’ll have to experience for yourself, just look at that thing…. (see below). Dessert is not to go unnoted either – the banana bread was absolutely sublime; you’ll find it’s a dessert you wish you didn’t order to share because you will not want to after your first bite.
If you’ve got a hankerin’ for some fresh, top-notch, perfectly prepared seafood Son of a Gun is the place to head. You can trust the fact that the chefs past endeavors are continuing to wow the community and repeatedly have us coming back for more. Son of a Gun is the latest big buzz around town and after you join them for a meal, you’ll understand why.
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