My brother Greg was in town recently (from Glasgow, Scotland) to attend the NAMM (music trade) conference. He happened to be free for dinner on “Burns Night” (Jan 25th), a Scottish holiday celebrating the birth of Robert Burns.
The weekend before, Peter and I had already gone out for our annual haggis-eating, whisky drinking, deep-fried banger fest with friends. It’s always a music-filled, raucous Burns Night party at Buchanan Arms in Burbank.
The Gorbals restaurant is located inside Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Chef Ilan Hall named his restaurant after the gritty neighborhood where his father grew up in Glasgow, Scotland. I’d had bites of chef Hall’s cooking at various food events; mostly his popular bacon-wrapped matzoh balls (his mother is from Israel), but this was my first visit to his popular eatery. The food was perfect for a night of drinking. Needless to say, having my brother there with me was a celebration in itself!
A few of our favorite bites:
Bacon wrapped matzoh balls
Chips & Herbs
Gribenes (CHICKEN SKIN) Sandwich
Bánh mì Poutine (We were drinking lots, more chips needed!)
Crispy Poached Egg & Sausage
Short Bread & Scotch
Entrance to the Gorbals
Chef Ilan Hall with my brother Greg
The Gorbals
501 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 488-3408
website
Follow Ilan Hall on Twitter
my last bite... 