Son of a Gun Restaurant
8370 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA
323.782.9033
Son of a Gun in Los Angeles
Sandwich America is new. We were born just over a month ago on November 3, 2014, which is, National Sandwich Day, of course. One of our missions at Sandwich America is to travel the nation looking for those special sandwiches that you can’t stop thinking about, those that you crave. We hope you all will share your favorites with us as we go on this journey discovering and sharing amazing sandwiches for sandwich lovers near and far. We just don’t want to tout the well known sandwiches, we want to hear about those that only your town knows about. Stay tuned for many fun ways you can join us on our adventures.
Our first stop on this adventure is Son of a Gun, from chefs Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook.
Chefs Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook opened Animal, a Los Angeles must try and followed it up with Son of a Gun, a small casual place focused on seafood. If you didn’t know that walking in the door, the fishing decor around the store would give it away.
Their fried chicken sandwich has received numerous accolades and praise from local and national publications and has made the best of many lists. It is indeed a delicious sandwich, butter tender brioche, fried chicken, tangy and spicy slaw with pickles and jalapenos, and rooster aioli. All good things on their own – but they all harmonize to make an amazing sandwich. Who would guess one of the best things on the menu at a seafood centric restaurant would be a chicken sandwich – but it is.
Fried Chicken Sandwich at Son of a Gun
But there is a sandwich at Son of a Gun we will lose sleep over, the sandwich we will strive to recreate and the sandwich we would make a treck back to Son of a Gun for is actually the Shrimp Toast Sandwich. It is small but mighty and packs an intense burst of flavor in your mouth. It is described on the menu as: Shrimp Toast Sandwich: herbs, sriracha mayo. A description – honestly – that would not inspire me to try it but since our mission was to find great sandwiches – we gave it a try.
Son of a Gun Must Try Shrimp Toast Sandwich
It is a perfect little square, smaller than standard sized bread. Come to find out, they cut the crusts off typical white bread but then cook it in clarified butter, oh my. The spread is a combination of pork belly and shrimp and as I bit into the perfect square I tasted sweet (I’m guessing hoi sin, one of my favorite Asian condiments, spicy – no doubt the sriracha mayo, and fresh – what seemed like to me a combination off thai basil and cilantro. While it may seem like there is a lot going on – the harmony of this sandwich is one of those bites I will never forget. Creamy, spicy, sweet, savory, fresh, crispy – WOW!!! Truly a perfect bite.
The Lobster roll was good – certainly a beautiful picture picture of a sandwich. The perfectly toasted bread was the best part of the sandwich but on this particular day the lobster was a bit chewy. For my personal preference the composition of this lobster roll made it hard to get the proper ratio of lobster and roll in this sandwich since the lobster more sat on top of the bread then was tucked into the bread. It was definitely an enjoyable bite but not the sublime perfection that was the Shrimp Toast.
Lobster Roll at Son of a Gun
We ended the meal on our sandwich quest with the Italian Hamburger on the menu, which was a toasted brioche with a chocolate hazelnut gelato and a salted caramel sauce. Never thought I would like a dessert slider but the brioche was so fresh and tender that it was a delightful bite. A perfect way to end the meal.
Italian Hamburger at Son of a Gun
I would definitely recommend Son of a Gun to sandwich lovers near and far. The vibe was casual, Amanda provided superb service and every bite was enjoyable but the true stand out for us at Sandwich America was definitely the Shrimp Toast Sandwich.
Happy Traveling on the Great American Sandwich Trail!
