Dunsmoor (Los Angeles, CA) [2]

Dunsmoor Restaurant
3501 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90065
323-686-6027
www.dunsmoor.la
Mon 03/24/2025, 08:00p-10:30p





I last reported on Brian Dunsmoor's eponymous restaurant back at the start of 2023, and since then, the Glassell Park eatery has become my most recommended in the area. I've certainly been a fan of the Chef's live fire-focused heritage American cooking, and I figured that it was time to check in and report back on how the place is holding up.


Inside, things haven't changed much at all, and they don't need to. It's still a warm, convivial place to be.


The adjacent Dunsmoor Bar was packed tonight (a Monday, no less).


Dunsmoor's menu format has also remained largely unchanged. To drink, you'll find a reasonable selection of wines and a handful of beers, while corkage is $40, with no limit. Click for larger versions.


Bay Scallops [$19.00] | caper, red onion, dill
Kicking things off were bay scallops, which had their soft salinity juxtaposed with tangy capers and zesty red onion, all while there was this underlying sweetness that helped tie everything together. I actually had this dish on my last visit to Dunsmoor, and I have to say that it's been improved, with increased balance and cohesion.


Two varieties of Bub & Grandma's bread were provided--house sourdough and sesame sourdough I believe--and both were on point. They were accompanied by a wonderfully slick, garlicky allioli that puts most butter to shame.


Pickled Mussels [$17.00] | catalan aioli, soft herbs
I don't think I've ever had mussels quite like this before. The bivalves themselves were pleasingly meaty, with a moderate brine that was well-offset by all the tart, acidic elements going on. Given all the assertive flavors at play, the bread and aïoli above did an admirable job evening things out.


To drink, I opted for a bottle of the de ranke sour cherry ale 'wijnberg' [$40], an oud bruin-style ale. Not surprisingly for a Flanders Brown, the nose here was all about tart, juicy, funky fruit. On the palate, the beer was almost puckeringly sour, its vinegary notes commingled with red berries as well as hints of malt, barrel, and barnyard.


Kobe Beef Tartare [$29.00] | bistro-style, fried oysters, arugula, horseradish
The first thing that stood out to me about this next dish was its name, as clearly, this wasn't actually Japanese beef, let alone Kobe beef. This was evident from the pricing, and even more obvious once I took a bite. I brought this up to the staff, and was told that the meat was sourced from Snake River Farms, then later Black Hawk Farms, both purveyors of American wagyu. As someone who's been enjoying Chef Dunsmoor's cooking for over a decade, I know that he knows better, so it was disappointing to witness this sort of misrepresentation--it's the type of thing I'd expect to see at a Cheesecake Factory circa 2010, not here. All that being said, I quite enjoyed the dish itself. The beef was great texturally, with just the right amount of chew, and made a lot of sense with both the horseradish and arugula, while the oysters offered up textural variation and a hit of salt.


Pickled White Anchovies [$19.00] | olive oil, parsley, lemon, garlic
The anchovies were a surprise standout thanks to how well the fish's potent, yet elegant salinity was countered by that trio of parsley, lemon, and olive oil.


Edna's Sour Milk Cornbread [$21.00] | white cheddar, hatch chile, cultured butter, honey
The cornbread is probably Dunsmoor's most famous dish at this point, and for good reason, as it's clearly a contender for the best I've had. I loved its crisp, sugary exterior while the bread's inside was soft and saturated, its deeply satisfying flavors amped up crucially by the vegetal heat of those chilies.


Carolina Gold Rice [$33.00] | gulf white shrimp, spring allium
I was also a fan of this next plate, which played the oceany qualities of the shrimp against a bevy of bright, piquant flavors, all while the well-textured rice grounded the dish.


Aunt Emmy's Pork & Green Chili Stew [$27.00] | cheddar, flour tortillas
The chili stew was a favorite during my last visit, and was just as good this time around. This is pure comfort, an eminently homey, meaty, gratifying dish taken up a notch by the punch of that green chile. As for those floppy, blistered tortillas? They were the perfect complement.


Mushroom-Crusted Pork Chop [$61.00] | smoked lard, thyme
Our final savory was also a winner, the chop arriving supple, succulent, and slightly rare, its full-throated porkiness wonderfully paired with a heady mushroom crust and the aromatics of thyme.


Strawberry Rhubarb Pie [$17.00]
It was now time for dessert, the charge of Sarah Durning, an alumna of both Rustic Canyon and Gwen (where she worked in butchery). The marriage of strawberry with the tangier tastes of rhubarb was pretty spot-on, and I was especially fond of the pie's flaky crust. At the same time, the (buttermilk?) ice cream served as a very apropos accompaniment, and I liked the extra kick provided by those cuts of poached rhubarb.


Chocolate Cake [$17.00]
Last up was a properly rich, decadent chocolate cake, one made all the better by that scoop of mocha-like ice cream.

Not surprisingly, this was another strong meal. In my last dining report, I wrote that what Dunsmoor's putting out here "represents the best cooking of his career," and I still believe that to hold true. The food conveys personality and perspective, the Chef's sometimes brazen, occasionally nostalgic, down-to-earth take on American cuisine that he's developed over the past 15 years, rendered via live fire.