Ripped right out of the modern gastropub playbook, The Black Hogg is looking to soft-open** this Thursday, March 1st, on Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake. Eastsider L.A. tells us the project is taking over for David Sutton’s shuttered restaurant, David’s, with a menu riffing on “new world” and “old world” cuisine from Eric Park, a Spotted Pig and Eleven Madison Park veteran who is both the chef and owner at Hogg (not to be confused with Chris Cosentino’s Pigg). So far, the aesthetic of the owner jives with what we’ve seen at places like Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, from the vaguely sinister zoological-name to a psychedelic sheep motif on its website. Fortunately, the menu mostly appears to be its own animal.
In addition to locally-sourced product and house-made ingredients found among the Kurobuta pork belly tacos and chops, and even yet more lamb burgers (these with Onetic’s blue cheese), a preliminary online menu offers such Southern-touches-in-Yankee-clothing as Kusshi oysters in spicy pickle juice mignonette, popcorn bacon with maple crema, and chopped chicken liver on toast.
More unique, and thus more alluring in this look-but-don’t-touch stage, is offerings of uni toast with sesame vinaigrette, a brioche box filled with brown butter criminis and Thai chili mornay, longaniza served with poblanos, and something called “Furniture store meatballs,” which gives us instant flashbacks to our last long-slog through Ikea.
Black Hogg was designed with the help of Osteria La Buca re-designer Brendan Ravenhill, and will soon be joined by another new neighbor, Heywood Grilled Cheese Shoppe, bringing a double doze of casual comfort to Sunset Blvd.
Black Hogg, 2852 W. Sunset Blvd. Silver Lake. 323-953-2820.
Heywood Grilled Cheese Shoppe, 3337 1/2 W Sunset Blvd. Silver Lake.
Storefront Report: New Silver Lake food & fitness businesses poised to open on Sunset [The Eastsider L.A.]
**Park tells us this week’s opening will be private, to be followed by an official opening next week.
