Dunsmoor Bar

Oral ecstasy is a glass of wine, oysters and a burger served with duck fat fries at Dunsmoor Bar in Glassell Park, California

After enjoying some weird beers at Solarc Brewing and drinks at The Grant, it was finally time for Rosemary and I to stand outside Dunsmoor Bar and wait the 10 final minutes until it opened.

Luckily, we weren’t the only ones waiting. After all, during a previous trip to Dunsmoor with Johann, I’d completely understood the draw. The food is damn delicious and the wine list is killer.

So, at the stroke of 5:30pm on the dot, we were allowed into the hallowed space. It was exactly how I’d remembered it, a year earlier. With precision, I staked out our seats at the bar. The other seats filled up with a snap of a finger.

After a quick browse of the menu in front of me, I started my evening with the RAW OYSTERS (Black Magic from Thunder Cove, Prince Edward Island).

The simple lemon squeeze was perfect – although I will admit after being spoiled by the mignonette at The Lonely Oyster, I was at first feeling a sensation of it lacking something.

However, that was my own mind playing tricks on me. The Black Magic reminded me very strongly of my favorite oysters, the Kumamoto oysters. Which means, they shine with flavor all on their own.

I enjoyed a taste of Rosemary’s SCALLOP TARTARE (delicatessen-style, shoestring potato) and shared my order of KING SALMON CARPACCIO (fava bean, horseradish, meyer lemon).

As she was going back and forth on ordering the EDNA’S SOUR MILK CORNBREAD (white cheddar, hatch chili, cultured butter, honey) due to price, I showed her my previous write up about it. When it came out and we tried it together, it was just as delicious as I remembered it.

THE BURGER (comte cheese, onion jam, raw onion, duck fat potatoes) with the add on of a glass of Karim Vionnet 2022 Beaujolais-Villages, a Beaujolais red wine from France was absolutely perfect. I forgot how delicious duck fat fries are – as they’re so rarely on the menu in Los Angeles these days.

The burger was just – *chef’s kiss* ooey, gooey deliciousness. I was glad that I got the wine pairing, as it just fit like a glove.

As the afternoon drifted to evening, I was simply happy to have a shared experience with such an outstanding friend.

As I learned that morning, life is precious and can be gone in a sudden instant.

If you can’t be anything else – just be kind. You never know when someone’s final moment on Earth will be.

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