Fishy, Spicy, And Fresh At Son Of A Gun

West Third Street is a well-traversed drag in West Hollywood, with cafés like Joan's on Third and even a new Magnolia Bakery that churn out a charming and consistent repertoire. But with the recent addition of Son of a Gun, the second venture of the tattooed wunderkinds behind Animal, new life has been breathed into the 10 or so already popular blocks. (And parking will be thus even more competitive.)

Son of a Gun is all things fish and seafood, with a daily changing menu of dishes like smoked mahi fish dip, brandade with soft egg, amberjack crudo, a lobster roll, and this ridiculously delicious shrimp toast sandwich that you'll never forget. The décor is vintage nautical, with old life preservers, fishing spears, maps, and ocean nets on the wall.

We went on a Tuesday evening, walked into the buzzing restaurant at 9 p.m., and promptly ordered cocktails and glasses of champagne. We settled into a leather banquette and ordered hungrily. The shrimp toast sandwich, amberjack crudo, linguine with clams, skate wing with baby broccoli and pancetta, and the king crab leg with Tabasco butter — to start. The shrimp toast sandwich was unexpectedly rich and had a kick delivered by the Sriracha mayo, while the skate wing was light, fresh, and the perfect complement to the rest of the very complex flavors on the table.

The amberjack crudo was bright and spicy, the king crab leg was indulgent, and then there was the linguine. Truth be told, we ordered the linguine as a "constant" so to speak — a starchy, familiar dish to cleanse our palates. But this linguine was spicy and unique, it tasted new, and like I hope all linguine tastes from here on out.

The seaside cool vibe allows for trying all kinds of new things, and those new things you order are your delicious reward.