Bad Animal

“Great combination of used bookstore, wine bar, and restaurant. Rotating chefs/ menus so go in or call ahead to see what's available. I am a total book nerd so this place was right up my alley. They were super slammed so I got a glass to sip while I shopped for books. Reservations recommended for sure as its a small bar and maybe 10 tables.”

“Awesome atmosphere and superb food is always a good recipe. A restaurant that sells books or a bookstore that serves food? It’s a real cool concept, but the food takes it up a notch. The flavors are eclectic, with international influences like the Brazilian cheese bread-like cheese ball thingies (sorry, can’t remember the name but it was delicious :), the tangy Mediterranean tasting split pea salad, the squash curry, the mushroom pasta, the Thai inspired New York steak… all sooooo yummy and perfectly paired with a nicely curated wine list. I am told Chef Nick Hahn and his crew like to mix things up so the menu may vary from time to time, but they sure know what they are doing. Bravo! Thank you to the awesome staff and manager Hayden. We had a wonderful experience.”

“This is super quaint place, bookstore, wine bar and restaurant. Recently new chef and new format and the menu albeit short is wonderful. French inspired fusion. Service is superb and very friendly! Interesting wine list and reasonably priced.”

“Very nice aesthetic, fantastic service, and good wine recommendations! With the books in the background it’s a very nice atmosphere. My reason for 3 stars was mainly the entree. It was a NY steak with nam jim jaew. From the first bite I knew I’d had it before… it was laab, but with sliced steak instead of mince. With the fish sauce, spearmint, garlic it was Laos’ nominated culinary heritage, but with an issue: surface area. With mince the sauce incorporates into a homogenous mixture, but with the steak and lettuce is sinks to the bottom, logging the lettuce with excess fish sauce which I found threw off the balance (I love fish sauce, I can drink the stuff, but I was expecting refinement). With that, I had a cabernet pairing which I never would of thought to do! It went together amazingly and is my #1 takeaway of the meal: cabernet is amazing with spearmint and fish sauce. I’ll definitely be back to try it again, but this visit I just felt it was overpriced.”

“A cool spot to mingle, listen to music, have drinks, and dine. Reserved the back -Rare Book- area for a small party event. Planning was simple, the team was attentive and kind throughout the experience. The menu was good and I actually favored the appetizer dish (beet puree and goat cheese with olive oil dip) over the entrée courses. I will recommend to folks for a solo or smaller hang out in the future for drinks, a small snack, and to take a nice bottle home rather than pop one there. Feels like a great place to hang out after work or for a chiller weekend vibe.”