Gluten Freebird

Papa Freebird treated mama and me to dinner last night at Campanile, Mark Peel’s rad Cali-fresh spot on La Brea. It’s been a go-to for probably two decades. It’s a rambling 20s-era Spanish building with an open kitchen and tall ceilings and I thought it would be an interesting test.

Why? It’s adjacent to the La Brea Bakery, meaning that the bread is probably world-class. I’m sure the bread basket is incredible - you can order boutique olive oil by the ounce for dipping. I wondered if that partnership with (and proximity to) the bakery would impact the menu.

Thankfully, it didn’t. Things seemed very vegetable-focused and clean. The menus are printed daily with specials incorporating of-the-moment produce and flavors.

We each ordered a soft shell (mine without its light flour dusting) over sweet corn succotash (the parsley sauce wasn’t gluten-free). It went well with our (overpriced) Nebbiolo. The menu boasted beer-battered squash blossoms (how I wish I could have ordered those), mussels in a cream curry broth, lobster and crab salad with tarragon vinaigrette, and oysters.

Mains all looked delicious. The most tempting was an over-indulgent 24-ounce Porterhouse with foie and summer truffles (only a mere $70). No amount of exercise or pre-dinner starvation could have prepared us for that.

Mom ordered a Moroccan-style lamb with farro (a glutenous grain), pine nuts, feta, and cinnamon. Moist, tender and delicious lamb, though I had to be careful to navigate around the grain.

Dad had the grilled Copper River king salmon with hen of the woods mushrooms and asparagus. Cooked medium rare, the salmon was outrageously delicious.

I ordered the dorade, though they were substituting sea bass. It was served with piquillo peppers, zucchini, soppressata, and chickpeas. It was saucy, but good.

Dessert was a flourless chocolate cake with fresh mint chip ice cream and I ordered a scoop of crème fraiche ice cream on the side. Dad had a bevy of cheeses, the best being an American goat cheese called the Lincoln Log. Yay for cheese with humor. Too bad we were too full to laugh.