The Gorbals, Los Angeles

_"Best restaurant in the Universe" — Ilan Hall_ Owner and Chef [Ilan Hall](http://www.dynamic-ink.com/thegorbals/who/) named The Gorbals after a diverse immigrant neighborhood of Glasgow, Scotland, where his father grew up rubbing elbows with neighbors from Pakistan, Russia, India, and Eastern Europe. Like Hall's Israeli Scottish Russian German heritage and The Gorbals' mishmash of cultures, the restaurant can't be pigeonholed into a specific background. Instead, it celebrates a joyful cultural synthesis with a pan-ethnic menu of contemporary gourmet small plates and desserts: banh mi poutine mingles with dry-aged burgers, and latkes and applesauce share table space with welsh rabbit and grilled squid. A wine list and a spirits menu complement each dish with rich, complex European vinos, smoky scotches and woodsy bourbons, or perfectly balanced classic cocktails.

Before opening up The Gorbals, Hall cut his culinary teeth as a teenager in the Lorenzo de Medici school’s Apicius program in Florence. He proceeded to hone his chef's knife at esteemed locales such as Charlie Palmer's Aureole New York and Mario Batali's Casa Mono. Most visitors may recognize Hall from his appearance on Bravo TV's Top Chef, where he claimed victory in the second season after defeating all other chefs in unarmed combat. The Gorbals has a new entrance & it's brand new sports bar, Bar Mitzvah, is up and running. To say "Hello," and show appreciation to all their supporters, they're having a very special Happy Hour from 5pm to 7:30pm on Wednesday, 7/16! What's so special about THIS happy hour? ***1/2 off all food, PLUS a free drink with every plate ordered!*** Whether you're a regular or checking us out for the first time, now's your chance to try something you've never had before! Taste a bacon-wrapped matzoh ball! Sip a fancy cocktail! Drink beer out of a boot! Live out your casual atmosphere fine dining fantasies! Have we gone mad? Maybe! Come by and bring your friends, bring your family, bring your co-workers, bring your OkCupid date, to find out!