Tam O'Shanter
Steak house · Atwater Village ·
Scottish pub serving prime rib, scotch & whiskey flights
Scottish pub serving prime rib, scotch & whiskey flights
"The Tam O’Shanter is one of those extremely European places that Southern California seems to love so much (see also: literally all of Solvang). Wrought iron chandeliers swing from the ceiling, there are about five miles of carpet on the floors, and you can find fireplaces in nearly every room. The menu’s stacked with foods that feel like they should be eaten in candlelight, like a funky Scotch rarebit or Toad In The Hole that’s essentially a filet mignon stew. This Scottish pub feels like it's been frozen in time in the best way possible." - nikko duren, brant cox, sylvio martins
"With a plotline that features poisonous apples, talking mirrors, and a disheveled cabin filled with seven sexless men, Snow White is easily the scariest movie in the Disney vault. If you’re in the mood for something similar, head immediately to Tam O’Shanter. The classic Scottish-themed steakhouse in Atwater Village might not possess those exact elements, but it does boast aggressive Tudor-style architecture that, at least for a few hours, will make you believe you’re stuck in an enchanted forest. Open since 1922, it’s one of LA’s oldest restaurants and counted Walt Disney himself as a regular, so watch your back—and the mirrors." - brant cox
"Did the people who created The Tam O’Shanter know that we’d one day be facing a global pandemic, economic collapse, and perhaps the fall of modern society? It kind of seems like they did - almost everything on the menu at this otherworldly pub in Atwater feels like it was tailor-made to crush deep, dark feelings of existential despair. Rounds of brie come baked and covered in cranberries, prime rib dinners are served with generous portions of mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, and… they’re now selling creamed corn by the quart?? OK, game over. Like, how can you say that nothing in the world matters when there’s creamed corn by the quart? The Tam O’Shanter is available for takeout and delivery, call (323) 664-0228 or find them on most major delivery platforms." - kat hong
"Stephen Rodriguez, the executive chef, presents corned beef as both a high-volume tradition and an accessible home project: on St. Patrick’s Day alone, the restaurant serves more than 600 pounds of corned beef. He reassures home cooks that “[Making] corned beef is fun,” and that “There’s a lost art to some of the stuff we do in the cook, like pickling and brining, which is unfortunate, because it’s really easy.” The curing salt is essential—“The curing salt really drives in that [pink] color,” Rodriguez says—and beyond that the brine is a choose-your-own-adventure where you can add sugar, garlic cloves, peppercorns and whatever pickling spice you like. In one home version described here, the brine included mustard seed, black peppercorn, bay leaves, garlic, sugar, fennel seeds, and pink curing salt; roughly two cups of the boiled spiced brine were mixed with six cups of ice water (about eight cups total) to cool and dilute before submerging a two-and-a-half pound flat-cut brisket. A flat cut was chosen because it’s leaner and more compact for slicing (whole briskets or point cuts can be used if you prefer shredded corned beef and have the space). Because fridge space is often the biggest constraint—at the restaurant Rodriguez has a dedicated shelf in the walk-in—he suggests breaking large slabs into smaller pieces or, as he advises, “You can also vacuum pack it and it will take less space.” The brine is boiled, steeped, cooled, the meat is set in a sealed bag or container and refrigerated, with the bag turned every other day; Rodriguez suggests curing for five to seven days. After curing, rinse the brine off, place the brisket in a Dutch oven with about 10 cups of water, fresh peppercorns, bay leaves and a sprinkling of allspice, bring to a boil and skim, then finish in a 300°F oven (the described cook used a 10-minute boil followed by roughly three-and-a-half hours in the oven). The results: the beef emerges pink, very tender (it shredded when lifted with tongs), juicy and distinctly salty. For serving, Rodriguez encourages the traditional pairing with braised cabbage—“At the restaurant, we cook the cabbage in the brining liquid,” he explains—and potatoes to temper the salt; a bright pickled cabbage slaw also cuts through the richness. The home cook here plans two tweaks for next time—trimming more fat and using slightly less salt—but agrees with Rodriguez that “Corned beef is really a set-it-and-forget-it project” and that “Once you make something like this from scratch, you have an appreciation for the artisan [nature] of it. It takes you back to the origins of how and why we cook.”" - Kat Thompson
"Tam O’Shanter in Los Feliz, which dates back to 1922, is one of the oldest restaurants in the city and is owned by the same family as Lawry’s. Though the menu is very similar to the upscale Beverly Hills steakhouse, The Tam’s aesthetic is somewhere between a medieval drinking tavern and the Seven Dwarfs’ cottage. That’s not a coincidence either, as it’s rumored that the building inspired Walt Disney —a Tam O’Shanter regular— when he was designing Snow White. But for however bizarre and whimsical the place is, the prime rib is still damn good and the waitstaff is set on making sure you have an excellent time." - brant cox
