Curtis Stone's Gwen Opens Tonight With a Whole Grilled Lamb and More

One of the country's most anticipated restaurants of 2016 has finally opened its doors. Gwen Restaurant, the Los Angeles-based passion project by brothers Curtis and Luke Stone, will offer its first public dinner service tonight, coming just a week or so after the opening of the space's European-style butcher shop up front.

The unveiling of the meat-centric tasting menu concept is a long time coming for the Stone brothers, who both started their careers working in butcher shops. The restaurant's namesake, the duo's grandmother Gwen, lived on a farm outside Melbourne where the Stones developed an appreciation for livestock farming.

These influences come together beautifully in Gwen, where guests can spy the butcher shop immediately upon entering, before settling in for a five-course tasting menu of individually plated and shared dishes. Most every one will showcase charcuterie from the butcher shop and meats prepared over the in-house fire pit and custom asador.

The opening menu begins with a wave of small plates meant to be shared, followed by an individually plated salad and a pasta course served tableside. The star of the show, however, will be one of a rotating list of possible whole animals, broken down and prepared several ways.

Those who prefer to order a la carte will be able to do so in the coming weeks from a "Butcher's Scraps" menu offered at Gwen's six-seat dining room bar,  upstairs mezzanine bar. Dishes there could entail everything from daily butchers' terrines to the restaurant menu's smoked lamb ribs.

All in all, the menu is just another piece of excitement for what will undoubtedly be one of LA's most sought-after reservations. Check out the very first look at the full menu below, and make your reservations at gwenla.com.

Gwen Dinner Menu 7.12