Like eating in a kitchen, for better and worse

At Gunshow you’ll dine under bright lights that never fade with the sun. You’ll raise your voice to match the din ricocheting off the concrete walls and floors. Celebrity chef Kevin Gillespie didn’t create a formal dining room for you, nor did he intend to. He’s invited you into his kitchen.

Dishes begin flying in at a rapid pace for you to refuse or accept once you sit. You might feel a little rankled when you’ve had three courses before ordering a beverage, but soon you give in to the experience.

The food, which hops the globe, will get you talking. Tender tandoori chicken comes with a beguiling mixture of coconutty collards, crunchy fried chickpeas and sticks of sour-pickled squash. Aggressively seasoned flounder Vera Cruz with chunks of steamy tomato consorts with the caramelized flavors of browned, crispy rice.

The hit of the night for us was the elusive off-menu West Coast burger. On one visit, we saw the double-double, animal-style paper-wrapped burger on a shiny housemade bun circulating, but it sold out before the chef made his way to our table. On my next visit, we practically begged servers to score us a burger. Bingo and bingo. In-N-Out, eat your heart out.