Church & State (Los Angeles, CA)

Church & State
1850 Industrial St
Los Angeles, CA 90021
Dining date: 11/6/15

Church & State was one of the first really exciting restaurants to open into the reinvigorated Arts District of downtown. With Walter Manzke in the kitchen, the restaurant was an immediate success. The neighborhood has had a ton of new development over the years, but Church & State has been a standby serving classic French bistro food. The restaurant celebrated its seventh anniversary last week and rolled back prices to 2008 levels in celebration. It’s been a long five years since I dined at the restaurant, so a revisit was long overdue.

Warm baguette was the first item to arrive at our table accompanied by a creamy butter.

Moules Marinières p.e.i. mussels, celery, shallots, cream, french fries, aioli

The mussels were okay; there was a rather strong alcohol flavor in the broth as if the wine didn’t have a chance to cook down. The fries were great, however, served hot and salty.

Foie de Volaille chicken liver mousse, port gelée

The liver mousse was a stronger starter with plenty of deep chicken and mineral flavor. It was very spreadable on crusty slices of baguette.

Bouillabaisse provençal fish stew, mussels, clams, fennel, potato, leek, rouille

Bouillabaisse was a strong main course with an assortment of seafood all cooked well. The broth tasted of the sea, ideal for sopping up with crusty bread.

Steak Frites strauss family farm grass fed flat iron steak, sauce béarnaise

The grass fed flatiron was plenty beefy and flavorful with more of the great fries. Simple and delicious.

Profiteroles pâte à choux, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce

We finished with an order of profiteroles. These were done well with a delicious vanilla ice cream and choux pastry topped with a chocolate sauce and sliced almonds.

I was pleasantly surprised by Church & State. The food was comfortable and rather delicious with highlights being the chicken liver mousse and steak frites (particularly the frites!). The restaurant continues to be a good option downtown.