Faith & Flower (Los Angeles, CA) [2]

Faith & Flower
705 W 9th St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Dining date: 12/31/14

Faith & Flower was one of my favorite restaurant openings in 2013 with its Asian-accented modern American cuisine and excellent cocktails. It’s conveniently (for me!) located downtown and has quickly become a go-to for me for a spontaneous spot for bites and drinks. While I’ve actually only had one full dinner in the dining room here, each of times I’ve dined in the bar/lounge area has been good as well.

When looking for a local dining experience on NYE, Faith & Flower was the choice. Special tasting menus were offered on this night with this one being $125pp inclusive of a champagne toast at midnight. All images on this post were taken with a point-and-shoot camera instead of my usual DSLR to stay mobile this evening.

We brought a bottle of champagne to begin and this red for the later courses.

2010 Samsara Turner Vineyard Syrah, Sta Rita Hills

Warm Bone Marrow & American Sturgeon Caviar Toasts

A crunchy piece of toast was topped with bone marrow and caviar with diced sweet fruit to cut the richness. Hard to go wrong here.

Celery Root and Burgundy Truffle Salad young chicories, pickled mustard, champagne vinaigrette

Hokkaido Scallop and Lobster Dumplings velvet chicken, superior broth, szechuan pepper oil

The dumpling wrapper maintained a nice chew filled with plenty of shellfish flavor. I enjoyed the flavorful broth as well as the tender slices of chicken.

Handmade “Long Life” Noodles toasted pine nut and sesame pesto, hawaiian young ginger, scallion

An ode to the Asian tradition of eating long strands of noodles on New Year’s Day, here was Faith & Flower’s rendition. I found the actual noodles to be a bit on the soft side, but paired with a flavorful nutty sauce and crisp cucumbers.

Wood Oven Roasted Squab roasted rutabaga, quince puree, red walnut salsa seca

The small piece of squab was cooked well with a sweet sauce (especially with the quince) and plenty of earthy flavors from the vegetables and walnut.

Roasted Piedmontese Ribeye young turnips, fermented black soy, vermouth and oyster jus

The ribeye was very good, cooked just right with a rich jus that provided plenty of flavor. A lone oyster sat atop the piece of beef.

Coconut Tapioca

Hazelnut Feuilletine caramel, hazelnut streusel, chocolate garnis

The meal ended with a few sweets as well as a loaf of bread to take home. I just wish they gave two of the macarons (they provided two of everything else).

Faith & Flower presented a nice meal and a rather comfortable way to spend the special night. Food was good, though I thought portions could’ve been a bit larger over the nine courses (I found myself wondering what to eat next).