Church & State Offers Up The Finest In French Fare
The often romanticized sentiment for fine French cuisine is something that has continued to endure for centuries. No matter the city, restaurants have always tried to capture the essence of those quaint little bistros but few have actually succeeded in combining the cuisine with the culture. Enter Church & State, a restaurant located in downtown Los Angeles but in a location that is not quite fully developed, so that it actually appears as though it could be mistaken for Anytown, USA.
The restaurant’s brainchild and general manager, Yassmin Sarmadi, is a big part of why Church & State has quickly developed a faithful following in the city. As we entered on a typical Tuesday evening, we found the place full of both energy and customers. This is just how Yassmin likes it, and she effortlessly moved from the kitchen, where she confers with Executive Chef, Walter Manzke on the night’s dishes, to all the tables where she shared some laughs with this evening’s patrons, who soon became fast friends.
"I was really interested in doing something downtown because it was a place that hadn’t really been explored a lot,” she told us. “I love downtown, I love the buildings, the history of downtown because it’s very different than the rest of LA. I didn’t want to go into an area that was already developed, like the Financial District because the restaurants that were already there were very formal, upscale and that’s not what I was interested in doing."
The restaurant itself has changed very little from it’s original inception in 1925. In fact it still boasts it’s original hardwood floor (complete with a downward slant) as it was the loading dock location of the original Nabisco Biscuit Factory.
The space we’re in was the loading docks, so I wanted to do as little as possible to the building and I wanted to maintain the integrity of what it was.
They put a bar in, which comes complete with nightly absinthe sessions, and of course a full kitchen which is on complete display for the customers. Other than modernizing the ceiling to fit today’s safety standards, the open concept remains and the restaurant as a whole feels very akin to something you’d find in a bar in Boston. The tables are quaint and when dinning with a group, you quickly become part of the surrounding tables and parities next to you.
“I grew up with food, it’s a really important part of my culture and a lot of thought and planning always went into it but there wasn’t always the formality around enjoying it,” Yassmin explained. “It’s always great to get your friends and family and you enjoy your food and that’s just something I’ve always fond missing in Los Angeles. If you wanted really good food, you had to go to formal places, which is great, I love getting dressed up but it’s not something you do everyday, so I wanted a place where people could be comfortable, have fun, hang out, go on a date, go with the guys, go with your kids but have really good food.”
Church & State’s speciality is certainly traditional French cuisine served at its finest. Before your first plate is out, you are brought a delectable brioche bite, but from their we started off with some Huîtres Glacées, which are iced, Kumomoto Oysters, before moving onto some tasty Fritures or local calamari, which is fried and served with shishito peppers and basil aïoli. A personal favorite was the Hamachi à la Niçoise, some yellowtail sashimi, tomato, cucumber, olives & lemon.
We even got an inside tip on some beer brewed by monks by our neighbors at the next table.
“There are so many nights when people recognize each other across the room and they get up and say hello, which is great,” Yassmin exclaimed. “There are times when people who don’t know each other sit at tables next to each other and strike up a conversation. They start sharing food and wine and that happens all the time and we don’t have enough of that in LA - we’re so individual, people get in their cars and they drive to where they’re going but there’s not that sense of interaction with people you don’t know.”
It’s the sampling of small dishes and community that makes Church & State so fun. With such a spirited crowd and a chef like Walter at the helm, we decided to take on some more adventurous French fare. Walter brought out a serving of Brandade de Morue, which is Baked salt cod, potato gaufrette, saffron aïoli, alongside some of the restaurant’s homemade potato chips and a serving of Salade de Harengs, which was a sensationally prepared smoked herring with fingerling potato salad.
“There’s a lot of small plates, so people will eat, share dishes, converse with other tables but the cooking is very traditional,” explained Walter. “I don’t serve any hamburgers, no pasta, nothing fusion-y, it’s just all traditional French recipes.”
“In America,” Yassmin then added, “the culture has always been about large portions. Everyone has their own plate and you eat your own food and that’s it. In most other cultures things are shared and it’s a lot of different things, so by having tastings and smaller portions it allows people to really try a lot of different things.”
With a menu that features a plethora of reasonably priced tastings, not to mention some seriously sinful choices to choose from, (hello, escargot) this setting is ideal for any occasion and one you’ll want to throw into your personal restaurant rotation.
“When I set up to do this, it was to have a place that could last,” Yassmin said.That’s why I went back to something very traditional because we already know that has done well through the ages and to have an atmosphere that was very simple.
She surveyed her restaurant and smiled before adding, “If Church & State can look like this on a Tuesday in another five or ten years, then I’ll feel like I’ve accomplished something.”
Photos By: Jacopo Campaiola
