CHURCH & STATE STILL GOING STRONG CHEF DE CUISINE SAM JUNG LEADING THE CHARGE

 

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Michael Hepworth

 

 

CHURCH & STATE STILL GOING STRONG CHEF DE CUISINE SAM JUNG LEADING THE CHARGE

Los Angeles (Perfect Meal Today0 1/16/18/–When Church and State opened in an unfashionable area of downtown Los Angeles nine years gap it was pretty much the only place of quality food in that area. Now the French style bistro located in the old Nabisco Biscuit Factory has competition, and although business is still good at the bustling venue, owners are well aware that they can not rest on their laurels.

Relatively new Chef De Cuisine Sam Jung is a personable fellow who is classically trained in French cuisine and brings an impressive resume to the kitchen. He graduated with honors from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco and trained in France working in three different Michelin starred restaurants, followed by a stint as Master Chef Joel Robuchon at La Maisin in Las Vegas. Next up was Seattle with a gig at Mistral Kitchen and then finally Los Angeles where he made his base at Fig & Olive where he focused mainly on Mediterranean style cuisine.

At Church & State there is a big buzz about his Devilled Eggs ($12) that are made with paprika, lardon, chives and with delicious crispy bacon on top. As appetizers go here you of course have to share the Charcuterie plate which comes at $20 but is perfect for sharing or $31 for the grand version which will blow you away. You will get portions of duck prosciutto, chicken liver mousse, cured pork belly, pare de champagne, pork butter, head cheese, mustard and pickled vegetables.

The beet salad ($12) is also suitable for sharing with small cubes of beets sharing the plate with goats cheese, mesclun, almonds and an apple cider vinaigrette. After these fairly hearty appetizers we jumped straight at the Cassoulet ($34), a wonderful mixture of cannellini beans, braised lamb shoulder ( nice and crispy), duck confit and garlic pork sausage all in a creamy broth The other main course selected was the King Cole Duck Breast ($32). thinly sliced with braised red cabbage, roasted apple and pomegranate.

I don’t know exactly how much tweaking chef Jung has done on a menu that is pretty traditional, and the restaurant is also known for its bouillabaisse and the forest mushroom tagliatelles. I also must try the classic steak frites next time around with a flat iron grass fed steak from Strauss family farms. I almost forgot about the crowd pleasing Wild Boar Tagliatelle with wild boar shoulder, tomato confit and parmesan.

The drinks here are also well crafted to say the least with cocktails in the $12-15 range and the bartenders will create something for you if the menu Choice is not acceptable. The wine list is 100% French and deserved a Longer look than I was able to give, but I did try a lovely Sancerre From the Loire Valley, one of my preferred regions. At Church & State the service is top notch with very knowledgeable servers, lighting is just right and the acoustics allow for reasonable conversation without shouting. A visit here is something of a sure thing, so just go and enjoy.

 

Church & State- 1850 Industrial St, Los Angeles

213-405-1434

www.ChurchandStateBistro.com

Open for lunch-Monday –Friday and Dinner seven days.

Corkage fee-$30 (two bottle maximum)

 

 

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