OK. Maybe I should've, it says 'roasted marrow' after all. But I was surprised. And yes, apparently one can have too much bone marrow. The marrow on toasted bread was quite satisfying at first, but after eating half of first section, I was already overwhelmed by fat ...Do share this dish with more than one person!
The rest of the relatively short menu at this lively bistro newly manned by Walter Manzke offers other indulgence, like escargot and foie gras, but you can also go healthier and lighter with a salad mesclun.
I, however, not realizing how fat-stuffed I'd be after all those bone marrow, ordered the duck confit: Confit de Canard a la Montmorency (French lentils, pickled cherries) - $15
This seems to be one of the cheaper duck confits out there, and it's quite good. The skin is crispy and the meat is pretty tender. It's simple, yet satisfying. Nicely paired with the pickled cherries.Loup de mer (seabass, ratatouille provencale) - $24
Flaky and moist fish - it was done pretty well, again with nicely crispy skin. As you can see from both entrees, there's nothing 'frou frou' here. Everything is simple, but solid.During my meal I saw a waiter bring the dessert tray out to another table, and knelt down to show them the selection. Hot frenchie kneeling down in front of me with a tray of desserts .... Yum ....
Alas, my companion immediately ordered dessert, not giving the chance for the waiter to come by. Booo.
Anyway, we got a special dessert of the day, a strawberry apple tart.
Pretty good, not too sweet, nothing too special either.The chocolate cake was a better match for me.
More like a chocolate mousse cake, it was dense and rich. Got my sweet tooth and chocolate craving fixed right here.A hopping downtown bistro with simple and solid food and nice lively atmosphere for a night out on the town. There was nothing in particular (so far) that would make me crave it and go back, but I was happy and satisfied with everything and can definitely see picking this place to hit the town with some friends.
Plus, I need to try them escargots.
Church & State1850 Industrial St
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 405-1434
http://www.churchandstatebistro.com
i heard the escargots are amazing. read josh's post about it on foodgps
ReplyDeletefiona..
ReplyDeletewe were there Wednesday for at least 3 hours... did I not see you?
TonyC: I don't think so :P I went abt a month ago? Maybe less?
ReplyDelete3 hours is pretty long ... did you like it?
Yum...marrow...drool....
ReplyDeleteI could have helped you out by partaking some of that roasted marrow. No foie gois? Wow...you can eat the fat. Work it!
ReplyDeleteThough it looks like Manzke is doing fairly well here, I still yearn for him to return to the type of cooking he turned out at Bastide (one of the best meals I've had in LA).
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing wrong with bistro fare, but it just seems so limiting for a chef of Manzke's caliber.