BBE Editor's Pick

Church & State

1850 Industrial St., Los Angeles (Downtown)

Church & State surely qualifies as an urban revivalist’s dream come true. Inside a former factory amid a swath of warehouses downtown, the room itself is a nostalgic design fantasy (subway tiles, strings of exposed lightbulbs rigged overhead), yet it somehow doesn’t feel staged; the vintage industrial setting gives the whole package an edgy and worn-in authenticity. Chef Walter Manzke (Bastide, Patina) meanwhile performs a revival of his own on a menu of French bistro classics—dishes, such as roasted marrow and duck confit, that are unabashedly rich, lusty and traditional. So, despite an out-of-the-way location, it’s really no surprise that the place is jammed, and not just with local loft dwellers. Just over a year in, Church & State has made the industrial district a dining destination.

menu musts

Salade de harengs (smoked herring, fingerling potato salad)
Moelle de boeuf (roasted marrow bone, celery rémoulade)
Bouillabaisse (Provençale fish soup, prawns, mussels, clams)
Bavette à la bordelaise (braised beef short rib, wild mushrooms, red wine sauce)
Pot de crème au chocolat (chocolate pot de crème with caramel, hazelnut, fleur de sel)

sweet seats

If you like watching cooks at work and don’t mind the extra noise, ask for a table near the open kitchen. Tables for two along the back wall of the restaurant are a little quieter and more private, but expect a clamor wherever you sit.

chew on this

The restaurant is built into the loading dock of a seven-story factory that was constructed in 1925 by the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) and converted in 2006 into million-dollar residential-work lofts.

hours

lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 AM-2:30 PM
dinner: Mon.-Thurs. 6 PM-10PM; Fri. 6 PM-11 PM; Sat. 5:30 PM-11 PM; Sun. 5:30 PM-9 PM

price range

$18 (cassoulet aux légumes) to $29 (côtelette de porc rôtie )

1850 Industrial St. (between Mill St. and Mateo St.), Los Angeles, CA 90021; 213-405-1434 www.churchandstatebistro.com