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Faith and Flower Has Me Falling Hard.


By: Maren Swanson • September 24th, 2014

Faith & Flower in Downtown Los Angeles

You can't help but notice the grandiose setting and opulent details when you first step into Faith and Flower. Here, you have to digest the decor before you can even begin to contemplate the menu. Antique barware, gilded chandeliers, and plush, velvet banquets embellish the already glamorous layout both inside and out. The moment I walked into the Downtown L.A. doors of this fledgling Flower's entrance, I felt special. The interior reminded me of Gatsby style, Old Hollywood and the Emerald Room from Return to Oz. I actually wanted to hold my beryl-colored goblet at our table, close my eyes and say: OZ!

Ben Hur cocktail at Faith & Flower
Garden's Cup cocktail at Faith & Flower

Since the restaurant's opening in April, it appears the place hasn't lost its culinary or aesthetic appeal; diners were filling up left and right (with a couple celebrity sightings), which is pretty impressive for a usually slower industry Monday night. Guests are given a small black book menu filled with drink titles, absinthe and amaro options, plus mouth-watering food selections. And just when you think you might be ready to order, you get distracted again by the eye candy; white feather fan props (from an old set, no doubt), silver hand mirrors strewn on the wall, dressing rooms doors from back in the day and art deco design that is displayed in the details all around you. It's a mouthful, I know.

I invited a foodie friend of mine (her second visit and my first) and we started with the English Milk Punch (Smith & Cross, Appleton & Bacardi 8 Rums, Bulleit Bourbon, Batavia Arrack, Pernod Absinthe, pineapple, Sencha tea, milk clarification) and the Ben Hur (Buffalo Trace Bourbon, lemon, apricot marmalade, egg white, F&F aromatic bitters). If you are expecting a milky-looking drink to hit your table, then you will be surprised when your Milk Punch arrives practically clear with a subtle, golden hue. Both drinks were great, but I actually preferred the Ben Hur with balanced flavors of tang, a slight sweetness and the light spice from the Bourbon. My other standout cocktail was Garden's Cup (Thanks to Ian and Lucian Pimms, basil, citrus, pickled carrot). Overall, head mixologist, Michael Lay, has created a well-rounded drink list inspired by cocktails of the late and some more modern libations as well.


The Steak Tartare at Faith and Flower in Downtown Los Angeles.
The Dungeness Crab Toast from Faith and Flower in Downtown Los Angeles.

Executive Chef Michael Hung's dishes at Faith and Flower are served tapas style, and based on their tempting descriptions, can be a challenging first step in a diner's decision making process. We started with the NY Steak Tartare and Kanpachi Ceviche and had no regrets. The Amberjack sashimi was marinated with ginger beer and the acidity in the dish was spot on. The saltiness of the potato chips complimented the ceviche perfectly, so perfectly in fact that we left no evidence of its contents on the plate. Tara, my foodie friend, equally loved the steak tartare with miso cream and black sesame seeds. Next, we had to sneak in another starter and try the Dungeness Crab toast because, um, it sounded amazing. Our toast was delivered in one beautiful looking slice, but it was pull-apart ready when we went to try it. The Dungeness crab was nicely shredded over some Green Goddess aioli and topped with jicama, avocado and fresh herbs. Nom nom. Its bright, crunchy and complex flavors left me deciphering its additional components and reveling in the workmanship that went into each bite.

When the final round of plates arrived, I knew we were in trouble because everything once again, looked fantastic. My Oxtail Agnolotti was a nice al dente texture and the sauce comprised of bone marrow butter wasn't too heavy as I thought it might be. The addition of the beef tendon chicharrones added nice crunch and mimicked the appearance of the agnolotti.

Oxtail Agnolotti at Faith and Flower in Downtown Los Angeles.
Seared Black Cod with Rock Shrimp at Faith and Flower in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Seared Black Cod was served with rock shrimp, a three bean salad and Chemoula sauce. Cooked to perfect tenderness, the cod was presented with its slightly crispy skin and I was just hoping for a pinch more of salt to make me smile a bit bigger. But if it's crazy flavor you are searching for at Faith and Flower, look no further than their Carnitas Pizza. Sometimes places can go a little nuts with the flavor profiles on pizza, but I think as long as you can pull off a great crust and high-quality fresh ingredients, then it's pretty hard to go wrong. I'm a pizza freak and if it wasn't for my body telling me to slam on my noshing brakes, then I would have gone to town on that Carnitas pizza. Topped with pork confit, creme fraiche, radishes, pickled carrots, cilantro and chili verde, my mouth was happy with the gooey, chewy two bites I took.

We tried two desserts at the end of our meal: The Apple Miso Crumble and the Ube in the Style of 'Mont Blanc.' The ube (purple yam) presentation was playful and reminded me of a garland of purple flowers. The ube dessert was also plated with pistachio mouse, coconut puree and pistachio cake. Everything pistachio-esque on the dish was exquisite, although it was slightly difficult for me to detect the coconut flavor in the puree.

The Apple Miso Crumble at Faith and Flower in Downtown Los Angeles.

If you do stop into Faith and Flower and save room for dessert, then I highly recommend the Apple Miso Crumble with kabocha squash, crispy phyllo and Armagnac Crème Anglaise.The mouthgasm medley of sexy cream, sliced rustic-looking apples and crunchy phyllo made "miso" crazy. It was focused, delicious and the flavors screamed apple. Apparently our neighboring diners agreed because most of them were ordering it up too! Hats off to Executive Pastry Chef Ben Spungin.


And if our night wasn't already enough of a good time, we had to have a night cap of Absinthe before we left. Normally, I'm not a big fan of black licorice-flavored anything, but our Russian "pyro-style" experience (inhaling vapors with a straw from the hot snifter, swallowing the drink and then exhaling) with the absinthe (a once illegal libation) was the cherry on top of our epic evening. Check out our video below to see what the fuss is all about.



Faith and Flower may be one more reason I'm considering a move to the Downtown Los Angeles area. With the addition of a rumored fantastic happy hour and new $18 3-course lunch starting, this lady has a new culinary/cocktail crush and she's falling hard...


Faith and Flower

705 W 9th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

(213) 239-0642

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