SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY FROM PREUX & PROPER

Los Angeles (Spiritsman) 8/3/18/–Preux & Proper restaurant in downtown Los Angeles has now been open about 3 ½ years and a recent visit to their new upstairs dining room confirmed that Southern Hospitality is alive and well in Los Angeles. Featuring dishes from across the south, the restaurant has two chefs, Joshua Kopel and SammyMonsour, and has the added advantage of being located in a historic turn of the century flatiron wedge building.SammyMonsour comes from North Carolina and was a head cook in Chapel Hill at the ripe old age of seventeen, and after extensive journeys across American kitchens he found his spiritual home in Los Angeles. At the new upstairs dining room the festivities kick off on a Thursday night with Live Jazz and Oysters featuring three different styles of oysters all served with chunky horseradish cocktail sauce, fresh lemon and apple cider mignonette.

Of course you can delve into their broad Southern menu and why not go for the Cast Iron Sea Food Gumbo. This tasty dish features Louisiana crawfish, tiger prawns, Willapa Bay oysters, Pei mussels, rice and tobacco leeks. All the seafood here is sourced by Cape Seafood & Provisions which is the company founded by Michelin chef Michael Cimarusto so you know it will be good. Also go for the Dungeness Crab, with house barrel aged green hot sauce, boil spice and charred poblano butter. I also got a chance to try the Fried Chicken on a biscuit which is cleverly supplemented with jelly, pecans, pink peppercorn, marjoram and nutmeg. Even though Colorado is not in the south, the chef’s decided to add in Colorado Lamb Ribs with a Jamaican jerk rub with Scotch Bonnet Barbecue and radish pickles. I also liked the Marinated Cauliflower Romanescu Salad adorned with a Cajun dukkah.

Of course we have to discuss the drinks here, and beverage director Kassady Wiggins came up with a few specials, especially the Green Gullan, a cocktail with St,George Gin, green chartreuse, pineapple, lime, ginger beer and chipotle. She hails from Greenville, South Carolina, a place I like a lot and home to an up and coming food festival held every September. She uses Dirty South Remedies, Low Country Cures and Appalachian Elixirs to craft her cocktails and the restaurant is all the better for it.

The Barroom downstairs is open 7 days a week with an assortment of bar treats like the Crawfish Roll, Deep Dish Biscuit Dough Pizza and of course the obligatory Baked Mac & Cheese. The full restaurant menu is also available if so desired.

Preux & Proper-840 Suspiring St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

213-896-0090

www.PreuxandProper.com