Behold Faith & Flower, a Melange of Old and New Dtown

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As far as grand entrances go, it's hard to do better than Faith & Flower. The first full LA restaurant project by David Bernahl and Rob Weakley — who put together Restaurant 1833 and Cannery Row Brewing Company in Monterey, Rose.Rabbit.Lie in Las Vegas, and LA Food & Wine right here — appears relatively straightforward at first glance. A bar and a dining room. But, upon closer inspection, one will find much more that meets the eye when it opens officially on March 31. Plush, supportive seating, striking ceiling lines, a wall of vintage doors, and the endless gaze of a beautiful woman. The design by AvroKO shuns more industrialized, pedestrian, and reclaimed-wood interiors that have pervaded the city to recall a time period entrenched in luxury and glamour. Feminine touches abound, with mild hues of green, yellow, and gray that turn to more muted urban tones when evening descends.

Michael Hung leads the kitchen, after spending ten years with Traci des Jardins and Roland Passot (La Folie). With a mind for global flavors and California ingredients, the fare is a bit more on the rustic side, thanks to the wood-burning oven at his disposal. Think oxtail agnolotti or duck liver mousse tarts with grenadine candied-onion. Or perhaps roasted young carrots with smoked Greek yogurt.

As for drinks, Michael Lay, who previously established himself at Restaurant 1833's excellent program, is going old school with a Milk Punch, which uses cognac, bourbon, and rums, and spices, or something closer to home with the Olvera, blending mezcal, zirbenz stone pine (yes, that's booze that tastes like the Alps), and lapsang souchong vapor. Yes, the drinks are just a little bit different here. All of that will be served in special crystalware, and chilled with up to seven different kinds of ice.

Another late addition to the crew, Stephane Bombet, who was last seen at Picca and Mo-Chica. Bringing years of management experience, Bombet is helming much of the launch and daily operation after years of success with Ricardo Zarate.

When it opens, Faith & Flower will serve from 5:30 to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and until 12 a.m. on weekends. Lunch commences April 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., ideal for the rabid Downtown lunch crowd.
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