That Other Downtown Restaurant From the Church & State Folks Might Finally Be Happening

Downtown has changed greatly in the nearly four years since Church & State owner Yassmin Sarmadi first put in for a lease inside the historic Douglas Building at Spring and 3rd. And yet, in all that time, very little has been heard about the proposed seasonal restaurant on site, even as the area around it continues to explode. Now LA Downtown News is saying the forthcoming project could be closer to opening than previously thought.

The proposed eatery, which has always carried the name Spring, has been churning along quite slowly, even as Sarmadi’s Church & State has come flying back into favor with discerning diners, particularly since Tony Esnault came on board in 2013.

Sarmadi and Esnault reached out to LA Downtown News to clear up some of the cloudiness surrounding the eventual unveiling of Spring, saying that while construction is coming along nicely, there is no confirmed opening date (a July release had previously been hinted at, though it seems unlikely at this point).

Furthermore, the pair confirm a lot of existing details about the restaurant: it will be more French fare, but with an equal or greater bistro feel than even Church & State — "not to be defined as fine dining," they say. Esnault will be in charge of crafting a wholly separate menu for the ground floor space, with Fellippe Esteves from Church & State coming over to serve as general manager.

In all, it seems that an opening for the long-awaited project could tentatively land as soon as mid-summer, which is good news for hungry Downtowners who just can’t seem to get enough food and drink options in that part of town.

Update: A few details of this piece have been updated to reflected the latest information regarding Spring.