Restaurant: Spring
Location: 257 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012. (213) 372-5189
Date: April 3, 2018
Cuisine: French
Rating: Gorgeous room, very polished food
Spring was a big opening a year or two ago with a hugely expensive build out. It’s quiet French (in a lightly LA way). Somehow I never got there because of the annoying (for me) DTLA location. Known for only using fresh and local ingredients, Chef Esnault pays tribute to the season of long days and temperate nights with his full Seasonal Dinner Menu, featuring dishes that are available as each season permits.
We were roving downtown and happened to pop by for a quick post museum lunch.
Self referential.
I’m glad I visited during the day as the space is gorgeous and airy — and this is just the entrance.
The kitchen is open and of epic proportions. Chefs moved carefully and quietly about their tasks.
The main space is like a museum space with the glass ceiling and this green and cream vibe.
The lunch menu.
Seasonal pea soup. The guts in first.
Then the soup. This was an excellent soup, actually. Really fresh and lovely.
Seasonal market crudo, pear, watermelon radish, pickled mustard seeds. Nice, but not as exciting as the soup.
Branzino, red quinoa, leeks, turnip, red cabbage, sauce matelote.
Lily risotto, aged carnaroli rice, spring onion, mascarpone, pistachio, chive blossom. Lovely vegetarian risotto. Great texture and a nice creamy “green” quality.
Chocolate hazelnut tart with passionfruit meringue. We watched them assemble and cut this for an hour. I.e. the pastry chef was painstakingly working on the tart itself. Delicious too.
A different chocolate and hazelnut dessert.
Overall, Spring is unusual for LA. It feels and tasted like a high end Paris museum restaurant. Very good too and a great atmosphere if the airy quiet thing is what you are looking for. I’d like to try it at night. They do allow unlimited corkage.
