Whole Life Magazine

February / March 2018

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EAT TO GLOW By Genie Davis The Airy Beauty of Spring Restaurant EAT TO GLOW eat here now Photos: Courtesy of Spring L ocated in a lush, light-fi lled white and green atrium in DTLA, Spring Restaurant is a perfect breath of springtime. Fresh green plants, charming bistro tables, white tiles, and a glass and steel roof create a wonderful ambiance that is a refuge away from the busy central core street outside the restaurant's histor- ic Douglas Building location. Chef Tony Esnault is no stranger to creating a wonderful ambiance, along with partner Yassmin Sarmadi. Their Church & State is a bastion of the serene in the arts district. But Spring, which relies on seasonal, fresh, local ingredients, offers dining op- tions as airy and delicious as the setting. We loved relaxing with a craft cocktail while a fountain burbled, and pleas- ant, low-key din of conversation fi lled the room. This is the cuisine of Southern France through a very erudite California fi lter – freshness is key, simplicity is a loving step in the food preparation. Did we love din- ing here? Yes, and we bet you will, too. Start perhaps with a baguette of incredibly fresh bread, served with extra virgin olive oil. Add marinated olives and you might feel almost sated. The olives are a unique blend of small, green French Picholine from the Gard region, Sicilian Castelvetrano, the small black, low-acid Gaeta, Greek Kalamata, and Thasos. Another fi ne starter is the chickpea hummus. Undoubtedly, you've had hummus in one Mediterranean spot or another over the years, but it won't be anything like this. We were struck by how creamy and yet how light this version was, redolent of gar- lic and chives, and served with olive toast. We were particularly fond of the eggplant caponata, delightful, both sweet and sa- vory, made with celery, onion, tomato, pine nuts, and raisins, and served with a baguette. With these starters, we paired some perfect craft cocktails: The Citizen Kane is made up of a smooth vodka, Velvet Faler- num, lemon, and rose water. The exotic fl avor is understated and slightly sweet. The Magic Flute was also delightful, made up of Matusalem rum, St. Germain, fresh raspberry, and mint – a little bit mojito-like, a lot sophisticated. We found the salad courses quite wonderful. The mixed green is a simple and lovely mix of fresh seasonal greens served with a luscious lemon vinaigrette. The tomato salad might be my fa- vorite item on the menu, heirloom tomato, watermelon, arugula, and basil with a sherry vinaigrette: a well-balanced mix of slightly acidic with sweet. Vegetarians will love the beet salad with soft and creamy burrata cheese; the addition of pumpkin seeds and pistachios makes this special. Celery soup? Mais oui! Lentils, sprouts, apple, and celeriac – truly delightful; as fragrant as it is satisfying. The beet risotto fea- tures carnaroli rice, pungent pickled yellow beets and Parmesan Reggiano. Again, a wonderfully successful blend of fl avors, with ingredients that are noticeably garden-fresh. While the menu changes frequently, we hope you'll be able to try the supremely tender house-made strozzapretti pasta, made with a succulent fresh pesto, zucchini, basil, and a soft poached organic egg. A mélange of vegetables, each separately cooked for perfect fl avor and texture is another fi ne dish, the peas as sweet as sugar. Dessert? Magnifi que of course. We had the Jivara Valrhona chocolate, with crunchy fi lbert nuts, chocolate crumble, and praline. Spring is located at 257 South Spring St; DTLA 90012; 213.372.5198. Visit springlosangeles.com S H A P E : A K E Y , H I D I N G I N P L A I N S I G H T , T O R E A D T H E P A S T A N D G L I M P S E T H E F U T U R E T H E T E L L I N G I M A G E L O I S F A R F E L S T A R K W W W . L O I S F S T A R K . C O M S H A P E S O F C H A N G I N G T I M E S www.gbgpress.com B O O K G R O U P P R E S S G R E E N L E A F EAT TO GLOW SPRING INTO FRESH THINGS February/March 2018 17

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