Preux & Proper, a southern cuisine restaurant located in downtown Los Angeles, has recently refreshed the Proper Dining Hall and added an innovative new menu from Executive Chef Sammy Monsour’s filled with tantalizing New American cuisine options with a Southern foundation! Situated upstairs, Preux & Proper’s new Proper Dining Hall provides an unrivaled, upscale intimacy for those seeking an evening of sumptuous Southern dining.
The new menu is served in true Southern style, as guests are encouraged to share with the entire table. Indulge in an array of Southern Fried delectables, such as the quintessential Fried Mississippi Catfish, comprised of buttermilk marinade, cornmeal crust, house pickles, celery salt, and red remoulade. Crispy and succulent, the Chicken Fried Pork Belly features pickled radish, refried red beans, pineapple verde, blue corn crumble, and pomegranate glaze. Inspired by the mole from his Chef de Cuisine’s mother-in-law, Chef Monsour incorporates elements from the surrounding L.A. culture to create the vegetarian Squash Blossom Chile Relleno, with Humboldt Fog goat cheese, midnight bean succotash, cornmeal crust, and pumpkin seed mole.
On the seafaring side of the menu, Fresh Off the Hook has your catch of the day with choices like the Dungeness Crab Hushpuppies, with house bourbon barrel aged green hot sauce, boil spice, and charred poblano butter. For a taste of the classics, go for the Cast Iron Seafood Gumbo Pot, comprised of Louisiana crawfish, tiger prawns, Willapa Bay oysters, PEI mussels, rice, and tobacco leeks.
If meat is what you seek, try a twist on a familiar Southern dish, the Rabbit Jambalaya, comprised of bone-in half rabbit sourced from the highly sustainable Oz Family Farm, accompanied by asparagus and sugar snap pea risotto, mint, clothbound cheddar, charred lemon, and Thai basil. The 36 Hour Prime Boneless Beef Rib is a feast for the whole party, with garnet yam purée, crispy parsnips, charred leeks, trumpet mushrooms, and potlikker demi, while the Liberty Farms Organic Duck Breast provides a happy medium, featuring Anson Mills grits, white truffle, foie gras butter, roasted kale, and huckleberry.
Preux & Proper Dining Hall offers three desserts to conclude the meal with, starting with the Beignets, comprised of Pâté a choux dough with “bananas foster” dulce de leche and powdered sugar. Mum’s the word on the secret recipe for Kassady’s Mama’s Key Lime Pie, served with whipped cream and limited availability. Rounding out the sweet selections is the Seasonal Cobbler, served with lemon verbena, brown butter crumble, and homemade frozen custard.
Straddling the Broadway Theater District and the Fashion District, Preux & Proper is housed in one of the rarest architectural gems in all of Los Angeles, a historic turn-of-the-century flatiron wedge building that has stood witness to the tremendous evolution of Downtown. Thursday evening kicks-off the weekend’s festivities with Live Jazz & Oysters, featuring the weekly offering of three unique varieties of raw oysters, freshly shucked and served with chunky horseradish cocktail sauce, fresh lemon, and apple cider mignonette, while jazz musicians entertain guests with their eclectic repertoire.
By Kinya Claiborne, STYLE & SOCIETY
Photo Credit: Ziv Sade
