The Church Key
Parker House Rolls with whipped sea salt butter and bacon jam
Ososky’s Potato Pierogis – apple butter, aged gouda, crème fraiche, chives
Salt and Vinegar Popcorn
Shrimp and Pork Gyoza with ginger and garlic, Falafel Croquettes with White Truffle Taihini, Halibut Taco with Coleslaw and Lime
Duck Confit “Cassoulet” – Scarlet Runner Beans, Benton’s Smoked Ham, Aged Cheddar Cheese Crumbs, Baguette
Brioche Donuts – Brown Butter Glaze, Cinnamon Caramel, Mocha Shake
Apple Pear Crisp – Pear Financier, Sauteed Apples, Almond Oat Crisp, Maple Rosemary Ice Cream
Pumpkin “Tres Leches” – Pumpkin Spiced Cake, Rum Tres Leches Foam, Candied Pepitas, Grand Marnier
Essentially an eclectic small-plates concept with additional intrigue added by high priced tableside cocktails and State Bird Provisions style “dim sum” service, it was just after 5:30 when a friend and I entered The Church Key and seated in exceptionally comfortable seats at the center of the slow-to-fill space our meal that followed was a pleasant surprise to say the least. Urban-industrial in design with rustic details offsetting an upscale West Sunset address the cuisine at The Church Key features the work of former XIV chef Steven Fretz, and with an eye towards whimsical reinvention of ethnic staples nearly every creation tasted was an unmitigated success; an overpriced pair of Parker House Rolls and dense, over-salted falafel the only exceptions to the rule. Unfortunately “too early” to experience much from dim sum carts that slowly circulate beginning at six o’clock it was mostly in menu items that our meal ensued and while crispy pierogis tinged in fruit and crème fraiche proved deliciously inauthentic prior to aromatic potstickers and a textbook fish taco it was the Cassoulet that served as the centerpiece of the savories – two confit legs of fowl slipping off the bone into a stock of pork-infused beans thickened with cheese. Said by many to offer desserts amongst the city’s very best it was eventually on a trio that we decided and although both the complex pumpkin pound cake doused in cream and aromatic apples served over an almond-tinged base of pears were excellent it was undoubtedly the oft-celebrated donuts that offered the best bites of the three, an almost ethereal lightness beneath sweet shellac and melting caramel as a tiny, creamy shake sat at their side.
RECOMMENDED: Cassoulet, Donuts, and Pierogis.
AVOID: Falafel, Parker House Rolls, and arriving too early as the dim sum doesn’t reach peak velocity until around 7:00pm.
TIP: Those looking for a deal would be well advised to check out the Monday-Friday Happy Hour where several drinks and bites are offered at a discount throughout the restaurant, the food a bit limited but all at a substantial savings while the standard-priced menu is also available to allow for a more substantial meal including the can’t miss items detailed above.
http://www.thechurchkeyla.com/
