Flores & The Ladies’ Gunboat Society
Bottomless Coffee from Intelligentsia
Buttermilk Biscuit, Apple Butter, Crème Fraiche Butter
Gingerbread Donuts, Vanilla Pear Caramel Sauce
Country Fried Chicken, Grilled Broccoli, Grits, Sunny Up Egg, Pepper Gravy
Shrimp & Grits, Brussel Sprouts, Bacon, Poached Eggs, Hollandaise
Tres Leches French Toast, Dulce de Leche, Pomegranate
More than a little impressed by a prior brunch at Hart & the Hunter it was blatantly ignoring the state of flux in the kitchen at Flores & The Ladies’ Gunboat Society that a midday reservation was made, and although service was a perfunctory exercise at best, any turmoil or behind the scenes chef change was unperceivable as relates to the food – each of five plates ranging from good to exquisite, and almost every bit as good as what was experienced from Dunsmoor and his team at Palihotel on Melrose.
Located on Sawtelle, in the midst of a restaurant row from which ‘modern Southern American’ sticks out like a sore thumb, it was just moments after opening that our duo sat down at a tight two-top on the cusp of the patio and with coffee quickly filled the first time but refills almost entirely for lack it was after a quick debate that selections were made, a five course meal stretched over just over an hour during which the restaurant would never see more than 1/8 capacity – all the more confusing as to exactly why the service was so sluggish.
Specifically requesting the courses come out one-by-one it was mere moments after placing an order that a pair of fluffy biscuits with sidecars of apple puree alongside smooth, sour butter arrived and although not quite as impressive as the cheddar masterpieces at H&tH it would be hard to call them anything less than reference standard, the following plate of piping hot donuts upping the ante with an up-front spice profile, next-to-zero greasiness, and a pot of vanilla infused caramel featuring a floral sort of sweetness seemingly derived only from the essence of pears.
Moving onward to a duo of savories it should go without saying that any ‘southern’ restaurant serving fried chicken is bound to see me place an order and although a bit lost under a smothering of pepper gravy the times when the briny bird managed to peak through showed good reason to revisit for the weekly fried chicken dinner, the lightly charred broccoli standing up far better to the toppings while creamy polenta formed the sort of base that left one scraping the bowl clean when imbued with the yolk an egg over-easy.
Again hoping for a reprise of the quality on display at Hart and the Hunter it was in a bowl of snappy prawns amidst crispy sprouts, poached eggs, and creamy Hollandaise that the savories fully hit their mark and just smoky enough from the addition of smoked bacon it was a surprisingly smooth transition to the ‘save the best for last’ moment that followed as three slices of lightly charred French Toast found balance in a rich custard interior topped with seeds of pomegranate atop a slick of salty caramel – each bite as good as the last and undoubtedly the best sweet bites encountered thus far in this calendar year.
www.floreslosangeles.com
