Industriel (Los Angeles, CA)

We had another family dinner on Sunday this time at a place of my sister’s choosing, so I was ecstatic when she chose Industriel, a restaurant that has been on my list for a while!  They describe their food as… “simple, pure, flavorful dishes with roots in the Provençal tradition, but with modern LA attitude.

The outside alone is eye-catching, so I’m glad I finally had the chance to step inside.

I loved all of the wood accents, and even the honey bear “chandelier” was interesting… and fully functional!

Last picture of the decor, which was indeed industrial from the metal roofing to the rustic wood tables.  The light fixtures looked like something I could DIY, which you know I love making.  🙂

Now to the food!  They gave us some bread to start off with first, which we gobbled down because we hadn’t eaten lunch.  🙂

The French Kilt cocktail
muddled cucumber, lemon, elderflower liqueur, cocchi, potato vodka

Caymus Vineyards 1999, brought from home

The Perfect Cocktail
one sugar cube, three splashes of bitter, a lemon squeeze, Michter’s Rye, and a burnt lemon peel

A few cocktails to start off the night, plus a wine brought by my dad.  I have yet to mention it anywhere on The Episodic Eater, but my dad is a huge wine aficionado.  By huge, I mean that he has thousands of bottles, a wine cellar, belongs to every major winery’s mailing list, and is the unofficial sommelier to his chef friend’s restaurants.  But that could be an entire post of its own, so I figured that I should actually share some of the wines that we enjoy with our food.  Look forward to that in upcoming posts, fellow winos!

Smoked Salmon Croquettes
 with mock tartar and russet potatoes

I have no idea what the mock tartar was, but it was delicious!

Black Bean Fritters
dill citrus yogurt, fresh coriander

Similar to falafel, these were my favorite of the three appetizers!

Short Rib Croquettes
potato crusted, garlic aioli, lime-pickled red onion

The pickled onion was a perfect accompaniment to brighten up the dish, which was surprisingly light!

Shisito peppers

I loved these peppers, because you know how much I love spicy food.  Delish!

Quinoa
roasted beets, persian cucumbers, feta, red wine dill vinaigrette

I have never seen such a brilliantly colorful quinoa salad.  Have you?

Mary’s Free Range 1/2 Chicken
roasted, new potatoes, pepper onion relish, pommery sauce

You know how there’s always one dish brought to the table that everyone oohs and aahs over?  Well, this was it!  The flavor was just as wonderful as how it looked.  Yum!

Salmon
zucchini, cherry tomato, saffron aioli, and sunflower za’atar

This salmon was perfectly pan roasted, and I adored the zucchini “noodles” on the size.  Some of the best I have ever eaten!

10 oz. Ribeye
Brown Butter Roasted, Tamarind Steak Sauce, Smoked Onion Puree, Duck Fat Potato

The presentation was just gorgeous on the wooden plate, and the duck fat potatoes were ridiculously good!

Chèvre Gnocchi
forest mushrooms, pine nuts, cavalo nero, browned sage butter

All of this dish was amazing.  If I was smart, I would have shown you a closeup of one of the perfectly cooked gnocchi, which were slightly toasted.  Another winner!

Duck Confit
swiss chard, semolina “grits,” poached egg, maple dijon glaze

Once again, the duck was my favorite dish.  Besides that, the “grits” were so smooth and creamy, and the poached egg just gave it that extra oomph.  Easily, my fave.

Desserts

Blue Cheese & Honey Ice Cream

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flavor, but it was divine.  The blue cheese flavor wasn’t overwhelming at all, but gave a nice subtle richness to the sweet honey.

Blueberry Ginger Cake
 with creme fraiche, coriander chips, and vanilla ice cream

My favorite dessert of the four!  I’m partial to ginger, and even though it the presentation was a bit scattered, it did make it easier to share.  🙂

Chocolate Brioche Pudding
Armagnac creme Anglaise, strawberries, cocoa nibs

This one looked fantastic, but it was a bit dry for our taste.  However, the outside drenched in the creme anglaise was devoured, with just a bit of the center left over by the time we left.  🙂

Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Tart
with Espresso Caramel, Creme Fraiche, and Coffee Ice Cream

Sweet and salty at its best!

Once again, I’m so happy that I had the chance to cross this off my list and it totally met and exceeded my expectations.  I love the combination of Provençal and L.A. styles in one dish, and I’m looking forward to coming back!

What is your favorite fusion cuisine?

Industriel | Urban Farm Cuisine
609 South Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 488-8020


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