Revisiting: Church and State

(Credit: Aimee Brodeur)

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Some things are best kept separate. But at Steven Arroyo's Church & State brasserie in the Downtown Arts District, newly arrived executive chef Walter Manzke is bringing disparate ideas together seamlessly. His culinary approach draws on the best of traditional French cooking and updates it with innovative contemporary twists. And it's happening in, of all places, the rough-around-the-edges Industrial District Downtown. 

At a recent Friday night dinner, a board of handcrafted charcuterie marks an auspicious beginning to our meal. Goose terrines made from a wild Canadian bird a friend brought back from a hunting trip sit alongside duck prosciutto and expertly smoked wild-boar sausage. The goose, which Manzke plucked himself, is almost gone, but fear not: Next he'll be working with wild pheasant from another of his hunter pals. Speaking of fowl, the terrine de foie gras (Hudson Valley foie gras blended with whipped cream, then topped with a port-wine gelee), served with thick-sliced brioche, is preserved perfection.

Manzke, who previously worked as executive chef at Bastide before its closure, tells us: "What I'm doing here is simple. It's been done for hundreds of years." The smiley San Diego native's ideas and ingredients may stem from traditional French cuisine, but his modern applications are transforming Church & State a truly exciting restaurant.

His escargot de Bourgogne is a gem of a dish that's as tasty as it is attractive, arriving as six tiny ramekins crowned with puff pastry. Plunging your fork into one of the petite pots will evoke childhood memories of digging for buried treasure. The flaky dough sops up savory garlic, parsley and butter, and a single tender snail fits nicely on the tip of the small seafood fork. It's a bite-sized prize.

Manzke's frisee salad offers more of his personal touches. Fried strips of pig ear, a warm bacon vinaigrette and a perfectly poached egg dress a bed of snow-white frisee. He uses an immersion circulator set at a precise 64 degrees to poach the egg, leaving the white just set and the yolk still runny. "I learned this technique when I was first learning to cook sous vide," he explains. "You start out practicing with an egg."

Manzke, who has graced Continental kitchens from Monaco to Monterey, is surrounded by a team that is reshaping Church & State. Josh Goldman, a former general manager at Bastide and sommelier at Bin 8945, has been recently hired on as maitre d'. He's a whiz with wine pairings who really knows how to flex the muscles of the French varietals offered. His laid-back yet efficient presence is greatly appreciated, as there were some previous complaints about the restaurant's front of house. Manzke's wife, Margarita (a former pastry chef at Bastide and current server at Jin Patisserie), is helping out with the dessert menu.

Manzke has fared well in upscale establishments in the past, and his presence has upped the ante in the Downtown dining scene. Church & State seems a good backdrop for this top dog to roll up his sleeves and enliven the area with his sumptuous and affordable French fare.

Food GPS was my partner in grub. See what he had to say here.

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