New 7,000-square-foot French bistro opens across from Bottega Louie
Courtesy of Elizabeth Daniels
Coco Laurent opened on Monday in Downtown.
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — A new 7,000-square-foot bar and restaurant dubbed Coco Laurent has opened in Downtown on the corner of 7th Street and Grand Avenue. This eatery could be the French counterpoint to the upscale Italian restaurant and bakery, Bottega Louie, right across the street.
Although Coco Laurent's official website still only says "Coming Soon" on the landing page, the restaurant did open today and will hold normal business hours from now on. According to the restaurant's Yelp page, hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday from 7 a.m. to midnight, Saturday from 9 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
According to a press release: "The restaurant and bar accommodates up to 300 guests and will be open from brunch to late-night dining and will offer a notable wine list, spirits and ingenious cocktails. Adding to the French flare is the adjoining delicatessen that will open early to serve artisan sandwiches, puff pastries and café for those on-the-go."
The restaurant's chef, Guillaume Jouvet, is from Paris; Laurent's owner, Vincent Terzian, is a former owner of the Crocker Club. Brigham Yen described the space as "classic French" -- decorated with handmade chandeliers flown in from France and an attention to detail that includes walnut crown moldings.
The menu at Laurent will be as equally French as the decor -- with an array of lunch and dinner options including classic French dishes such as Quiche Lorraine, Escargot and Gruyere-topped onion soup. The menu ranges in price from $6 sides such as french fries or sauteed kale, to a $19 lamb burger, $25 bass filet or $28 steak frites. Also included on the menu are pastas, salads and starters, such as deviled eggs or steak tartar.
“Coco Laurent has something for everyone,” said Mark Quest of Forte- The Collective, in charge of the restaurant's publicity and media. “The vibe, the food, the drinks and the entire experience will be unprecedented for downtown L.A. Whether you’re looking for a chic downtown restaurant to take a date, an unassuming after-work happy hour spot or a power lunch with an important business client, this will be the place to be.”
Laurent's wine list includes by-the-glass and by-the-bottle options, with no shortage on the sparkling options. Glass prices range from $9 to $18 and bottles start at $36 and go as high as $550 for a Armand de Brignac champagne.
Coco Laurent is located at 707 South Grand Ave.
Tony Hoover on November 26, 2012, at 05:05PM – #1
The space looks beautiful and they clearly spent a lot of money on designing the interior, but I have some reservations. A potential issue I see is that the bar takes up an inordinate amount of space. Am I the only one who noticed this? In my opinion, more of this space should have been devoted to table seating. Bottega Louie across the street has a great bar but they clearly put the emphasis on table seating and their food. The kitchen is truly the show at Bottega Louie.
The worry I have with Coco Laurent is that since the design has clearly put so much emphasis on the bar that this will be one of those places that opens as a restaurant but ends up morphing into nightclub or simply puts more focus alcohol than food. I hoping that I'm proven wrong with this. We will see.
I don't see 300 seats in that space. My guess is the restaurant really only seats about 125 persons with the majority of seating on the patio. Is the patio heated on evenings when its cold, like now?