Preux and Proper - Los Angeles

LA. I love the museums, the art, the diversity, and the culture of active, self-care is awesome. But the food that comes with that? Not so much. Enough of the organic, untouched-by-human-hands quinoa and granola, kale-and-green-stuff juice. It's centers on the superfoods, the high-yield, low-carb, brain-boosting, muscle-maxing fuels for our healthier-than-thou lives.

I hate superfoods. Quinoa is like pebbles and kale tastes like wax. I love staying healthy, but enough of this nutritional pseudo-science, just slap me with some southern. 

I've always been pro southern food thanks to my North Carolina roots, but they don't make it proper here. It's more a fusion with a southern infusion, but you'll never hear me complain about the Smoked Beef Heart Pastrami Toast. I don't see anything southern about that, except for some beans, but wow, I've never had any pastrami so tender and thin.

Try the House Andouille Sausage is you want a ragin' taste of Cajun. Red peas and molasses complete the southern twang, and what they call house gorditas are hush-puppy pancakes, pure and simple.

I may not like kale, but I do love veggies on a grill. This Grilled Yellow Sweet Corn has pork cracklins and queso fresco, kind of a southern-meets-the-southern-border. Diversity results in delicious.

Market-fresh specials are a must, and these Blistered Shishitos are fresh and sassy. They only have a little spice, and they finish bold and bitter.

There's a Pasta special full of fresh peas and pappardelle. I don't like peas, but these are pleasing, and the whole dish tastes like spring. 

It's all about chicken fried and cold beer on a Friday night. The Chicken Fried Pork Belly and cold cocktails on a Thursday night also fit just right. The belly is fatty and gooey. Be sure to share - this one is heavy. 

If you're going to claim some Cajun, you better get your Beignets straight. Theirs are light and fluffy, bathing in powdered sugar that rising in little white puffs. there's a bananas foster dulce de leche for dipping and it has the texture of really sweet molasses.

Not authentic but not uninspired either. The dishes hit some fun notes, and there's a good balance between heavy and light. Plenty of fresh veggies, and the ingredients are quality for sure. It wasn't quite the carry-on sweet southern comfort that I thought, but it wasn't an unpleasant surprise either.