A new French restaurant debuts downtown today. Coco Laurent, located on South Grand Ave. opens its doors for its soft opening at 11 a.m. Eventually they will be open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as brunch on weekends.

The restaurant is owned by Vincent Terzian, the former owner of the Crocker Club, who also designed 7,000-square foot Coco Laurent. Here he aims for Parisian-style “bistro-chic,” and he's hired a chef, Guillaume Jouvet, who he imported from Paris.

The menu is very much like what you'd find at a casual Paris bistro, but with some flashy touches — parsley emulsion with the escargot, lemongrass sauce with the red wine-braised chicken, seared yellowfin in the salad Niçoise.

Here's a taste of the press release. Warning: hyperbole ahead:

Coco Laurent embrases a “bon vivant” philosophy;

Wether its sexy late night wining and dining, lounging, afterwork happy hour, weekend brunch, power lunch or a grab-and-go from the adjoining delicatessen, Coco Laurent does it well with a French casual-chic cuisine.

Chef Guillaume Jouvet, imported from Paris, gives the cosmopolitans a tempting bistro-chic experience. Like the people of France, the dishes carry eclectic global influences. The Chef, when asked for a quote said “peu m'importe, ce n'est pas mon problem”. In other words, the food is the focus.

Vincent Terzian, previous owner and designer of the Crocker Club, inspires us again with a grand but comfortable, 7000 sq feet of imported tiles, natural walnut walls and floor to ceiling accordion doors leading to the expansive, raised outdoor patio. The restaurant seats 300 with a custom, hand crafted bar that provides both indoor and outdoor seating. The barkeepers are dedicated artisans, creating innovative cocktails from the freshest ingredients, providing effortless guidance in pairing wine, beer or liquor. No detail is left out of the experience at Coco Laurent.

Coco Laurent: 707 South Grand Ave, Los Angeles. cocolaurent.com

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