Chef Sammy Monsour to Open a Soulful New Southern Seafood Spot in Downtown LA | Eater LA

"Opening this summer at Eighth and Grand near the Downtown Whole Foods, Joyce is the forthcoming restaurant from chef Sammy Monsour where I encountered a focus on Southern cooking while keeping sights on sustainable seafood with a raw bar and American caviar; Monsour is collaborating with Prince Riley and former Preux & Proper beverage director Kassady Wiggins, who has Southern‑flavored cocktails on deck. On the menu I found cornmeal‑encrusted Nashville hot catfish, shrimp and oyster perloo, a smoked tomahawk pork chop, crawfish hushpuppies, chilled seafood platters, and a must‑start of at least a half dozen bright, meaty oysters from Murder Point, Alabama when available paired with one of the bar’s zero‑waste cocktails by Wiggins. For warmer plates there’s the buttermilk‑marinated, cornmeal‑crusted hot catfish and Gullah Geechee‑style braised kale, and the fried‑to‑order beignets generously dusted with powdered sugar and served with a duo of sauces make one of the finest finishes in town; it’s impossible to spell Joyce without joy." - Mona Holmes