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Chef Lincoln Carson’s flagship restaurant Bon Temps features French American cuisine that is refined yet approachable.

About

An all-day restaurant in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles, Bon Temps from Chef Lincoln Carson reimagines a modern French brasserie with industrial roots. From morning until late-night, the menu is refined with an attention to detail that nods to Chef Lincoln Carson’s lineage working in internationally-acclaimed restaurants. Bon Temps is for the neighborhood and a place for the downtown community to break bread in a space that pays homage to the old and new. Since opening in June, Bon Temps has been recognized as one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants 2019.

Black and white photo of the Bon Temps kitchen. There are boxes, food containers, a stand mixer and a funnel on the counter.

Chef Lincoln Carson is a veteran pastry chef whose career spans almost three decades and he is best known for his eight-year tenure as the corporate pastry chef for The Mina Group, while his culinary resume also includes stints at internationally-acclaimed restaurants such as Le Bernardin and La Cote Basque. Carson was responsible for all facets of The Mina Group’s pastry, dessert and bread programs in addition to opening 18 new restaurants during his time there. More recently, Carson spearheaded the development of Superba Food + Bread’s patisserie and dessert programs as the brand’s executive pastry chef and is currently Valrhona Chocolate’s guest educator and consulting pastry chef.

Alongside Carson is the crew at Bon Temps, meet them here.

A table is shown on the right half of the image. The floor is the other half. The table is wood with grey chairs. There are blue placements, black plates with menus on them, wine glasses and drink glasses on the table.

Set within the former Heinz testing kitchen of downtown Los Angeles, Bon Temps sets out to break down the distinction between back and front of house all while showcasing the beautiful tension between warm and cold materials. The guest immediately feels part of something larger than simply a dining experience, rather the sounds of the open kitchen combined with a sense of functional utility set forth by the aluminum furniture all point towards the expression of a transparent and honest dining experience driven by Chef Lincoln Carson.

Bon Temps, of course, translates to “good times,” which is exactly what Carson’s new restaurant promises.

Guide to the Arts District

Bon Temps joins the Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District community as a place for the neighborhood to gather and break bread. The Arts District is home to many creatives and full of interesting pockets to explore.