I drive past Kali every day on my way to and from work and it has been on my mind to stop in. I went in this past week after having an uncharacteristically bad experience with a hostess at Osteria Mozza. From my initial phone call to the moment I walked out the door, the staff at Kali were all smiles and sunshine. I saddled myself up to the bar. That pig head was staring right at me and I saw it as an omen of good things to come. I decided upon the tasting menu, which wound up being a remarkable value. The spot prawns were remarkable not so much for the prep (which was not bad), but for how perfectly fresh they were. They brought out a whole sea urchin to me for inspection that was delivered back to me dressed with pureed avocado and almonds - in my mind, an unlikely combination, but one that had me scraping every last bit out of the shell. The next two dishes (wheat-berry risotto and beef) were notable in that they were so damn cozy despite their rather sophisticated platings. Aside from one unfortunate piece of gristle, both dishes conveyed a sense of delicious homeyness. I hate eggs. So, when the server came over to microplane cured egg yolk over the meringue gelato put before me, I was a little apprehensive. My fears were allayed as this was one of the single best scoops of ice cream that I have had in recent or distant memory. The only regretful bite was the english pea mignardises at the end which left a chalky, vegetable taste in my mouth.
Over all, a really strong dining experience. Am I eager to return soon? Probably not, only because its not the sort of food that I crave regularly. If anything might bring me back sooner, it’s that Chef Meehan is so absurdly handsome. When he came up to speak to me after the end of the meal, he could have just as well indoctrinated me into a cult right at the spot with his eyes. Maybe that’s enough to make me come back for a plate of that cavatelli I saw next to me that looked really, really inviting.
I went into Osteria Mozza as a solo diner, as I have many times in the past. I announced myself to the hostess who said that she could seat me immediately at the mozzarella bar. I asked if I would be able to enjoy the amaro bar menu while seated there. The tone of her voice and her demeanor changed markedly as she waved her hand and said, “No. You have to sit at that bar over there,” while gesturing and sounding perturbed. I asked if there were any seats available at that bar. She looked at me and said rather snidely, “How should I know? I can’t see all the way over there!” I took a walk over myself and saw that the back bar was full. As I walked out, this same hostess did not acknowledge my exit or make eye contact with me as I left. I sent an email detailing this experience, but haven’t had a response yet. Mind you, I have never been the recipient of this sort of attitude from any Mozza employee ever. Nothing even close. It really made the top to bottom excellent service at Kali that same night all that much sweeter.
Typical shitty LA restaurant service (or lack thereof) in my experience, even if you are dining in the regular setting and not at the bar. I’ve come to expect it and pleasantly surprised otherwise… Service is not LA’s strong suit - across all price spectrum
I agree with you on this. Even though the food was very good overall and the plating and design of the space beautiful—this is not the type of food that I crave regularly either. I do want to get back over there and try dinner.
@LAgirl I flipped the experience and went in for lunch on a Monday recently. Pretty quiet. I took a seat at the bar and was greeted by Mona, who I assume is the GM. She had her laptop open and was confirming dinner reservations. I have to say that conversing with her sporadically during my meal was one of the highlights.
I have to agree with Jonathan Gold’s assessment in the Times that the portions here might be a bit on the generous side. If I was less hungry, this could have served me well as an entree. The slices of fish were thick and there were multiple rounds of potatoes holding them up. But that salmon was cooked so well, as were those potatoes. Super delicious, but super hearty
CAVATELLI PASTA
arugula / creme fraiche / local peppercorn
I would return just for this. This is a fantastic pasta dish that is zesty, creamy, vegetal, and piquant. The chef, who I am assuming is the CdC, explained that the local peppercorns come from a tree at his family’s home in Orange County. Local for sure! The chew of that al dente pasta with the fleeting crisp of the dried arugula made for a really good bite. And I am sure glad that I ordered the appetizer portion for my entree. I was over served for sure. And my mind really wanted dessert. My stomach staunchly protested.
Another great meal. As a matter of fact, I think that I enjoyed my lunch expereince better than dinner. The room is really light and open with the sunlight streaming in. The staff was friendly all around. I’m salivating while typing about that pasta dish right now. If I return, I think a small posse to share a bunch of stuff might be the way to go. Or I would just treat myself to another dish of that cavatelli and make room for that wonderful gelato again.
nice! I haven’t had the chance to get back (either lunch or to try out dinner) since our office moved out of the neighborhood in June. Looks like you had a lovely lunch!
Finally visited. Unfortunately junglist sommelier wasn’t around, really wanted to connect over life long love of Drum & Bass.
the lady really did enjoy her birthday dinner too… tasting menu unfortunately only came with 1 red pairing snif snif… makes sense pairing wise, but i require a lot more red when spending a car payment lol
apparently the dessert with egg yolk shavings is currently voted as top 3 in LA somewhere.
overall it was really good. i’d go again in a heart beat… it’s super hard to pick a favorite here as everything wsa good… but both pastas were phenomenal… tomato dish with SB olive oil and crispy cheese was a knockout. … looking at the dishes again there was nothing that didn’t pop or didn’t deliver… fish was dope… steak was dope… nice oyster but after having 2 dozen over lunch that wasn’t memorable lol rebera del duero was a great wine.
How funny that they forgot the crushed potato side with the steak after the beautiful description… nobody noticed? lol. waiter fixed it after i asked him if they’re supposed to be different… he said no they’re the same… i looked up quizzically hahahahaa
Had another great dinner at Kali on Saturday.
Asparagus spears, barley ‘risotto’, spring pea agnolotti, and especially pork loin and dry aged rib eye were definite hits. The steak was especially wonderful with all its funkiness of the aged meet. Service was outstanding. I left thinking that the restaurant does not get enough love and we should dine there more often.
On a Saturday night it was about 80% full, and I do not think any tables were turned over. Chef Kevin told me that he hopes to get a Michelin star, otherwise, does not sound they can keep it going for too long.
Peony: I liked tonight’s meal overall, but there are some details that the restaurant can improve on. For example, the scallops had a bit too many salt flakes on them, so most of them tasted too salty. The flavor for the barley risotto seamed uneven as I had several bites that were more salty than the others. I liked that the restaurant was trying to be creative—e.g., by making a barley crisp for the risotto and caramelizing the avocado. The roasted duck had a really interesting texture. It was much more moist than regular duck. I suspect they may either marinate it in a sauce or cook it in a liquid before roasting the duck. I always like their desserts. We had the meringue gelato previously, and I thought the cured egg yolks on top were a great touch. Tonight, the strawberry sorbet made from Harry’s Berries strawberries tasted wonderful. Even the house complementary rosewater-flavored truffles were really tasty. I feel they use great ingredients, and the chef makes an effort to be creative. I look forward to seeing the dishes improve over the years.
Warrior: I don’t love Kali. It is no surprise to me that Kali has a Michelin star; there is a high level of skill in the cooking that is way beyond that of ordinary restaurants, even the average restaurant praised on this board. But I have never really liked any of the dishes. The flavors and concepts haven’t been very appealing to me, at least not subjectively. Today, there were objective flaws as well. The biggest was that the oysters had several big chunks of shells in the payload. One was half an inch long. I’ve never encountered this problem at any restaurant, much less a Michelin-starred restaurant. It was unacceptable. Also, a couple of dishes were too salty, with Peony commenting that the dishes were too salty while I was thinking the same thing, On the positive side, I thought the alcohol program was fantastic. The Beaujolais (2016 Yohan Lardy “1903” Moulin a Vent) was the best I’ve ever had (out of more than 50 Beaujolais reviews on CellarTracker). Yet it paled in comparison to the Jean Bourdy Galant des Abbesses, which was phenomenal and by far my favorite thing that I tasted tonight. My god, wow! I loved this wine-based liqueur so much that it made the whole meal a success. Also, I should be clear that I’d rather eat at Kali than many of the restaurants that frequently appear on lists of most essential restaurants in LA.
Warrior: This was my favorite meal at Kali. I would put Kali in the top 20 restaurants I’ve been to in LA. I would describe Kali as Republique with more ambition but less core likability. Every dish was interesting and dissimilar to dishes you’d get elsewhere in LA. The quality level was consistently high. No dish stood out to me as exceptional, which has been consistent throughout our visits. The smoked beet tartare was probably the best dish, but its taste didn’t quite live up to its impressive appearance. My favorite thing about Kali is actually the expertly curated wine list, particularly the outstanding selection of dessert wines by the glass. I think good wine outclasses good food, and this was especially on display with tonight’s two desserts and two passito dessert wines.
Peony: I feel our meal today was one of the good ones at Kali. I recommend the oysters, the prawn crudo, the black cod, both dessert dishes (fig sorbet and butterscotch panna cotta), and the complimentary chocolates. Their service was courteous and friendly. The dining atmosphere was lovely.
