Celebrating California Through the Lens of Israel, Turkey, Yemen and Beyond - Brunch, Lunch and Dinner at Kismet! (w/ Pics)

btw, your take on the Shakshuka at Republique echos my experience

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No, because you can sous vide scrambled eggs.

You can poach scrambled eggs too…

And you can microwave scrambled eggs, too.

But that doesn’t make them (poaching, microwaving, sous-vide) interchangeable.

So you’re arguing against yourself here?..

No, just against you.

One person at a time is all I can handle.

You’re the one who said sous vide is the same since you can sous vide scrambled eggs.

So you’re arguing against yourself.

Maybe you’re hitting happy hour too hard?

No, I am saying sous vide is not the same as poaching.

Poaching scrambled eggs and scrambled eggs sous vide are not the same.

And why isn’t it the same?

Have you tried making eggs using either method?

While techniques like poaching, steaming, en papillotte, and even boiling, all share traits similar to sous vide, the major differences are (1) that a food item that is sous vide never comes in contact with liquid, just heat transfer and (2) most importantly that sous vide allows for precise temperature control.

A properly prepared scrambled egg sous vide is going to taste different than a scrambled egg that was, say, microwaved or steamed.

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Microwaved eggs are an atrocity.

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Let’s stay on topic folks.

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Update 1:

There were a few other items on the menu that we wanted to try, so what better way to try them than with friends who’ve been wanting to go? :slight_smile:

Kuku (Middle Eastern-Style Frittata with Swiss Chard, Barberries & White Beans, with Greens & Yogurt):

This is Chefs Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramer’s take on the Persian Egg dish known as Kuku. It is indeed like a Frittata in a way, served slightly warmed. The Eggs are moist and the Kuku is soft and pliant. I really liked the White Beans and softened Swiss Chard interspersed throughout.

There’s a delicate herbal blend in each bite.

The Greens Salad was great, lively and spicy with fresh Italian Parsley, Dill and very fresh Mixed Greens.

Turkish-ish Breakfast (All the Things, Served with Bread & Greens):

The humorously named “Turkish-ish Breakfast” with “all the things” is a cute and impressive array of fresh, little bowls of various items, letting you mix and match, and decide what you’d like to eat with each bite of the Toasted Barbari Bread:

This is a Persian Bread made by Bub & Grandma’s for Kismet and it’s fabulous! Toasted crunch, nutty, fragrant and a nice base for the rest of the items in this dish.

We started with a dab of the Skhug (Spice Mixture of Garlic, Coriander, Chili Peppers and other spices):

Shkug is a spice mixture of Yemenite Jewish origin. Light spiciness, peppery, garlicky and delicious, this is the condiment we fell in love with in their Flaky Bread dish. :slight_smile:

Marinated Feta & Squash:

Went well with a dab of that Skhug and the Barbari Bread. It’s nowhere near as pungent as a classic Greek Feta, mellowed out and creamy.

Harissa Eggs:

Their Harissa Eggs were only lightly seasoned, but thankfully so, since you get the salt from other items served alongside it.

Marinated Olives & Dates:

There were 3 different types of Marinated Olives, all with differing levels of salinity and flavor. Mixing that with a bite of the Harissa Eggs and the Barbari Bread was a nice little combination. :slight_smile:

Eating the Dates with a bit of the Marinated Feta & Roasted Squash and some of the Toasted Barbari Bread made for a suddenly enjoyable sweet “Brunch” feeling.

Pickled Vegetables:

Their Pickled Veggies provided a nice tart angle.

Housemade Labneh and Persian Cucumbers:

Overall, the Turkish-ish Breakfast was an interesting do-it-yourself way to snack on a variety of flavor profiles for Brunch. If you’re unsure of what flavors you’d like to mix and match, then it might be better to stick with their other dishes.

5th Visit:

Grapefruit-Anise Soju Punch:

I was hesitant when I read the word “Soju,” as that Korean Firewater is usually too much for me. :frowning: But this tasted nothing like that: Really bright and refreshing, lightly sweet, and licoricey from the Anise, this was a great Cocktail. :slight_smile:

Marinated Mussels (with Pickled Shallots, Swiss Chard & Currants):

While it looked small, the amount of Mussels (imagining them with their shells) is ridiculous. The Marinated Mussels were meaty, a bit dense, but flavorful. They had a deep infusion of an exotic spice blend, which was quite nice. The issue was the Pickled Shallots and Swiss Chard. We felt it clashed with the Mussels, being a bit too tart from the pickling. It overpowered the Mussels. :frowning:

Rabbit for Two (A Feast with Flaky Bread, Greens, Pickles, Tahini & Yogurt):

We had seen this on our first dinner visit and wanted to try it, but considering it was pretty much the entire meal (as advised by our server), we decided to try for variety of dishes at that time. Now it was time for their “Feast.” :slight_smile:

Roasted Rabbit Breast Skewers with Roasted Squash:

Knowing that Rabbit is an inherently very lean meat, I was prepared for dry protein sticks. :smile: However, Chef Sarah and Sara have worked their magic and the Rabbit Breast Skewers were delicious! :slight_smile: While lean, they were still moist, and lightly spiced. There was a slight smokiness, but the Roasted Squash interspersed with the Roasted Rabbit Breast was even more delicious!

But it was important to grab a piece of their delicious Malawah “Flaky Bread”:

And add a dab of their Homemade Tahini:

And then eat it with the Rabbit Breast. The result is this crunchy, toasted Layered Bread base (from the Malawah Bread), an amazing creamy, nuttiness from their Homemade Tahini (this is amazing!), and then nicely spiced, roasted Rabbit. :blush:

Confit Rabbit Leg & Thigh:

When we heard “Confit,” was imagining the soft, lush meat from a classic French Duck Confit. Surprisingly, Rabbit Leg & Thigh Confit turned out to be the leanest, slightly dryish piece of meat from all of the Rabbit served here. :open_mouth: We were thinking it should’ve been moister and fattier than the Breast, but the Roasted Breast Skewers were more moist.

The Confit Leg & Thigh wasn’t bad - it had a nice meatiness - but it was slightly dryish and very lean. Of course, eaten with the Malawah Bread + Tahini and it was easy to overlook (that’s how good it is!). :wink:

Rabbit Offal Hawaiij Stew with Chickpeas:

Disclosure: I’m not a really a fan of Offal usually, finding Liver, Heart and other organs a bit off-putting at times (well, mainly Liver ;)). That being said, the Rabbit Offal Stew was the highlight of the evening!

The Hawaiij seasoning is a Yemenite Jewish recipe, with Turmeric, Cumin, Cardamom, Coriander and other spices. Chefs Sarah and Sara have created a heart-warming, crave-worthy, absolutely delicious Rabbit Stew! :blush:

It’s aromatic, exotic, yet still familiar, warm and earthy from the Chickpeas. Dipping some of the Flaky Bread and we couldn’t stop eating this! And you couldn’t really taste any heavy Liver-like flavors thankfully. I had a bite of what tasted like Rabbit Menudo (some Stomach or Intestines perhaps) and it was meaty, with a little chew, but tender.

I could just have a bowl of this Rabbit Stew and the Malawah Flaky Bread and be happy! :heart:

Jeweled Crispy Rice with Egg Yolk:

When we first saw the Jeweled Crispy Rice pass by, we noticed every other table turning to look as well. :smile: It’s eye-catching and interesting-looking. We had to order one. :wink:

Made with a local Basmati Rice, it’s toasted crispy and crunchy, capturing that absolutely delicious “Toasted / Rice Crust” that makes things like a Hong Kong Clay Pot Rice, or a Spanish Paella with Socarrat (the caramelized crust on the bottom of the pan) so enticing.

It’s crunchy, nutty and fantastic with the Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Currants. But then you break it down the middle and you get this gorgeous oozing magic of a Poached Egg:

Light, naturally creamy and luscious from the Egg Yolk, crunchy from the Socarrat Caramelized Rice Crust, this is SO GOOD! :blush:

Service has improved on this 5th visit compared to the early first two visits.

Kismet continues to deliver some interesting dishes. For meat lovers, the Rabbit for Two is a fun, delicious way to sample Rabbit Three Ways, with the Rabbit Stew being the highlight. Although I still love their Persian Cucumber Salad, Freekeh Fritters and the Malawah “Flaky Bread” (savory) the most. :slight_smile:

Hours:
7 Days A Week
10 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Kismet
4648 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Tel: (323) 409-0404

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Great report, thank you.

Thanks @Bookwich, hope you get a chance to try it. :slight_smile:

We tried Kismet finally last night for dinner. Here are some thoughts:

Arrived at 8:30pm on a Friday night. Restaurant was packed and our table was not available. We ended up getting some sparkling wine at the “bar” to kill about 30 minutes. Seated around 9:05pm finally. Starving at this point. In short, the food was delicious! I was a bit worried about not having much meat on the menu and going into our last course, I was still pretty hungry, but the lamb belly and custard dessert put us over the top.

Freekah fritters: piping hot, exterior crust crunchy, with sort of an oatmeal texture inside, liked the green sauce
fried cauliflower: second favorite dish b/c I love cauliflower
lemony chicken & pine nut pies: my favorite dish of the night, flakey and comforting, must order
persian cucumbers: extremely fresh, bright, and crisp;
lamb belly: didn’t come with anything but the lamb itself, but very rich and flavorful, a must order
barbari bread + tahini: a bit tougher bread than expected, but hearty, and the tahini really set it off
semolina custard, labneh sorbet with squash dessert, surprisingly great, squash was sweet

NV gruet sauvage new mexico methode champenoise: pretty nice and dry
grapefruit-anise soju punch: good flavor but just way too sweet for my palette; we finished a pitcher despite this

Total bill: $170 with 20% gratuity included. Food isn’t too heavy yet comforting the soul; very flavorful; one of most enjoyable dinners I’ve had this year. Service is friendly, but not sure it quite lives up to 20% mandatory gratuity yet given the wait time, having to flag down someone to order a drink at the bar, and given that we we hardly saw our server. Also, at one point we had 3-4 dishes on the table at once, so the entire meal was pretty quick. I’m sure these kinks will be worked out. We will return for sure.

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Hi @DTLAeater,

Thanks for the great report back! :slight_smile: Nice pics, and I’m glad to hear your dinner went well (besides the initial wait).

I love those Freekeh Fritters as well! :slight_smile:

And thanks for the tip on the Cauliflower, that was one dish we didn’t get a chance to try.

If you’re ever there for Brunch or Lunch, don’t miss out on their “Flaky Bread” (Malawah Bread), which is pretty amazing (much better than their Barbari).

My meal at Kismet was not quite as successful. Overall, the meal suffered from some of the same issues I have with MadCapra–the flavors are very muted, the seasoning is sometimes too light, and the dishes often become more about the sauces/accoutrements as opposed to the core item in the dish itself.

We started with cauliflower and freekeh fritters. Fritters were probably the best thing we had–nicely fried, savory filling, with a delicious sauce. The cauliflower was boring. Fried, but more oily than crisp. The yogurt basically overwhelmed the dish. Fine if you like yogurt, but nothing special.

The jeweled rice was probably the biggest letdown of the night for me. The rice was dry and there was not enough salt. The egg helped, but this was not something I went in for more of.

The hen of the woods mushrooms, at $18, were forgettable. Again, the dish was dominated by the component parts of yogurt and chickpeas.

The lamb was good, not great. I didn’t think the fat on the belly was rendered particularly well. I also thought it was a steep price for the small amount of lamb.

Overall, with one drink each, this came out to about 170 for two after tax and tip. So it also felt pretty overpriced. It was quite busy though!

Oh, and to be a little snarky, I didn’t try their dessert–but only because it sounded awful. It was described to us as a bitter dark chocolate cake with buckwheat ice cream and date caramel. Maybe it’s just me, but who actually wants that?

Not being snarky - not your bag! But I’d like to try that just the same.

Buckwheat can vary from subtle to nutty to earthy. I can see that in ice cream form playing against a dark chocolate. And date caramel is just pureed dates, but we’re lucky to be in SoCal where high quality dates can be sourced, and it is date season.

I’ve seen recipes where other ingredients like coconut sugar/syrup or tahini has been added. Kismet seems more than talented enough to create something beyond distinct and satisfying out of those ingredients. Just my opinion…

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Hi @Haeldaur,

Bummer about your meal. Glad to hear the Freekeh Fritters are still great.

The Jeweled Rice is interesting; we didn’t have any dry rice issues; it was crisped for some of the edges and generally moist enough, especially with the egg.

Re: Madcapra - Weird. We’ve never had issues with Madcapra’s flavors being too muted; usually it’s a bit too heavy at times for our 3 visits.