Kali Restaurant

This was a fantastic experience. We both did the Chef's Tasting Menu and it was phenomenal. It didn't rely on the same techniques between each course which is refreshing. In particular the black cod blew my mind. I often find black cod to be too soft and a little slimy, but the dry aging technique they used really eliminated that and it almost had the texture of halibut. The steak tartare dish was equally impressive. They also shined on the service. I can be a bit of a difficult customer with special cocktail requests and they rose to the occasion. It seems like they put a lot of effort into sourcing food and liquor and some of the staff had personal connections to the producers. After over 3 hours I am sure that my growing intoxication was jointly amusing and irritating to the staff but they not only tolerated me they made me feel like I was a regular.

The restaurant is large enough that it doesn't feel cramped by small enough that it's not too loud. I look forward to eating here again next time I'm in Los Angeles.

Kali is a one Michelin-star restaurant and a delight to eat at with friends on a weekend night. If you're craving a Michelin menu but don't want to wait months in advance, highly recommend Kali! You can find spots on weekends easily on OpenTable even last minute.

That being said, it's not my favorite of the one Michelin stars simply because of price- the price it places on its tasting menu puts it solidly in the two-Michelin price range for only a single Michelin star.

If it lived up to the two Michelin price, I would feel differently. However, the menu (with some hits and some misses) was solidly in the one Michelin category, which is a still a big compliment to the chef and Kali team.

The perks of Kali is that you can focus on the flavor and the food, rather than the high-end service; Kali is the most down-to-earth Michelin restaurant I've been to and it's a nice break from steam-pressed napkins.

Chef's Tasting menu as of March 2024

Beach house- favorite

Beef tartare with egg yolk sauce, and cuttlefish sauce- favorite

Market salad

Celery root with side of homemade sourdough loaf with rosemary butter

Cod was replaced with a pork ravioli with truffle shavings

Added uni pasta, which was an absolute fan-favorite and would be worth going back for

Cheese crisp was too salty and too strong, not a fan

Egg white gelato was the hands down star of the show, I would have licked my plate clean

(Probably missing a few items because I gave up on taking notes midway through and Kali doesn't provide a typed menu afterwards like most other Michelin restaurants I've been to due to their daily exchange of local ingredients)

All in all, Kali was a delight to be found in Hollywood. Truly California eating, and as our wonderful server said, the chef shops weekly at the local farmer's market and subs in ingredientes on the menu accordingly. Wonderful vibes and tasty uni pasta!

I came to Kali over the weekend for my friend's birthday (upon my recommendation because I have been wanting to come here for awhile) and I can wholeheartedly say that this restaurant is a scam and there are predatory business practices.

1. Forcing guests to buy bottled water: When the server came to our table and asked if we want still or sparkling, we said still (no mention of tap or bottle). Then a bottle of still water appeared and we collectively had 3 bottles of water throughout the course of our dinner. Coincidentally it wasn't until we finished our meal that they gave us tap water. Where was this tap water during the meal- who knows? All I know is that this added $24 (yes $8 a bottle) to our $1,000+ meal. I have been to multiple high end restaurants and have never had the waiter never even ask us if we wanted tap water, thereby forcing bottled water on us. Very predatory.

2. Terrible service: Our server was very unfriendly and a bit of a lurch. A long face and zero enthusiasm whatsoever. Also, they put 4 people at a table that was clearly for 2. Meanwhile they had big corner tables, no one bothered to seat us there. I assumed it was for a larger party but NOPE. They ended up putting a party of TWO at a table that was clearly too big for them. Maybe the host likes cramping larger groups onto smaller tables where they have barely any room to place all their food and drinks...

3. Awful food: By far, this is the most offensive and upsetting. They are charging $195 for a 5 course meal. 3 of the courses are on the menu for collectively $94 (duck breast, meringue gelato, and crowded beach). Thus, they are expecting people to believe that the two non-protein dishes are worth $100 (3 asparagus spears and pea risotto). For food that is mediocre at best, the tasting menu is a scam.

I am deeply disappointed with every aspect of this meal and I hope someone finds this review helpful to avoid my experience and spend their hard earned money on a place that is providing quality food rather than mediocre food and bad attitudes.

The desserts were out of this world!

Restaurant: Kali

Cuisine: "Local and hyper-seasonal farmers' market ingredients with a contemporary twist and Californian sensibilities."

Chef: Kevin Meehan
Chef Meehan was born in Long Island, New York. He began his career working at a fried chicken restaurant in his youth and then ventured to Johnson & Wales University for culinary training. When Chef Meehan moved to Los Angeles, he worked under Chef Ludo Lefevre (see my previous post ) at L'Orangerie and worked at other esteemed restaurants before going on his own to open Kali with a lifelong friend, Drew Langley, who is Kali's wine director.

VENUE
Kali restaurant was established in 2016. The restaurant is cozy with wood table tops and modern lighting fixtures.

FEATURED FOOD
*Beef Tartare "Cigar" (charcoal essence, yolk emulsion, $22) - Tasted and had to order another one
*Caviar Service (California white sturgeon, creme fraiche, whole grain blini fried shallots, $140)
*Dry Aged Ribeye Steak (flannery beef, 16 oz.,$110)
*Liberty Farms Duck Breast (beet, sorrel, cherries, pistachio, $50) - delicious blend of citrus and sweet
*Passionfruit Sorbet (pistachio crumble, mango gelee, $12) - !!!! My favorite. The best sorbet I've EVER had
*Meringue Gelato (straus cream, salt cured egg yolk, straus family farms, $14) - Wow! What a delicious, creative masterpiece
*Chocolate Cremeux (cocoa soil, meyer lemon curd, $14)
*Cheese Dessert - Not currently listed on the menu. We reconnected with a waiter that we knew for years from dining at the former Papilles Los Feliz, who brought us this delight. My husband's eyebrows raised upon first taste

RESERVATIONS
OpenTable
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday 6pm-9:30pm
Valet Available
Indoor seating
Dress Code: None enforced
T: (323) 871-4160
Info@kalirestaurant.com

This is probably my favorite New American restaurant right now. WILL BE BACK!!!

Came here for dinner the other night and it was a phenomenal experience. Kali restaurant is a Michelin 1 star organic, farm-to-table, new American California-focused restaurant.

Made a reservation and my table was ready upon arrival. Dining is available at the bar, including some seats that feature a view of the open kitchen, or in the dining room. There is no dress code at Kali and most diners were dressed casually with some opting to dress up.

The menu features a la carte dining or tasting menus with raw oysters and uni, both of which I'm not a huge fan of. Opted for a la carte and started off with the market salad which was breathtaking. There were a ton of vegetables, some cooked, some raw, some cured and some not. I loved the contrast in textures and flavors. Everything was super duper fresh.

The complimentary bread was decent and came out warm with some butter.

Opted for the duck breast entree and it was fantastic. The skin was super crispy while the inner part of the breast was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The squash and nuts that complemented this dish were phenomenal. Portions were gigantic...quite unlike a 1 star restaurant...

Opted to skip dessert and the staff brought over a truffle to end the meal which was splendid.

~$111/head after tax, gratuity, along with a 5% staff appreciation fee.

The restaurant specializes in California minimalist and fresh cuisine. Before coming, I was warned that it might be hit or miss, so I had to try the Chef's Menu for myself. The first course was salmon sashimi with cucumber, which was refreshing. The second course of beef tartare made to look like a cigar on a bone got points for creativity, but it was a bit too gamey. The asparagus was light and fresh, perfect for spring, and I really enjoyed the simplicity of it. The pea and fava bean risotto with truffle was fragrant and light. The black cod was a bit overcooked and the skin wasn't crispy, but it was saved by the accompaniments. The first main course, the duck, had crispy skin but was a bit dry and uneven in doneness. The ribeye, which was substituted for the lamb for me, was a bit tough and not to my liking. The cheese course was too salty for my taste as I'm not a big fan of pure cheese. The dessert, salted egg yolk ice cream, was the highlight of the meal for me and saved the otherwise lackluster dinner. Overall, Kali doesn't use high-quality ingredients and the flavors are quite mild, lacking in uniqueness. If you have high expectations for food, you may be disappointed. However, I personally enjoy lighter flavors, so I found the vegetable dishes to be decent. Unfortunately, the seafood and meat dishes weren't up to par, and I don't plan on returning.

All things considered this was a great dining experience and a fantastic way to end 2023. Thanks chef for such beautiful and tasty food. Tonight it looked like it was a full house. Music was a tad loud and I don't think anymore sets of tables and chairs can fit into this establishment.

Had the fixed price menu for NYE; plus ordered a couple drinks and a dozen oysters from the add-on side menu.

Instead of the house made bread with rosemary butter (which was really good too!) I think my dinner companion would have traded the bread for another dozen oysters.

Yes, the oysters were really fresh and the vinegar/cucumber (?) oyster sauce balanced each half shell nicely.

Some minor things, could just be my aging palate...

The cod was perfectly cooked. The added finishing salt on it was not needed.

A bread roll in the middle of dinner is also not necessary. I'm not so convinced that it belongs in between protein plates.

The timing on the filet mignon is such a hard thing to do; it seemed a little on the rare side (my dad would have complained that it was still mooing; but he once ordered this same cut of meat and asked for it to be well done at a Seattle area restaurant. ) Kind of.. chewy and hard to cut with the knife provided. The portion was small and I scarfed it down.

The dessert (cocoa sand, chocolate mousse) was so rich that I wondered why the waiter did not ask if we wanted coffee (or another drink that pairs with chocolate) with the dessert. This would have tasted awesome with coffee.

If my friend and I are back in town at the same time, we'd probably try this restaurant again but not on a Xmas or NYE night. The a la carte or chef's choice looks interesting.

I came here for the special New Year's Eve prix fixe menu. This was December 31 2024 at 6pm
On Sunday. The chef came out to say hi as he plated the ravioli with truffle which was a nice surprise. Big fan of all the seafood especially their black cod. Unfortunately my steak had an unpleasant vein of gristle. I almost sent it back but my friends steak was fine and I wasn't in the mood to sour the atmosphere. The chocolate cremux desert was a bit of a disappointment and in fact our neighbors refused to eat it and were given another option. Given my experience I would very much like to come back again when there isn't an event crowd. The space is small so the noise level can get a bit high when filled. I do believe the ambiance and food would be better on a regular day. Service was utmost professional and have no complaints there. Parking is on the terrible side. I actually came early and went straight to valet. They basically take your car and find street parking for you. If I'd known that I would've parked it myself. There is street parking right in front as it opens up but before 6pm it's a driving lane so being the first to park seems sketchy as traffic has all of a sudden learn to swerve around your stationary car.

This is definitely a Michelin 1 star.

Had the 9 course chefs tasting menu and added the uni pasta. Here are my thoughts.

Service was solid. Attentive. Described the dishes. As expected for a restaurant of this calibre. Also, gave me a black napkin for my black pants.

The meal started off very strong. Asparagus was perfectly cooked with excellent sauce. Beef tartare was unique and probably the best I ever had. Truffle risotto was phenomenal.

Then it went downhill.

Every main course was average to disappointing. The sturgeon had promise with the caviar but was a bit undercooked and too tough. The sauce was too tangy and a little overpowering.

Duck breast was ok but the accruements were uninspired. Mistifyingly, they decided to also serve my uni pasta add on as a side at the same time. While that dish was excellent, the creamy sauce of the pasta conflicted with the tangy sauce of the duck breast.

NY steak course had way too much sauce. Plus the steak was too tough. Cooked perfectly but way too tough. If the meat is good it doesn't need to be drenched in sauce.

Textures of cheeses was a taste adventure. Excellent.

Meringue gelato was nice.

Overall there were some incredible dishes and a there were a few pedestrian dishes. Overall it's a Michelin star meal. But likely a lower tier one that can still be considered good.

Decor was nice but minimalistic.

Wow! I've always wanted to try Kali and it was well worth the wait. We were greeted by Drew (formerly of Providence) who recommended some amazing wines for us. Some of the best wine I have tasted, and it makes sense, considering he is the co-owner and wine director. Ambience was nice and chill, but not pretentious or cold. The staff was all stellar and the service, impeccable.

We ordered a bit of everything, so I guess I'll start with the "opening acts." The beef tartare cigars were unlike any tartare I've had. Full of flavor but not overwhelming...you got a nice hint of charcoal that didn't overpower the flavor of beef. Next was the crowded beach, and a beautiful presentation (wood topped with smooth pebbles, sea shells, and great bites. My favorites were the caviar and prawn.

Right after came the black barley risotto, and asparagus spears. Both were stellar...I'm not sure how one gets asparagus to taste completely different than I'm used to, but chef Kevin did. It was so subtle, yet had a delicious citrus flavor that left us wanting more.

Next we split the dry aged duck, dry aged Flannery Beef ribeye, and cod. I'm usually not a fan of duck but wow. So flavorful and tender. The dry aged ribeye was also such intense flavor...buttery but earthy and complex. We had different wines for every course and Drew knew the perfect pairing for each bite.

Finally we finished with a meringue gelato. It is this beautifully silky ice cream that they shave a salt and sugar cured egg yolk over. That brings out these amazing hints of sweet and salt to the ice cream. It really is beautiful in presentation and delicious.

It's obvious why Kali is Michelin star rated. Everyone from the owners to the bussing staff takes great pride in what do, and they deliver an unforgettable meal. Run, don't walk...this is unpretentious fine dining from talented (and cool) owners.