Kali Restaurant

Los Angeles, California

Kevin Meehan, functioning as the co-owner and chef at Kali Restaurant, has a strong background with apprenticeship at the Michelin starred restaurant L'alban Chambon, which he then followed by the line up of these restaurants: L'Orangerie, Bastide, Citrine, Patina, and Cafe Pinot. He did not disappoint me and I feel confident that others will feel equally pleased when they visit. By Kevin Meehan's side is Drew Langley, the co-owner and wine director. He began at Greenblatt's Delicatessen and then moved to the Wine Merchant. In reading about him, I learned that the two became acquainted at L'Orangerie, Bastide, and Citrine. It impresses me that he then served as Wine director at Providence, a restaurant that I personally enjoyed immensely. Here is what I had the pleasure of enjoying at Kali Restaurant:

Burn Zone Gem
Bowen's whiskey, Corbin Cash sweet potato liqueur, Heering, Luxardo.
A fantastically creative integration of complex sounding ingredients, unless you actually know each of them. It is actually a classic combination of cherry and whiskey with a mildly different profile from the spiciness associated with sweet potato (cinnamon, anise, et cetera).



New pad Thai
St. George green chili vodka, agua perfecta, lime, coconut ice.
This drink delivered on the actual promised flavor of pad Thai! I loved how creative this was, but can imagine that the flavor profile may be too bold for some. For me, constantly seeking all tastes creative and unique, I loved it!

Black barley "risotto", black garlic, toasted cheese
The black garlic and toasted cheese was a delightful savory combination. The texture of the barley was a runny porridge like consistency and was too great in volume, with that comment based solely on how it played together in the texture of the entire dish, resulting in somewhat viscid spoonfuls.





Lamb, date, pecan, purlane
I typically enjoy the deep earthy taste of lamb. This dish was very good and more to my personal taste preference than the steak due to the full flavor of the meat in contrast to the cleanness of the hanger steak. Most memorable of this plate was the way the greens added textural interest and  also carried the other flavors that served as a means to deliver the sauce that could coat them like a dressing.




Hanger steak, burnt onion, fingerling potato, bitter herb oil
This dish delivered on flavor from the rich sauce. It was texturally pleasing, too. The meat was nicely cooked for my preference of being rare, but without the tastiness afforded by a cut with greater fat content. I would have intensified the herb oil considering that the volume was provided only in minuscule drips across the plate, which did not adequately disperse against the other aspects in the dish.

Meringue gelato candied egg yolk
Cured in equal parts salt and sugar
This was reviewed as such an unparalleled highlight offered on the menu that perhaps my expectations were too grandiose, but I found this dessert lackluster. It was mildly sweet and overall plain. I have cured egg yolk in salt and sugar at home and it came out with a more intense flavor with a saltiness that allowed for the tiny shavings to be a salt substitute. Therefore, I was prepared for this to be similar to a salted ice cream, but in fact, it was simply plain, albeit not unpleasant in the least.



Globally, this was an enjoyable experience and I would easily recommend the spot to others! Nicely creative ideas that I believe would generally be impressive to a diner more typical than myself who is not looking for every bite to be unusual. The featured ingredients on each dish were beautifully prepared and accompanied by complimentary flavors. Enjoy!