Pardon my hiatus on publishing of late. My excuse is the planning and execution of a solo culinary trip to Italy. I look forward to sharing on that another time! I am now back to Los Angeles and will share about a gem that I have close to my home. Kismet. A simple and clean ambiance greets me as I enter the airy space. The place is intended for connecting over shared plates of Mediterranean taste created by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson. The food is sourced from local small farms with relationships created and cultivated between the farmers and the chefs.
Marinated feta with tomato, grapefruit, and marigold
Upon reading the spartan menu that listed these ingredients, I was hesitant to believe it would be more than the simple ingredients plated together. However, my first bit revealed it to be so much more complex and delightful than it sounds! The salty and smooth feta played against the creamy olive oil and tart grapefruit, enhanced further by the acidic tomatoes, and finally herbal marigold leaves. This was a treat that remained simple in one regard, but was unexpectedly subtle layers of flavor. It made me excited to continue ordering. This was accompanied by Barbari bread.
Barbari bread
I tend to avoid bread unless I am confident that it will be a fantastic bread rather than the often disappointing nothingness of flavor that I end up with. This one was dense and toothsome with a crust on the outside and soft, but still dense interior. It was neutral, but nicely seasoned. Overall, it was worth a taste.
Persian cucumbers with white nectarine, rosewater lebneh, parsley seed za'atar
Again, although the ingredients lead me to believe this would be easy to throw together with fresh ingredients, it came together in lovely harmony. The watery fresh light cucumbers danced next to the honey like sweetness of the nectarine. The subtle, but all important, complexity was delivered with floral rosewater to contrast the tart lebneh and crunchy lemony spices.
Eggplant with plum, hazelnut, tarragon
The roasted richness of eggplant was a delightful base for the dish that was played against the rich hazelnut. Ribbons of mild onion and sweetness of plum were the unexpected additions, making the plate unique. My disappointment was from the parsley, which was a woody variety. The large flat leaf served to clash against the other flavors in my mouth rather than complimenting them.
Lamb belly with roasted lettuce, carob, meyer lemon
I found this dish to be composed of a richly fatty meat, yet without having a distinctly separate fat layer. This made it very soft and palatable. The meat was warm and heavy in contrast to the lettuce that had a slight char and it was all enhanced by the rich broth. A hearty and homey dish that retained complex taste without being particularly unusual.
I enjoyed each thing that I tasted to the extent that I would want to have a bit of everything on the menu! Well done!
