Tag Archives: Hollywood Restaurants

May 31, 2018 · 9:21 am

Melrose Place

While looks aren’t everything, when it comes to food, it’s certainly true that we eat with our eyes first. Great chefs know this and no chef in Los Angeles is more talented in composing visually stunning plates than Kevin Meehan. At Kali, Meehan expertly arranges colorful edible flowers, delicate dehydrated lemon slices and wispy pea tendrils to create beautiful works of art.

Besides looking amazing, the seasonal California cuisine and drinks at Kali taste pretty awesome too. I recommend starting your meal with a “New Pad Thai” cocktail made with Green Chili Vodka, Aqua Perfect, Lime and Coconut Ice, and garnished with bean sprouts and a thin slice of carrot. Enjoy your cocktail with an order of Kali’s signature Black Barley “Risotto” with Fermented Garlic Tea and Fiscalini Cheese Crisp. For entrees, I recommend the Ribeye with Buttermilk Garlic Cream, Charred Onion, Potato, Mushrooms and Ash Sabayon, and the Duck Breast with Smoked Sunchoke, Sage, Squash and Coffee. For dessert, go for the hot sugary Buttermilk Doughnuts. You’re welcome.

Kali is located at 5722 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles (on the border between Hollywood and Larchmont).

Cocktails! New Pad Thai (St. George Green Chili Vodka, Aqua Perfecta, Lime and Coconut Ice) and On_the_DL (Vida Mezcal, Blood Orange, Salt & Pepper, Lime and Jalapeño)

Ridgeback Prawns with Citrus, Nasturtium, Pickled Kumquat, Chive Oil and Preserved Lemon Foam

Yellowtail Crudo with Charcoal, Avocado, Rice Chips, Nasturium and Charred Lemon

Beet Root Tartare with Whipped Creme Fraiche, Tender Garden Herbs, Black Garlic Vinagrette and Toast

Burrata Salad with Dill Pickled Carrots, Almond Granola, Mustard Frills and Whole Grain Toast

Black Barley “Risotto” with Fermented Black Garlic Tea, Wheat Grass and Fiscalini Cheese Crisp

Agnolotti with Smoked Parsnip, Egg Yolk Pasta, Fermented Turnips, Burnt Kale Oil and Almonds

Duck Breast from Liberty Farms with Smoked Sunchoke, Sage, Squash and Coffee

Black Cod with English Peas, Mint Oil, White Chocolate, Almond and Pea Tendrils

Ribeye with Buttermilk Garlic Cream, Charred Onion, Potato, Mushrooms, Ash Sabayon

Pork Loin with Tahitian Squash, Potato Gnocci, Raisin Gremolata and Swiss Chard

Duck Breast with Whipped Polenta, Fermented Blackberry, Fava, Coffee Oil and Kombucha

Bass with Preserved Lemon Steam, Tomato Raisins, Fermented Fennel-Kraut, Garden Herbs and Olive Foam

Buttermilk Doughnuts

Cool, modern and minimalist decor

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Filed under Hollywood, Larchmont, Mid-City

Tagged as beautiful food, cali menu, cali restaurant, chef kevin meehan, Hollywood Restaurants, kali, kali kevin meehan, kali larchmont, kali los angeles, kali melrose, kali menu, kali restaurant, kali restaurant los angeles, kali restaurant menu, larchmont restaurants

August 12, 2015 · 7:23 am

Son of a Birch

I’ve often heard that when God closes a door, he opens a window. I’ve recently found this to be true, except instead of God, it’s Chef Brendan Collins, and the door he closed was at Waterloo & City, his now-defunct modern British gastropub in Culver City. The opened window is Birch, Collin’s impressive new foodie haven of shared plates and creative cocktails. Nestled among the wood paneled bars and velvet-roped lounges of Hollywood, Birch and its stellar cuisine are welcome additions to a neighborhood where appearances are everything and, especially in the case of restaurants, form usually dominates at the expense of substance.

The menu is eclectic and seasonally driven. Of the dishes I’ve tried, my favorites are the Sweetbreads with Potato Gnocchi, Cauliflower and Preserved Lemon, the Hamachi with Grapefruit, Horseradish and Olive Oil (pictured above) and the Red Wine Foie Gros Risotto, which is so amazing it overshadows the Roast Baby Chicken that it accompanies. I also recommend the Rabbit Baklava with Bing Cherries, White Beans, Pistachios and Carrots. For dessert, the way to go is the hot Skillet Toffee Pudding with Burnt Sugar and Ice Cream “Defo Share.” Everyone loves a Hollywood ending and this one does not disappoint.

Birch is located at 1634 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles (in Hollywood).

Za’atar Flatbread with Persian Yoghurt

Rabbit Baklava with Bing Cherries, White Beans, Pistachios and Carrots

Sweetbreads, Potato Gnocchi, Cauliflower and Preserved Lemon

Grilled Salmon Wrapped in Birch Wood

Roast Baby Chicken with Red Wine Foie Gras Risotto and Bitter Greens

Skillet Toffee Pudding with Burnt Sugar and Ice Cream “Defo Share”

An eclectic menu

In the heart of Hollywood

Pikey, Me Likey

Call it the “New British Invasion.” Â Modern English gastropubs have been regularly opening on this side of the pond for the past couple of years. Â My favorite in Los Angeles is The Pikey. Â Its dark wood, brass rail and mirror-laden decor reminds me of the pubs I frequented when studying abroad in England during college; the perfect place to down a pint of ale. Â But The Pikey is more than just a cool-looking place to drink, and is not, as they say in London, “all fur coat, no knickers.” Their elevated British pub grub is abso-bloody-lutely delicious!

My favorite dish is the Fish and Chips. Â The golden battered snapper is crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, and the thrice cooked chips (what we Yanks refer to as “fries”) are gobsmackingly good. Â I’m also a fan of the Curried Cauliflower, Mary’s Vinegar Chicken, and the brilliant Crispy Pig’s Ear Salad with Young Kale and Mustard. For dessert, I suggest getting either the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butterscotch and Clotted Cream or The Pikey’s “Fool” of the day, a smashing concoction of puréed seasonal fruit, whipped cream and sugar. Â Blighty-themed cocktails such as the “Laddie Dill” (vodka, cucumber, dill, lime, salt and pepper) and “The Guvnor” (gin, lemon juice, egg whites and bitters) will have you saying things like “it’s the dog’s bollocks!” and “Bob’s your uncle” in no time.

The Pikey is located at 7617 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (in Hollywood).