Indeed, $125/person is actually pretty low for that level of food and wine in LA! I think that would’ve been at least $150-$200 at somewhere like Bestia/Republique etc…
In today’s email:
KISMET IN THE OUTDOORS!
AND THE RETURN OF RESERVATIONS
Join us under the stars above Hollywood Blvd!
Dinner service starts tonight, Thursday the 15th.
DINNER 4:30 to 9pm
https://kismetla.com/kismet-reservations
Does “above” mean on the roof?
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Peony: We went back to Kismet for the first time after COVID. The outdoor seating was really lovely in a sunny LA day. We ordered two types of Kombucha. I found Kombucha too sour for my taste in general. These two were no exception but I like grapefruit & rice a bit more. I had high hope in the dishes today as I noticed dishes in many restaurants have improved during Covid. Overall we enjoyed the meal and it was a good experience. But I find the dishes were not very flavorful in generaI. In particular, I couldn’t taste much of the intrinsic of the flavor of the ingredients such as the cauliflower and the fish.
Warrior: My impression is more positive. I find the food very flavorful. But i find it generally too salty and sometimes too oily. I would prefer that the main ingredients shine through more. The mushrooms, for example, are lost in the sweet onion and fruity olive oil. Sometimes there seem to be too many ingredients in one dish, like with the green beans, fennel, green tomatoes, etc. I agree that no dish was impressive and that we have had better experiences here in the past. I still would go back.
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Debuting on New Years Eve, Kismet becomes Kismet Steakhouse for NYE and the entire month of January! With a menu of riffs on classics—think shrimp cocktail and caesar salad, alongside a la carte steaks and sides—and a light-on-the-booze yet hitting-all-the-right-notes cocktail list, we’re playing with one of our favorite genres.
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the kismet story is interesting. at one point, among the hottest (maybe the hottest?) restaurants in LA — it was definitely the most popular among a certain east-side set. the buzz wears off, but it sticks around and ages into an old standby / neighborhood restaurant. but over the past 2 years or so, kismet seems revitalized — they revamped the menu, released a cookbook with a nationwide press tour, expanded into brunch, and are now doing this “steakhouse” run. i wonder what happened — you don’t often see this kind of arc with LA restaurants.
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probably when they dropped jon and vinny and got new partners.
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I think the chefs have always been creative and coming up with new ideas. Covid threw them off course for a while.
Kismet Steakhouse is a shocker.
Just judging based on ease of getting reservations, I don’t think Kismet is doing as well it was a few years ago. We don’t go there in person anymore because the tables are too close together and we can get delivery instead. We only get delivery every six months or so because the menu doesn’t change that much. I am glad to see them changing things up. But I wasn’t looking for Kismet Steakhouse. I always hoped they would expand into a bigger place.
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Kismet is a go to. I think they’ve found a really great groove in the last year. Reservations are easy to snag but every time I’ve gone it’s been full of walk ins and seems to be doing well.
All the dishes rly slap, other than charging for EVERY sauce (gimme all the sauces for a little $$ would be my ideal) it’s great.
I’m guessing they just want to do something fun for a month not that this is a sign of anything bad.
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January is a slow month for restaurants. Doing something different might be profitable.
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Hoping it’s something like St. Anselm pre Stephen Starr (for anyone millennials on here who spent some of the Obama years in Brooklyn).
I really like classic steakhouses but would love to see the Kismet touch on classic steakhouse sides etc.
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A great time in Williamsburg (as a resident from 2010-13)
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gah, love St. Anselm. Back in 2016-2017, it was the spot in nyc that I most wished was in LA. I was in Morningside Heights and made that trundle often. Special place.
Also loved Wildair of that era.
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Kismet Steakhouse continuing through February.
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