I booked Kali as soon as I started reading great reviews about it. Johnathan Gold from the Los Angeles Times for example voted it #2 Best restaurant in LA. The date was still a while away so I just chose the Saturday before our actual anniversary as I was afraid I would have to be away on the actual date (sniff).
Kali is in West Hollywood which may as well mean a totally different town from the West LA world we have been living in. West Hollywood seems way buzzier and more fun, but sadly we are confined to the West for work reasons (someone described the 405 highway to us as an ‘uncrossable river’ during rush hour).Kali Restaurant Los Angeles Review
Kali has a minimalist and simple decor and a small menu. Our waitress was very friendly and knew the menu well and highly recommended their pasta.
What we ate:
Charred avocado salad: with shaved vegetables, pistachio, kale and some other kind of vegetable. The avocado was ripe and delicious and the salad was good but not memorable.
Charred avocado salad at Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
Cavatelli pasta: she said this was her favorite dish and since I am a sucker for cavatelli I had to order it. Unfortunately this was a bit of a shrunken version of the long twisty specimen I have previously encountered. It was tossed in a creamy crème fraîche sauce with local peppercorns and wilted arugula. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the sauce was good but not wow.
Cavatelli pasta at Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
Black barley risotto: this is their signature dish and has been on the menu for a long time. The barleys was al dente and prepared with creamy black garlic, toasted cheese tuille and wheatgrass oil. Once again nice but not craveable.
Black barley risotto at Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
Steak with burnt onion, potatoes, rosemary. Delicious tender meat, flavorsome and yummy.
Steak with burnt onion, potatoes, rosemary at Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
They brought us a mousse cake with a candle for the anniversary which was a nice touch and tastier than their signature dish of meringue ice cream with shaved egg yolks. Sadly I found it plain and could barely taste any yolk, which I would have loved as many Brazilian deserts are made with copious amounts of yolk and sugar.
Desserts at Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
Signature dessert at Kali Restaurant LA
In sum: cute and good food but not amazing and not a must go back. Sadly still keeping the search for places I love in this new city.
Menu at Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
Dessert Menu at Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
Interior of Kali Restaurant LA
Interior of Kali Restaurant LA
Kali Restaurant Los Angeles
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