A Taste of The Tasting Kitchen

The Tasting Kitchen on Abbot Kinney is a deliciously trendy restaurant that pushes the limits of your palate.

Chef Casey Lane, along with head bartender Justin Pike and pastry chef Brooke Mosley work together to create a menu that is both modern and nostalgic all at once.

The perfect example of this was the first course in the five-course tasting menu I sampled. It began with a Tomato Bisque served in a small teacup right out of Alice in Wonderland.

The next four courses were served family-style. The soup was followed by an array of comfort foods like Rapini over Lentils and Sweet Breads.

Favorite Dish

My favorite course of the night was by far the pasta course! I had the good fortune of being at the table with a vegetarian, so along with a sublime Tagliarini pasta with Squid and Serrano, I enjoyed a Veggie Bolognese.  I generally wouldn’t have ordered anything meat-free but I definitely recommend it!

The Meat course was a sampling of the land and the sea. It included a melt in your mouth Branzino and a lovely tender Pork Dish.

The last course, dessert, was actually in two stages. The first “stage” was a tray of 3 deserts including a Lemon Napoleon with greens on top and an Olive Oil Cake. The “second stage went straight to the sweet – and melted my heart. It was a tray of Freshly Baked Cookies which took be right back to childhood. Lastly, we enjoyed some Chocolate Covered Honeycombs that must be what bees are willing to risk their lives for.

If You’re Eating Light

If you do not want to eat five courses, I recommend any pasta in the restaurant and a glass of wine from the sommelier (who PS also has a family guy character based on him!!!)

One of my favorite moments of the night actually happened when I was waiting for the bathroom, located next to the kitchen. Watching the waiters in plaid shirts coming and going in such a relaxed manner makes you feel like you’re eating with your closest friends.

It’s all about simple luxuries at The Tasting Kitchen.