The Tasting KitchenOne of the best in LAOustanding food, expert service, beautiful space, easily one of the best restaurants in LA (along with Piccolo, Shima, Superba in Venice - all doing very different things expertly). The tasting menu is outrageous and fun - and sometimes surprising in its pairings of dishes...all good!6/13/2013 12:00:00 AMTasting MenuWe had the 5 course tasting menu. lots of food! Food was delicious overall though a couple dishes were under whelming - e.g., pork loin & pasta and a couple too salty. Olive oil gelato was divine! Good service, beautiful restaurant.6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMAwesomeGreat food at a great price.... Flavorful and extremely fresh ingredients.6/9/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and Creative Wine ListGreat food; wonderful salad and really good pasta
Lots of interesting wines on the wine list
I've had dinner here 3 times and the food and
Wine is always great and the waitstaff is terrific6/5/2013 12:00:00 AMCool Food for Now PeopleSecond time going to the restaurant in two weeks and the meal was superb. I've gone from ordering entrees to recommending everyone share, and it has been terrific. Good vibe, excellent service, helpful staff. Good stuff.6/4/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious brunch surpriseSince it's brutally hard to get reservations for dinner (especially when you're not so great at advance planning), we decided to try out Tasting Kitchen's brunch. The burrata and tomato grilled cheese was obscenely rich but delicious. Waffles with fried chicken were also great, as was the hash. The sticky bun (for dessert) was slightly dry, but when you soak up the caramel sauce, it's great. Highly recommend a weekend stroll on Abbot Kinney followed by brunch/lunch here.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMReliable Tasting KitchenMy go-to brunch spot for foodie friends from out of town or when I'm looking to spoil myself on a Sunday. Best pastries around. Be prepared for a rich meal.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMcool atmosphere - top notch brunchGreat coffee, bloody mary, lavender scone, smoked salmon/tomato/goat cheese dish + 5 rad friends made for a fun time! Highly recommended.6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways great!Tasting Kitchen is always first on our list when we visit LA and it never disappoints. The food is always spot-on without trying too hard and the frequently changing menu is never trendy, just well-executed. The service is particularly good and the staff is well-trained. It seems the last few times we have visited, the restaurant has continued to increase its quality of service to a fine dining level, while still projecting the warmth and friendliness typical of a great neighborhood spot. Although some may find Tasting Kitchen a bit pricey, it is worth every penny for the level of ingredient quality and dedication to doing things right.5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous!Only the second time I'd been there. Last time was for dinner, and it was a VERY noisy Tuesday evening. This time was for Sunday brunch, and the noise level wasn't an issue, at all. The food was SUPERB both times. The brulee'd pink grapefruit was the perfect start to a tasty dining experience. I had the duck confit, spinach and eggs that just melted in my mouth. My dining partner had the waffles and fried chicken....which he devoured and said he'd never had better. Chicken had a perfect crust, and waffles held the syrup/butter magic in all the nicks and crannies. We had a great time. And we'll go back and try more, soon!5/25/2013 12:00:00 AMTasty Dinner at The Tasting KitchenI usually grab a cheese plate and either a handcrafted cocktail or a glass of wine in the bar while catching up with friends. But this time I had a table upstairs for a low-key birthday dinner. The ambience is cozy (bookshelf helps this) whileopen and spacious at the same time. We loved the clams, lentils, and butter lettuce salad. While everything was delicious, the lentils were a standout dish. The noise level was perfect for conversation, but wasn't so quiet we felt we were out in the boondocks. Overall, great. Can't get back there for dinner soon enough.5/22/2013 12:00:00 AMConsistently brilliantTo me, the best restaurant in LA. Original and interesting food, beautifully cooked and presented. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great wine list, with an excellent range by the glass. To put it in perspective: we were there this week for my birthday, and will be returning for my wife's - so, it's a treat to be there. However, at the same time, it's somewhere you'd be happy to drop by any time - if you could get a table.5/20/2013 12:00:00 AMThe Regular dinner is anything butIf you have the oportunity to do so, you need to try the regular dinner. It is pricy, but the everything that is brought out to you during this Tasting menu is amazing. It's obvious the the chef loves their job, because I could fall in love just based on the food made. Treated to exceptional service and attention to detail, I felt like royalty.5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMThe ingredients were highlyThe ingredients were highly considered--the put-together not so much. The butter lettuce looked beautiful, however the tarragon and blue cheese where kind of thrown on and dressing was splashed so the overall Taste did not unite.
The place-together of buratta, roasted tomato and basil did not make a succinct Taste either. The finish was a whole lotta buratta to chew with oil and hazelnuts.
The brazino was prepared to just-right-done--moist yet toothsome, but it was not boned completely. The olives with it were very Tasty, but tossed on.
The desserts did not tempt our Taste buds. I love to finish my meal with an intriguing sweet. But I feared it would be something of a heap of stuff like the other dishes.5/16/2013 12:00:00 AMAnother ttk nightI've been coming here regularly for the past year. It's the perfect date spot because it's charming, hip, and the food rustic yet perfectly executed. While their small plates and pastas are generally excellent, there main plates are very underwhelming and a bit overpriced. Try to avoid the hangar steak, which is tough, and boring. The branzino is a staple, but after having it once, I never felt compelled to retry. If you're going, order some charcuterie, and a couple small plates, then split a pasta. Or get two pastas to bring a snack home. Their menu does change regularly, so don't miss seasonal items. And their cocktails are the very best in la. They also have my favorite brunch menu, try the braised short rib hash.5/14/2013 12:00:00 AMTasting Kitchen rocks again!The food was better than expected. Every dish was unique and well presented. The wait staff was superb and very helpful navigating our guests through the menu. One of our party cannot tolerate alcohol and every dessert had some type of liquor in it. The kitchen sent her a lovely trio of gelato gratis. Very classy. Tasting Kitchen is the best of Abbot Kinney.5/13/2013 12:00:00 AMIt's a bit too loud, but theIt's a bit too loud, but the food makes up for it.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was excellent, serviceThe food was excellent, service superb. Sommelier was extremely helpful and generous.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMCan't wait to go back!An outstanding anniversary dinner last week at the Tasting Kitchen! Greeted with champagne and the 5-course tasting menu took it from there, divine!4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything wonderful but theEverything wonderful but the noise level. I think having loud music and patrons just misses the mark for making a 5 star experience.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMHad a wonderful dinner andHad a wonderful dinner and drinks. Great interior with a really fun atmosphere! Highly recommend this place for dinner!4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMVisited based on a friend'sVisited based on a friend's recommendation for my wife's Birthday. The entire staff was very friendly and the food far and beyond our expectations. My wife commented that it was the best Halibut dish she had ever had. The specialty cocktails are a must have as well.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMThe best food and the worstThe best food and the worst service! This was my second time there. Each course was terrific, nicely plated and an interesting blend of flavors. But the service was really awful...long waits at strange times, couldn't find the wine we ordered and took forever to come back and tell us, double charged us on an order, very little coordination with drinks. Sad. People are still flocking here, but they need serious work.4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMFood and drinks surpassedFood and drinks surpassed my expectations. Excellent service and amazing vibe in this place! Was also obsessed with the chairs, which were gorgeous and comfy.4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMAmazing food, ambiance, andAmazing food, ambiance, and service! Very creative menue.4/3/2013 12:00:00 AMFood from heaven, wait staffFood from heaven, wait staff were angels with the exception of our waiter who had a tiny bit of an attitude....3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious mealAmbiance was nice and cozy. We were upstairs so it was a little quieter than the downstairs. Decor is a nice combo of simple, casual, dark varnished wood tables and bar, and touches of steam punk here and there...chandelier encased in a metal sphere.
Hostess was VERY sweet and welcoming, may have been the assistant GM. Food was very tasty. Bread was yummy. Gnocco fritto w Salumi & burrata were delicious. I could have done without the gnocco fritto (fried puffed dough) my friend liked it though. Leg of lamb was my fav. The corzetti pasta w braised pork was tasty. Didn't care for the rigatoni noodles in the rigatoni lamb/anchovy pasta. Chicories salad was great! Drinks were great too! Nicely made cocktails like Varnish or 1886.3/26/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat!Over the top in every way that counts! Food was spectacular, service was spot-on even at the peak of business, and the cocktails were very well crafted!
Add this place to your "bucket list"3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMWE had the Chef's Choice -WE had the Chef's Choice - 3 courses. It was delicious, and enough food. I do not know what we would have done with the 5 courses.
Service was a little slow, and the maitre d returned to apologize twice. Plan ahead because reservations are hard to come by. We had a 9:45PM reservation, but got hungry so we sat at the community table. With friends, it would work, but with family, it was a little inconvenient. BUT all tha said, the food was unbelievably original and good.3/19/2013 12:00:00 AM