Last night, I attended an Open House at Loft Appeal on 9th and Hill to meet Senior Lead Officer Mike Fernandez L.A.P.D. The food was provided by Calori Kitchen, thrilling me as I’ve been meaning to try their restaurant for a while. Almost everything that’s been written about Calori Kitchen bills it to be delicious.
The Meal: A buffet offering (remember it was an event) of mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, bread with an unusual tapenade, steamed broccoli, pasta with meat sauce, pasta with veggies and marinara sauce. There were also some cookies and wines, but I think that was provided by Loft Appeal.
Main thinker points:
1. Variety: The variety of offerings was generous considering they were likely donating the food.
2. Good: The tapenade was delicious. It looked like spring green hummus (though it was made with veggies)(which ones? i don’t know, green ones?), and it had a delicate flavor. They had spread it on some of their tasty bread, and it was a real treat.
3. Good: The veggie pasta with marinara was yum city. They put just enough marinara in the mix so it wasn’t at all liquidy.
4. Good: Being a vegetarian, I don’t know how the meat sauce turned out, but generally, if a restaurant can make a decent vegetarian dish, they’ve also licked the carnivore market.
5. Iffy: I wasn’t crazy about the steamed broccoli, but I hhhate broccoli, so maybe you should disregard my opinion.
6. Price: The meal was free because of the event, but the consensus of the reviews I’ve read is that prices are more than reasonable. One review reported a final bill around $20 for two!
Verdict: YUMMY!
I highly recommend giving this nondescript looking restaurant a try. They are located a couple doors down from the Golden Gopher. All of the downtown LA locals, including the suits, are abuzz about this new eatery addition.
Hours: Mon-Fri 11 am-3pm; Thu 6-9pm; Fri-Sat 6-10pm
Address: 429 West 8th Street, Los Angeles | (213) 622-5950
Website: N/A
Photo by Kanko* via Flickr
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Mahatma Kane Jeeves // Jan 30, 2008 at 10:12 am
I think little Mahatma is going to follow Big Al’s recommendation and try the Calori Kitchen for lunch tomorrow. And steamed broccoli is said to be quite good for one, even if it isn’t the tastiest food on earth. I usually smother my steamed broccoli with generous loads of butter, cheese, sour cream and bacon crumbles as way of making this most healthful food more enticing.
2 Big Al, the gal // Feb 11, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I went to the restaurant a day or two later. My group found it to be fantastic! The food, once again, was excellent, the service was stellar, and the ambiance was very SF. I promise “little Mahatma” (see above) left happy.
3 Big Al’s Downtown Food Review - Calori Kitchen | LA.CityZine.com - Los Angeles // Feb 13, 2008 at 4:00 pm
[...] When you walk into Colori, you are bound to receive a warm greeting and, on your second visit, a hug from Manager Joe Herrarte. The food is so consistently delicious and the service is so consistently familial, I had to write about them … again. [...]
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