The Tasting Kitchen

While TV reboots should be put to bed (hot take), restaurant reboots—namely on Abbot Kinney—are reinvigorating the famed boulevard. See RVR (formerly MTN), the new and chicest location of BADMAASH, Damian's seafood-forward follow-up, San Damián, and now the second coming of The Tasting Kitchen. The iconic tasting-style Venice restaurant—a Jonathan Gold favorite and four-time James Beard semifinalist—shuttered in 2023 after a fire. And like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the restaurant is back stronger, and chef Casey Lane wiser.

The vibe: Olive trees are resilient, and The Tasting Kitchen's living centerpiece is a testament to that. The original tree was salvaged and preserved after the fire, and it grounds the light, airy space. Depending on where you sit, the energy shifts—the bar and communal dining area buzz, while the close-together tables in the dining room trade cross-talk about the food and LA's dining scene at large. Upstairs it gets quieter and more romantic, a lovely perch to watch it all unfold below. Come early enough to catch the natural light bouncing off the floor-to-ceiling drapes, marble and earthy tones. Later is its own thing—the lighting turns moodier, the vinyl or live DJ set (Thursdays and Saturdays) gets louder, and the energy ticks up a notch… into sexy territory. 

The drink: You've got Blake Antrobus—an alum of Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn and the Michelin-awarded team at Manzke—leading the cocktail charge, and the list naturally follows Lane's seasonal-produce ethos. Think a fresh passionfruit gin and tonic, or mezcal with Arava melon, lime and Oloroso sherry. Dirty-martini lovers will get their fix with the viscous, earthy TTK dirty martini, complete with smoked olive vodka and shio koji.       

The food: Start with the smoked olives, obviously. You'll find oldies like spaghetti pomodoro and bucatini or rigatoni all'Amatriciana (depending on the night), brought to bolder life with onion and tomato conserva. Lane's skill has always shone brightest with pasta, and the menu has plenty to choose from there. The cacio e pepe with a trifecta of pepper (pink, black, and white—which Lane charmingly and quizzically calls "very barnyard") is a standout, as is the Josper-oven mackerel escabeche, the boqueron-and-anchovy "matrimonio toast" with a buoyant spread of piquillo butter, and the luscious roasted mission figs with marinated ricotta and a hit of balsamic. With so many options and some pricier mains, it's worth investing in the tasting menu (four courses for $115, five for $135) and letting Lane take the helm. The beauty of it: he flows with the moment—and with any preferences you relay—so no two tables have the same experience. Call it chef's intuition. The carnivorous four-top next to us got a 50oz bone-in ribeye and picanha with chimichurri and bordelaise; we asked for a pescatarian-forward lineup, and Lane stunned us with a Dover sole bathed in caper beurre meunière, then finished us off with an eye-popping selection of farmers' market fruit on ice.

Time Out tip:  If you know Lane, you know he loves nothing more than scoring some gorgeous produce at the market and putting it to good use in the kitchen ASAP. On the menu, he calls the mystery dish “shepherding of God’s work,” and you should definitely order it.