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Taking Comfort In The Kitchen in Silver Lake, California

Posted by Damon Gambuto, February 4, 2009 at 4:15 PM

Sometimes I want dinner to be easy. I want the familiarity of cooking for myself without the hassle. I want to get out of my house, but I don’t want to go far. I want somebody else to cook me what I want to eat. Oh, and I don't want to have to know what I want. That is to say, I don't want to ask myself what kind of food I’m feeling. I want a neighborhood spot that will—for a fair price—take away all of the weight of figuring out how to feed myself. A neighborhood spot that is reliable, straight forward, and comfortable.

Doubtless most of you have a place that immediately jumps to mind. I used to, but having recently moved to the East Side of Los Angeles, I’m still getting to know my neighborhood. Luckily, my most recent introduction feels like a neighbor I can rely on. The Kitchen is located on the backside of a building that sits on the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Fountain Avenue. It would be fair to say that this is the gateway to Silverlake, Los Angeles’ hipster/Bohemian neighborhood. Of course, we are talking a decade after this particular neighborhood "happened," but it’s recently happened to me so my interest is rekindled.

A Neighborhood Spot

I’ve been to The Kitchen before. In fact, I came by very early in its life (about eight years ago) to sample a meatloaf that was much talked about. I remember really enjoying it. I could easily have found myself looking to replay that meal in hopes of finding anew the magic of our first encounter. But I am all grown up and I don't fool myself into thinking relationships are at their best during the blush of the new. I want the familiar, the trustworthy, and the comfortable. I want a burger.

I pull into the parking lot and find it illuminated by a neighboring theme park of a McDonald's. There's a playground that sits like an art installation piece behind twenty-foot walls of glass. Their sign reminds me: "Billions Served." Billions and they still can't get it right. I’ll take my chances on the Kitchen.

I walk around the back side of the building that the restaurant shares with a Silverlake original, Akbar. It's a Moroccan-themed bar with a great jukebox and, I would later learn, plays a part in my dinner. The exterior of The Kitchen is arresting as the owners had artist David Choe put up a wall-covering mural that gives the give you the signal that—at the very least—they tried to make this restaurant their own.

The interior is all cement and industrial. Another art piece covers one wall, but otherwise the space is stripped down to its rough-hewn underneath. Somehow the design—which many would call cold—is comfortable. I take my seat by the window underneath a neon "OPEN" sign that creates a friendly red-orange glow. Looking around I take in the Eastside LA casting call of a clientele: young hipsters, aging creatives (yes, that would be me), and some older Bohemians who were the pioneers who first put the renewal in this urban neighborhood. I count no fewer than three face piercings and see tattoos peaking out from sleeves, along with tattoos that are the sleeves in their own right. The style has changed, but substantively it feels every bit the neighborhood.

The Delicious Burger with Bun Issues

The menu offers some great looking choices, but I’m here to take care of me, not attend to a chef’s imagination. There is a cheeseburger prominently displayed, but one note on its preparation strikes some discord in my anticipation: honey wheat bun. Okay, I don't have anything against honey or whole wheat, but I'd prefer they stay away from my burgers. I order it anyway. I hit my medium rare temperature request hard, hoping my tone will scare off the hippie in the kitchen and someone will find me a proper white bun.

The plate arrives with a hearty helping of fast food-style fries and my burger lying open-faced. The beauty of the plate makes me forget that there looks to be a brown bun underneath this gorgeous tableau of meat and cheese. I want an easy dinner (which means I want my burger with a white bun), but I am here in professional capacity so I bite the burger bullet.

The flavors immediately come together. A fantastic grind of 80/20 meat from Harvey Guss's Meat Company is nicely charred, although there could be some more heat from the grill to add a little more carbon on the exterior. However, not being a Pittsburgh styler, the most important to me is the interior temperature—I want pink, but that doesn't mean raw. The Kitchen’s kitchen got that part just right. The burger is very nicely cooked.

The cheese and onions are a sparkling duet. The cheddar is the sharp variety from Tillamook (which suits me just fine) and the onions are sautéed—you know, like a cook actually paid attention to them. They are oily and soft with a hint of caramelization to add some sweetness, not the brown glob of paste that defiles so many burgers. The fat of the burger along with the cheese, onion and tangy Dijon mayo gives that interior that hearty, buttery quality that is exactly what I’m looking for in my burger and my easy dinner for that matter. The lettuce and tomato are sturdy in their supporting roles.

A Bun-ectomy

Now for the bun. As I continue through my burger I am more and more aware of this bun from Breadworks. This alone should set off alarm bells. A burger should be a holistic experience, not an experience in whole wheat. The bun stands out and not in the good way. Don't get me wrong—I can enjoy honey wheat bread. I like it with tuna salad or sandwiching some brie and pear, but the texture and sweetness aren't a match for my burger. A bun should support a burger, not compete with its flavor. What am I to do? I ask if there is another bread options not listed on the menu and the waiter suggests I try it with their focaccia roll (from the Melrose Baking Company). That doesn’t sound like a complete fix, but I am willing to give it a try.

I fill the time waiting for the new bun with some fries. They are dusted with an herb blend, but rosemary is mostly what I smell and taste. As I'm not very into the herb-ification of french fries, that element is lost on me. That said, they are a steady and solid iteration of the variety.

After waiting a couple of minutes I am staring at a nicely toasted focaccia roll that could pass as a homemade burger bun. I perform a little bun transplant on what remains of the interior of my burger. The focaccia bun is surprisingly spongey and hearty, and actually suits my burger very well. My recommendation is to order it that way from the get-go. That said, if you like a wheat bun, you won't find many better burgers paired with one in Los Angeles.

On my way out I chat with co-owner Fred Schleicher about how The Kitchen began. He tells me how he and a couple of buddies were regulars at Akbar and had wanted to open a restaurant in the up and coming neighborhood. The place next door to Akbar, Ah Yee’s Kitchen, was a cheap Chinese joint for years until Mr. Ah died and the family didn't have the will to maintain the space. Fred and his cohorts jumped in and today the restaurant is run by Fred and his partner Mark Motonaga, the architect of the space and an architect in general. The two are totally hands on—the pride and care they take in the place is readily apparent.

Fred lights up when as he tells the story about how the restaurant came together. He mentions that he sort of fell into the neighborhood and soon after fell in love with it. I can see his eyes darting over my head trying to make sure his customers are taken care of, so I say my goodbye and head back into the evening.

I walk back to my car and look at the mural exterior of The Kitchen and the diners framed in the windows. Everyone looks at ease and engaged. Everyone living their own lives, but I imagine not so different then mine. They too probably wanted an easy dinner—a place outside of their home that doesn’t feel too different from it. They, like me, just wanted to eat dinner in a place as comfortable as The Kitchen.

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Tags: AHT reviews, California, Damon Gambuto, LA, reviews, Silver Lake, Southern California, The Kitchen