Kismet

Modern Middle Eastern cuisine in a fave LA nabe

by Patrick Janelle

I first met Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson, the chef duo behind the LA hotspot, Kismet, shortly after Kramer opened Glasserie, a Middle East Mediterranean-focused restaurant in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint, in 2013. I was cycling through the neighborhood one weekend, and after the factory facade of the new restaurant caught my attention, I stopped in for an afternoon drink. The airy dining room, which occupied a former glass factory, was empty, save for a husband and wife who occupied a table in the corner next to the window. The woman, surreptitiously watching my movements as I maneuvered around tables and across the room, attempting the perfect Instagram photo, later asked me to join them for a drink, her curiosity piqued. I was equally curious when I learned they lived in Manhattan, mentioning that they had been following the chef for a long time. I hadn’t even heard of the restaurant, let alone the chef, so I was excited when, minutes later, Sara arrived at the table with a fluffy pile of her now-famous flaky bread, and the couple introduced me. It was Kramer who broke the news: the reason that the couple were such assiduous fans was because they were, in fact, her parents.

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Pro Tips

Pro Tips

• Space

  The long, low-slung space is clad in blond wood, and every seat in the house is set along a banquette on one of the outer walls.

• Things to know

  Unlike most LA restaurants, there is no dedicated valet. But if you need to drop your keys, you can do so with the valet of Bar Covell, a few storefronts down.

• Best for

  A quiet solo morning or a bustling night out with friends.

• Standout dishes

  You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, which frequently changes based on the season. But there are a few evergreen menu items which are a must order: lamb belly, a side of jeweled crispy rice, and that signature flaky bread that comes with the “rabbit for two” is worth the decadent order.

A few months later, Hymanson joined Kramer in the kitchen at Glasserie as her sous chef, and it didn’t take long for the two to join forces in a bigger way, as business partners. In the months before they left Glasserie, the duo collaborated with Spring Street Social Society, as the chefs behind a spring Secret Supper, which took place on an old basketball court in Manhattan’s Highline Hotel.

Shortly after that collaboration, Kramer and Hymanson packed up and moved to the West Coast to open their first outpost inside downtown Los Angeles’s hip Grand Central Market. That small falafel stand established the pair as serious contenders in the LA food scene. Soon after, they partnered with venerable LA food pioneers John Shook and Vinny Dotolo (the restaurateurs behind their eponymous pizza shop, Jon and Vinny’s) to open Kismet, which landed them a spot on Food and Wine Magazine’s 2017 list of Best New Chefs. A Middle Eastern eatery, Kismet is situated on a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard that has gone through a resurgence in recent years. It sits across from a Goodwill and the beloved decades-old variety shop, Wacko, and it joins other notable spots as Go Get Em Tiger, Bar Covell, Hotel Covell, and HomeState Tacos—all which have contributed to growing the Los Feliz food and beverage scene into what it a neighborhood destination all its own.

The restaurant is situated in a bright, long, narrow space, with built-in banquettes and tables in close proximity that can easily transition between seating couples or larger, energetic groups. An all-day affair, the offerings range from bright and airy for morning coffee and low-lit and buzzy for dinner. The soulful menu is replete with dishes that are truly meant to be shared, such as small bowls of warm olives, spiced cashews, fried cauliflower, and succulent, citrusy lamb ribs, in the tradition of Moroccan, Lebanese, and other Mediterranean food cultures. The wine list focuses on offbeat global flavors ranging from a rich Slovenian orange wine to an unfiltered Australian shiraz. The casual ambience belies the heights to which the experience—and food—reach, rightly planting it as a gem in the LA food scene.