The Team Behind Michelin-Starred Kali Opens Seafood Spot Koast in Los Angeles | Eater LA
"Opening Wednesday, January 29, this casual neighborhood seafood restaurant is the first new project by Chef Kevin Meehan of Michelin-starred Kali in nine years and sits on the corner of Highland and Melrose — the stretch Meehan refers to as the “Michelin mile” alongside restaurants like Meteora, Osteria Mozza, Kali, and Providence. Plans for a second restaurant with longtime partner Drew Langley were delayed by the pandemic and strikes; “The big problem was this Goldilocks situation,” Meehan says, after which his wife found the former Umeya space that fit the bill. Initially envisioned as a steakhouse under a different name, the building convinced Meehan to focus on seafood, drawing on East Coast upbringing and expanded by executive chef and partner Michael Kerner and general manager and partner Jessica Tripp. The menu mixes East Coast influence with global techniques: the raw selections include Morro Bay oysters, Quahog clams, sea bream sashimi with ponzu, yellowtail crudo with buttermilk nage, and Spanish yellowtail tuna; a “lightly touched” section offers cured seafood like sablefish in salt and vinegar, white sturgeon caviar, and pastrami-style salmon gravlax; cooked starters feature a seasonal seafood chowder, Maryland-baked crab dip, a crispy scallop cake meant to imitate a crab cake, and a jumbo shrimp cocktail. Mains range from rockfish in cioppino broth with fennel, a rotating market fish prepared with beurre blanc, grilled tiger prawns, a butcher’s steak with chimichurri and anchovy butter, to a dry-aged cheeseburger on a potato bun with caramelized onions, plus lobster baked manicotti, Caesar salad, grilled rye bread, and french fries tossed in Old Bay; Drew Langley will curate the beer and wine list. Meehan emphasizes accessibility: “I feel like giving people choices is the way that I’m going to balance this restaurant out to be affordable,” he says, and adds, “I don’t want this restaurant to be expensive. I want this to be accessible. If you want to come in here and get caviar and get Champagne, we have that, but I have kids and would like this restaurant to be an everyday restaurant.” He also expects it to complement Kali once it reopens: “It’s gonna serve a lot of people well,” he says. “They can come to Kali once a month, and they can come here every two weeks. This is that kind of restaurant.” Designer Cory Surovek of Studio Surovek shaped an interior of rich blue banquettes, exposed steel beams, Japanese-minimalist clean lines, medium-hued wood, and concrete floors, with a softly lit wood patio and fire pit outside. Kali is temporarily closed for renovations and is slated to reopen in two to three months. The new spot holds hours from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily and takes reservations through OpenTable." - Rebecca Roland
