Rick J.
Yelp
It all just works here and the ownership has pressed the passion of Italian cooking on the the entire staff.
YELP SHORT ANSWER: Yes, they have tried to make KiKi's a fun dining experience and for the most part they have succeeded. It is not over-the-top Italian everything, thankfully, more "Cali Itali". Would recommend a Reservation but we just dropped in early and had no problem getting a nice table. But by 5:30pm they were slammed.
LOCATION: Easy to find in same development as cinema and other businesses just off Washington. Tons of parking.
FACILITY: New, very nice, modern, with a lot of interesting artwork on the walls.
MENU: A little fancy as my Italian is not a so good, but that is okay and I am sure some people like it. RIP Mezze Maniche Carbonara is no longer on the menu a sad day for sure.
FOOD PREP: Excellent all done with intention, a chef and an owner who sees the art and presentation of the food is as important as the taste.
FOOD TASTE: Very good, thankfully entrees not over salted of sauced out. Homemade pasta is always touchy as the texture is different for some people and they don't appreciate what's involved. I hope they continue to promote the homemade aspects of their pasta's as for sure they could just not do it and save time, trouble, and money. Not the best Italian food I have ever had but I don't think that is the goal here, but it is very good, and everything together just works.
WAITSTAFF: Very good and watching everyone, they are all on the same page. The excellent training and motivation of staff and then the timing of everything is fantastic, not too much, but you have about 4 members assisting with your meal. I'd say with few exceptions the waitstaff experience at Kiki's is some of the best in LQ and with zero attitude.
OVERALL VALUE: Very good for this level of service and food quality. COCKTAILS were a little pricy at $16 so I passed but the bar looked to be entertaining and very well set up.
FOOD seemed priced prefect but not inexpensive.
For me, the entree portions were too large and 1/2 of my Bucatini and Meatballs went to the trash as did my wife's Rigatoni Bolognese. To encourage customers to try many things, PLEASE offer a reasonable split fee or entree 1/2 orders on a couple of items as we ordered the Butternut Squash Arancini, Peruvian Bay Scallop, Focaccia bread, and then two entrees and it is just too much food. I know waiters are there to sell drinks, appetizers, and entrees but a waiter letting people know that is a lot of food, making a split an open option is very much appreciated before I order, Grazie.
TIP: For sure try an appetizer or two and maybe split a meal.