Kitchen 24

I was browsing food blogs one night before dinner and I came across a post on Kitchen 24. When I used to drive through Hollywood everyday, I saw this place being built--but I had no idea what it was. I was excited to learn that it is a new-age twist on the American diner. A new place that everyone will like!

I went there a couple of nights ago for dinner. The biggest problem is that parking in that area is scarce--especially free parking. We decided to park in the Arclight lot--but that probably wasn't the best choice because it is so expensive without validation. I think you could park for cheaper at the mall at Hollywood and Vine or valet or find a place somewhere on the street.

The restaurant has windows all the way across the front that initially gave me the feel of a quick food restaurant--however, once inside, it has a little bit of a club feel with loudish music and dark lights--and it also traces the 50's diner with vinyl booths. I was a big fan of the chandeliers made out of silverware. There is a bar in the back of the restaurant where a large crowd gathered during the time we were there.

The menu is a large solid book. It looks like it could last them years if they never need to reprint prices. Breakfast and Lunch are served 24/7 and dinner is served in the evening. There is a large drink menu and also a dessert menu.

It took a long time for me to browse the menu but I finally decided on the Nicose Salad. My fellow diners had another salad and a home skillet. The home skillet actually came in a piping hot skillet. It had eggs, bacon, and hash browns. The flavors were ok with some kind of extra spice but nothing too special. If you've got a hankering for breakfast though--the waffles looked amazing. The nicose salad is something I try everywhere that has it with seared tuna. The salad came in a medium sized metal mixing bowl giving me the feeling that it had just been mixed and was too fresh to even move. I was disappointed by the lack of olives in my salad--a flavor I think the salad needs. Even without the olives though, I would have it again. I loved how they boiled the potatoes in some kind of seasoning (it is possible it was just salt) so that they added a little extra instead of just the starch. The other salad that my fellow diner had was rumored to be good as well.

The service was a little bit slow, but I believe there were only two waiters for the whole restaurant. I desperately needed more water which I never received. I also wanted to ask for olives since they were forgotten, but I didn't have a chance while it was still worth it. On a whim, when the waiter did return, one diner and I decided to order dessert. He got the black and white shake--I opted for the brownie sundae. The shake, while it has a fancy name, was just a chocolate shake with vanilla ice cream and was drinkable and not memorable. The brownie sundae came in a shake glass and seemed to be the most popular item on the menu. The sundae was incredibly rich--and I could barely eat the entire thing. The ice cream was the cheap kind that comes in the 5 gallon tub (I saw them making it) and I could tell. Although, I may be a bit of an ice cream snob. I also noted that the sundae had walnuts in the brownie--not noted anywhere on the menu.

While we were paying, someone at the table next to us ordered the skillet apple pie. Boy was I jealous! It looked like a medium sized pie (not individual but not full sized) with a full crust (not that crumb topping they always use in crisps) made right inside a piping hot skillet and served a la mode. I think that would have been the right choice for dessert.

I am excited about returning to Kitchen 24! They have only been open for four months so I anticipate that the service will improve as they get more used to the crowds. The food is worth it now though, there is a lot of variety bringing a spin to the classic diner fare.





Kitchen 24
1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd
Hollywood, CA 90028
Map