In 2014, Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson trekked west from New York to break out into their own path. They had previously been cooking at Glasserie in Brooklyn before opening a falafel restaurant upon their arrival to sunny California. Now present day, they are far from running falafel stands. They are the proud pair of Kismet: with one upscale restaurant located in Los Feliz and two rotisserie shops located in Studio City and now Culver City. The Culver City location recently opened in November of 2023.
Before I decide to visit any new place, I browse Yelp for any indications of why I should not visit. This usually saves me time and money because let’s face it, I am a college student on a budget. Finding out the item on the menu I wanted was $18 was not my happiest moment. I still decided to order the quarter chicken plate because in every review I referenced this photo popped up. Plus, it seemed like the best thing to try since it offered a taste of multiple items on the menu.
The experience of Kismet is bright, cheerful, and quite refreshing. I was greeted with suggestions from the kind employee who helped me navigate the menu as a first timer. After careful consideration I decided on the quarter chicken plate that came with dark meat, hummus, wedge salad, pickles, pita, chili oil and garlic sauce. All for $18, which I must say was totally worth it for the hefty amount of food I was given.
The meal was hot and ready in 5 minutes, I will mention there was barely a wait because of the gloomy weather that day. I am assuming the place is a hot commodity during lunch hour since it is surrounded by office buildings. The chicken was juicy and cooked to the perfect temperature and just the right crunch on the skin. Besides their chicken, the wedge salad was the shining star. A wedge with plenty of their sweet miso poppy vinaigrette adorned with green onion and radishes. With hints of middle eastern flavors, there was of course the fresh hot pita, garlic sauce, and the creamiest hummus I have ever had. You know the hummus is going to be great when they top it with marinated garbanzo beans. Served alongside the garlic sauce, it made for a perfect dipping concoction. The concept of upscale rotisserie chicken is still relatively new to me, but I must say it is something I will be exploring further.
The Culver City location is in the heart of downtown with ample street parking, though you will have to cough up your quarters to stay. Nestled into the exterior of the One Culver building, a workspace building, Kismet Rotisserie is a recent addition to their ever-growing restaurant selection. The restaurant neighbors HomeState and Go Get Em Tiger, where they also share the patio for outside seating. With the birth of this new Kismet Rotisserie location, they have also opted to include indoor seating this time. Which should be a nice touch for those few surprising rainy days we have in Southern California. In their new neighborhood, Kismet is surrounded by many companies. Some include the Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City Hall, and an Equinox. Its location makes it a great spot to pop in for a quick and healthy lunch during the workday.
My only gripe is one part of the presentation. If you order for dine in, you are served on a tray that is lined with parchment paper. As I was cutting my wedge salad, I noticed the paper ripping and exposing the tray underneath. This is just one minute issue out of my amazing experience at Kismet.
The mix of middle eastern inspired flavors and a fresh twist on sit down fast food is the reason chefs Sara and Sarah won chefs of the year for Eater in 2017. Kismet Rotisserie is all the reason to keep an eye on the pair of chefs who have seemingly brought new light to rotisserie chicken.
