Stars: 3 out of 5
Pros: Atmosphere, Menu Selection
Cons: Food
Oh Kitchen 64, how I had missed thee. As you might recall the last time I was here was for a free meal with a pop star (Kitchen 64 Round 1). An excellent first introduction to a very good restaurant. With people in town it was an excellent time to go back. Especially since one of them, AK, specifically requested I take them to a good place I had reviewed. Well if that doesn't cause me to fluff my feathers nothing will. To Kitchen 64!
Kitchen 64 (Kitchen 64) is located at the very top of North Boulevard right where it turns into Hermitage. It is located on a fair sized lot that it shares with an ice cream shop (that keeps catching my eye). It's a fairly large building that I find in no way pretentious. Instead I would say it seems quite old, yet natural in it's placement. It just seems like one of those buildings that has been there forever and wants you to stop on in.
There was a pretty decent crowd when we got to Kitchen 64, but it wasn't packed. It is always nice to see a restaurant with a good amount of customers. It's means they are doing something right. The friendly hostess sat us promptly in a nice little booth. Our waitress gave us a minute to get settled and then brought us menus. She took our drink orders and left us to ponder the menu. I took a few minutes to ponder my surroundings as well. Kitchen 64 is bright and welcoming. The walls are a nice warm color and the decor is lively & fun. The noise volume isn't overly loud and oppressing like you find in some places. You can have a nice table conversation without feeling like you need to shout. I also want to say I like the lighting. Some places it's too dark and you can't see what's on your plate. Kitchen 64 has excellent lighting. It's one of those little things I have come to appreciate about a good dining experience.
The menu is wonderful. A lot of selections for any ones preference. We all came in with different requirements. AK is a little girl and never eats a giant meal. She looked towards the appetizers and went with the Buffalo Chicken Mini's. These are just breaded chicken breasts tossed in hot sauce served on buns with a plateful of fries. Perfect for her little appetite. Our other table mate, Espo, Was looking for something big and filling. He decided on the Westwood Club, a classic club sandwich served with fries. He went sans mayo, which is a personal choice I must learn to respect. I was looking for something new and exciting to thrill my tongue. That's when the Raspberry Chicken & Brie sandwich caught my eye. A grilled chicken breast with caramelized apples, sliced brie cheese and a raspberry sauce on a kaiser roll. Sounds perfect. As we waited for our meal I got a chance to catch up with my table mates, which was very nice.
We were all very excited to see our waitress when she arrived with the food. She put down the plates and left us to take care of business. AK realized right away that she did not get what she had ordered. Instead of buffalo chicken she had regular cheeseburger sliders. They looked , and apparently tasted, very good, but that is a huge difference. Epso and I suggested that she send them back, but AK said it was fine and started her meal. I'm torn on how I feel about this. Obviously somewhere between AK's order, the waitress and the kitchen something didn't get communicated correctly. And the waitress never caught the mistake. But AK also chose not to speak up and ask for a correction so I'm torn about where to place the disappointment that I certainly felt. Moving on though. I was super excited to try my sandwich. It looked and smelled good. You could see the big hunks of brie and the dripping raspberry sauce. I took my first bite making sure to get all of the elements of the sandwich in that one bite to ensure maximum flavor. As it ran over my tongue the first word I could use to describe it was... nothing. It didn't really have a taste. The apples were boring, the sauce didn't pop with that fresh taste I hoped for and the brie added nothing. It was a bummer, to say the least. I think that had the apples been super fresh and the brie sliced a little thinner the results would have been better. But, you can't win every time. That just left Epso's club. First off, that mamma-jamma was HUGE. It was essentially 3 separate sandwiches on one plate. And, as I got to have some, it was good. The sliced meats were fresh tasting and enjoyable. The lettuce was crispy and crunchy. The vinaigrette added a nice bite. It was an excellent sandwich. The last thing I'll talk about is the french fries. I'm normally not a fan, but Kitchen 64 puts out a banging french fry. Kudos on making a non-fry eater very happy.
Last time I was at Kitchen 64 I left super pleased. This time, not so much. I think what really had me crestfallen was that I had brought out of town friends here who weren't blown away. But, I know you can't be top notch every time. So, I will be back Kitchen 64. I am going to chalk this up to a slightly off day so don't let this review get ya down champ. I still love you and still recommend you to everyone I know. That being said, if you want a nice neighborhood joint, hit up Kitchen 64 my faithful readers. I think you'll be very pleased.
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