Farewell to Bahooka, L.A.'s Temple of Tiki
Bahooka, thought by many to be Los Angeles' most wonderful and kitschy Tiki bar/restaurant was set to close on March 10th, 2013, after 46 years in business.
However, after the mad crowds on Saturday, March 9th, they decided to shut their doors 24 hours early. Anticipating such crowds, I made plans to visit on Saturday.
They stated that on their last day they would provide standing only service, even for meals. And they decided to sell the contents of the place, so going on the last day sounded like a huge adventure for the most die hard loyal customers.
Their infamous 36+ year old resident, carrot-eating fish mascot, Rufus draws a lot of attention.
In addition to their flaming drinks in salad bowls they make "mocktails" for the non-drinkers, making it convenient for children as well as adults.
I fully expected that their drinks would be made from mixers and the menu of largely fried food was not quite up my alley, but the ambiance in this tiki wonderland remained compelling.
Come to think of it, the mai tai tasted great, was not weak and not overly sugary. Drinking it out of a plastic cup took part of the fun away, but that was understandable considering the impending closure.
Even on Saturday, they'd reached capacity fairly early into the evening.
Kali Dining Pop Up x 2
Lately I've cut back on going out to eat, in order to eat a healthier diet. So every outing has to count. Besides Wolvesden and Ludo Bites I rarely go to a Pop Up event twice. The fact that I went to a Kali Dining dinner twice in just over 1 week speaks to the experience. So many people I know raved about it and went multiple times, it had to be good.
Chef Kevin's impressive restaurant background includes L’Orangerie, Bastide, Patina, Café Pinot and others. His food reflects European and Asian inspirations. The ingredients-driven menu is said to include items sourced through the chef's hunting and foraging.
I enjoy how L.A. is full of "transplants" from other cities and countries, and like Chef Kevin's Long Island background and vibe.The second time I went, immediately upon walking in I was greeted with a hug by all three chefs. I felt welcome, and this intimate setting probably cannot be achieved in a restaurant.
The previous meals took place at Culver City, Venice, Fairfax area, and in our case, at a loft in Downtown LA.The location changes fairly often, as does the menu.
Upon walking in there were rows of plates set up along with an outline of timeframes and dishes.
People socialized in the loft before the meals began. Both times the events were with private groups who took over the loft. However I did not know everyone in attendance so had plenty of time to mingle, even exchanging contact information with a couple of guests.
We perused a copy of this book, with fascinating combinations and platings of the food.
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| potted radish in sesame soil potato in clay |
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| white chocolate mousse crispy peas condensed milk |
For the 2nd dinner, the organizer created a "happy hour" before the dinner with cheese, marcona almonds, these special dried grapes and the BYOB wine.
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| Chef Luke |
The smell of fresh buttermilk bread filled the loft, which is intoxicating to me, after almost a decade of low carb eating. Very little tops fresh bread with good butter in my book. The butter cube was topped with rosemary, sea salt flakes and pepper.
We were told there is a half hour window after which the quality of the bread starts deteriorating.The first time I might have talked too much and ate it too late. The 2nd time I ate it warm, steaming with crispy crust and a fluffy, solid center.
Chef Kevin was adept with the knife flicking skills. I told him his moves reminded me of Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, when the character was practicing whipping out his gun really fast.
Dinner #1 - amuse bouche: Jidori Scrambled Egg in Shell
The jidori, free-range chicken egg, common in Japan, had a custardy rich texture and if that wasn't enough, it was topped with crème chantilly.
Dinner #2 - amuse bouche: Octopus / Orange / Paprika
This tender octopus was served with slices of dehydrated/fresh orange, sprouts, citrus foam and a paprika sauce.
This was quite a substantial amuse bouche, granted I wasn't complaining.
Dinner #1 - First Course: Octopus Carpaccio
This variation of the dish contained thinly sliced octopus, dehydrated/fresh oranges, citrus espuma (whipped foam), smoked paprika and nasturtium flowers. The paprika kick added good flavor.
foie powder / parmesan cream / crudité
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| Chef Jerumel Laygo |
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| Chef Jerumel Laygo |
Another seafood dish made me happy. This one contained many components that blended into a perfect, well seasoned plate.
Dinner #1 - Second Course: Risotto
wild mushrooms /black truffle / buckwheat
wild mushrooms /black truffle / buckwheat
Dinner #2 - Second Course: Risotto / mushrooms / black truffle
The jidori egg and octopus made me quite happy, as did the risotto with black truffle with its porcini mushrooms and shaved black truffles.
Not to mention the tasty parmesan tuille, which added a crunch and a slightly bitter quality to the rich and creamy dish. And the whole thing was topped with mushroom dust. So happy to have enjoyed the dish twice.
Dinner #1 - Third Course: Beef Tenderloin
burnt onion jam / smoked fingerlings / charred leek / parsley paste
burnt onion jam / smoked fingerlings / charred leek / parsley paste
The crowd got quite excited when they pulled out this Smoking Gun handheld smoker and "loaded it" with wood chips.
We were really in their space but Luke patiently tolerated the "food papparazzi" (with our cameras).
At this point in the meal, this was quite a hearty entree. The sous vide cooked beef was impossibly tender. It was clearly basted in a lot of butter, which makes everything better. The accompanying chimichurri sauce, smokey onion jam, foamy butter and fleur de sel salt flakes seasoned the beef beautifully without taking the beef's inherent taste away.
The sides of the smoked fingerling potatoes of various colors and grilled leeks added more hearty elements to the plate.
Dinner #2 - Third Course: Beef Tenderloin
burnt onion jam / smoked fingerlings / charred leek / parsley paste
burnt onion jam / smoked fingerlings / charred leek / parsley paste
The second time around the beef and potatoes were cooked in a similar way. The parsley paste added a fresh flavor to the plate, although I preferred the addition of the chimichurri sauce from the 1st meal, which complements meat so well.
Either way, you could see that we didn't have issues cleaning up the plate.
Dinner #1 - Dessert: Chocolate Mousse
peanut butter gelato / coco soil / salted almonds
peanut butter gelato / coco soil / salted almonds
My philosophy is that if you eat dessert it should count. They don't always impress me. This one combined classic tastes in such a unique way, while at the same time being the ultimate comfort dish. And a very rich one.
The gelato of peanut butter in a vanilla crème anglaise base,
came fresh out of the ice cream machine. White chocolate is not one of my favorites because of its cloying sweetness, but this velvety paste tasted great. I loved the cocoa nib crumble which also balanced the sweet levels.
Dinner #2 - Dessert: Panna Cotta
strawberry / honey / rosemary / rasberry sorbet
The macerated strawberry dessert cleansed the palate and offered a light end to a big meal. There might have been some type of strawberry-beet dust sprinkled on top.
Chef Kevin is quite up to date on social media. He shared some entries from Facebook and was aware of diners who interacted on the Kali Dining page, and also sat with us to chat.
After dinner, one of the diners brought and prepared some Ritual premium coffee which we really enjoyed.
Chef Kevin pulled toffee with dark chocolate and almonds from the refrigerator and gave each of us a small bag of to take home. I enjoyed it at home the next day with tea, reminiscing about the dinner.
I deeply admire what chefs do - their creativity, skill and hard work. Chef Kevin makes what he does seem effortless.The food has a lot of bold flavor. It will be exciting to experience Kali Dining's next iteration.
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