The Tasting Kitchen

I adored Chef Casey Lane’s former Downtown gastropub, The Parish, and recently made my way to his Abbot Kinney eatery, The Tasting Kitchen, to enjoy his tempting brunch menu. A native of El Paso, Texas, Lane attended culinary school in Portland and worked in local Pacific Northwest restaurants before bringing his wonderfully European-style cuisine to Los Angeles in 2009. Since then, The Tasting Kitchen has garnered acclaim as a Venice haven for beautiful homemade pastas, fabulous cocktails, and delicious wines -- and Lane himself has been either nominee or semi-finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award three times since the restaurant’s opening. While The Tasting Kitchen is a constant hot-spot during the dinner hour, I figured it would be equally magical during the daytime, with sunlight trickling through the branches of the two trees that sit within the center of the dining room. My inkling was correct, and everything -- from decadent sticky buns, to the fried oyster frittata with spinach and bacon -- was superb and delectable, conveying Lane’s talent and culinary vision, even in breakfast form!

Dress: Bernie Dexter Rose Pin Up Dress in Lemonade Eiffel Tower Print
Lips: Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in American Doll
Brows: Anastasia Beverly Hills DIPBROW® Pomade in Soft Brown

Sticky Bun.

Fried Oyster Frittata with Spinach and Bacon.

Scrambled eggs with Perigord Truffles, served with Champagne (on the menu back in March during truffle season).