Kith & Kin

After attending the Knob Creek-sponsored bourbon tasting/repeal party at Faith & Whiskey, one of my friends suggested heading over to Bird's Nest for some top-notch wings. I suggested the possibility of checking out a very new (they told us they'd opened that Monday) place whose name I'd seen mentioned very, very briefly, but had read some PR-type releases and a very preliminary review that made it sound interesting. As the rest of the experience will reveal, it came as no surprise that I heard things like "way to go, dude", "we could've had awesome wings", and "you owe us a round" a few times during & after dinner.

The room itself is very cozy and warm, with a comfortable amount of space between tables, which seems to be a rarity these days. We walked in around 9:15pm and were told that it would only be 5-10 minutes' wait for a four-top - this wasn't too surprising, as it looked like most of the tables were finishing up their entrees or waiting for their checks. We were directed to the small-but-well-stocked bar and had draft Schlitzes, and true to their word, our table was ready just a minute or two after we got our beers. Our server was great - friendly, funny, and unhesitant about making recommendations (upon request) and answering questions. He walked us through the menu, we ordered everything up front (four starters, four entrees, one side), and thought we were off and running. Unfortunately, this is where the train went off the tracks.

About half an hour after ordering, we started commenting on how long they were taking to bring out our starters (we all ordered the poutine from the "Crocks" section). 10 minutes after that, we asked our server what the deal was. Five minutes later, our poutines arrived: warm (barely above room temp) fries topped with small, hard, cold-from-the-refrigerator cheese bits (no self-respecting Wisconsinite or Quebecois would qualify these sad, tiny bits as proper "curds") on a plate, with a ramekin of lukewarm (not remotely hot enough to warm the cold cheese even a little) brown gravy. The fries were decent (though I bet they were awesome when they first came out of the fryer), the gravy tasted exactly right, and the cheese tasted fine. If served piping hot, this could have been some kickass poutine that would have held its own against some of the awesome (Peel Pub, La Quebecoise) and not-so-awesome-but-damn satisfying (La Belle Provence, LaFleur) poutines I enjoyed in Montreal. Instead, it was a goddamned travesty. On a side note, why the hell did the poutine appear under the "Crocks" section if it was served on a normal plate? Why tease me with images of hot, molten goodness, like french onion soup gratinée only with fries & gravy & cheese, then give me a cold plate of cold disappointment?

We were starving and polished off our small, unsatisfying non-poutines within 5 minutes, and after 10 minutes were wondering what the hold-up was with our entrees. 10 minutes after that, we asked our server what the deal was. 10 minutes after that, we asked for the manager and expressed our displeasure. The owner came and apologized for the wait, invited us to tour the kitchen to meet the BOH staff after our meal, and comped us a round of Schlitzes (to be fair, he offered us anything we wanted, we were just really digging the Schlitz at the time). Within 5 minutes, our entrees finally appeared...it was around 11:15pm at this point.

I had the choucroute, which was nice...decent house-made bratwurst, good fatty bacon, decent (though slightly not assertive enough for my tastes) sauerkraut. If not for the kitchen timing snafus, I probably would've been reasonably happy with this dish.

Our side of Anson Mills grits, however, was fantastic. I wished I'd ordered this for myself, rather than to share.

During our tour of the kitchen, we were introduced to the chef, who (along with the owner) apologized profusely for the delays, and asked me what I thought of the food itself. I mentioned my unhappiness with the poutine, and was told that the poutine was exactly as he'd envisioned it. I asked if lukewarm gravy & fries were a part of that vision; he conceded that they were not.

For around $30 per person (not counting tip), a starter, hearty entree, shared side & beer isn't bad at all. Also, the staff seemed very friendly, and readily admitted that they screwed up, which I appreciate. I don't think a return visit is out of the question, but I can definitely see myself waiting a month or so to let them to work out the kinks.

On the plus side, we did make it back to Faith & Whiskey just in time for the 12:30am burlesque show

Kith and Kin
1119 W Webster Ave
Chicago, IL
773-472-7070

The GP wrote:Kith and Kin
1119 W Webster Ave, Chicago
773-472-7070

Ah, good call, by the time I was done writing my novel I forgot to include that info.

Thanks

Khaopaat wrote:After attending the Knob Creek-sponsored bourbon tasting/repeal party at Faith & Whiskey, one of my friends suggested heading over to Bird's Nest for some top-notch wings. I suggested the possibility of checking out a very new (they told us they'd opened that Monday) place whose name I'd seen mentioned very, very briefly, but had read some PR-type releases and a very preliminary review that made it sound interesting. As the rest of the experience will reveal, it came as no surprise that I heard things like "way to go, dude", "we could've had awesome wings", and "you owe us a round" a few times during & after dinner.
\

I was also in attendance for the Knob Creek Bourbon "tasting." "Tasting" in this context meant that any drink you wanted, made with Knob Creek, was free.

Not exactly what I had envisioned. Much, much better....

After the tasting, my friends and I also decided to grab some food. We however, staying true to my LTH recs, made a bee-line for Birds Nest and devoured a mountain of hot wings an a few rounds of PBR...you know, to cleanse my palate after the 2 hr. "tasting" I just participated in.

After a pit stop at the Liars Club, we are also back for the 2nd round of burlesque dancers!

Khaopaat wrote:why the hell did the poutine appear under the "Crocks" section

Based on your description, it sounds like they're just being honest.

Haven't been here yet, but that's gonna change pronto, as I just learned that Kith & Kin is serving something called a "grouper cheek sandwich". Yeah. Also, I really liked Andrew Brochu's food at Pops, where I don't think the patrons or the owners recognized his culinary talent. But that's another story. Kith & Kin sounds like a beacon in the Lincoln Park desert.

Had the grouper cheek sandwich, and it shows promise despite being too unwieldy. I'm sure the toasted homemade crumpet is delicious with butter and tea, but when it "crumples" almost immediately when touched, you realize it makes for a poor sandwich bun. Tasty as this dish was, I don't know what to call it, and it needs more work. It has some appearances of a sandwich: bun-looking thing with lettuce and tomato on one side and tartar sauce on the other, then some giant cylinders of breaded fish piled on. Only reasonable way to eat these big balls of breaded jowl is hand-to-mouth, sans bread. House made pickle on the side was deliciously clove-heavy, and had great crunch.

Mussels with madras curry and IPA were terrific: tender and plump, swimming in a perfectly balanced and light broth. Starter of judion bean puree was wonderful too, the bean flavor really dominating despite the presence of some really good tapenade and a drizzle of strong oil.

The prices at Kith & Kin are about 25% lower than what I'd expect, and I see lots of promise in the kitchen. I'll return soon.

I had the pleasure of eating at Kith & Kin a few nights ago, and I'm still thinking about my meal. The room is fairly cozy, with a fireplace at the far end of it, and has a pleasant noise level - you can easily hear your dinner companions, but you don't have to worry that it's so quiet that everyone can hear your conversation.

I ordered the beef short rib, and while I must confess that I don't think I've met a short rib I didn't devour, I especially liked this one. My order was apparently the one that held up the whole table's dinners, but our server was by frequently to apologize for the delay. This might not mean much to some, but I like to know that our servers are aware when things take longer than one might expect. When my dish arrived, it was in the form of three neat rectangular blocks of meat on top of a creamy cabbage concoction and carrots in what must have been the braising liquid. The carrots had a pleasant sweetness to them, and everything was absolutely delicious. I only had the entree and two glasses of wine, and that set me back under $45 including tip.

I'm having a hard time thinking of where else in the city you can find such well-prepared "gastropub"-style food at the same price point. If you've never been to Kith & Kin, don't expect Mado or The Bristol, where the chefs are executing a larger vision and stretching the bounds on whole animal eating in a finessed, high end atmosphere. But, at the same time, don't be fooled into thinking that Kith & Kin is your typical Lincoln Park watering hole that focuses on burgers and chicken wings. If you expect that Kith & Kin will fall somewhere in between - this is a casual, neighborhood restaurant, after all - you can have a really good meal. In fact, every neighborhood should have a restaurant like this with well-executed cocktails, comforting renditions of "gastropub" food, a thoughtful, quality wine and beer list, and really reasonable prices.

We shared two crocks ($5 apiece) - creamed spinach and pimento cheese - which were fine and a filling start to the meal. A good nosh while you're savoring a cocktail and perusing the rest of the menu. Our polished and attentive server thoughfully anticipated that we would need extra toasts for these and provided them without our asking. For entrees, Choucroute could have been a little better executed - the pork belly was too mushy and seemed like it had been crisped too far in advance of service; the sauerkraut, while fresh and homemade tasting, was a tad too tart; but the housemade sausage, with a snappy casing yielding to a flavorful, moist interior made you feel lucky that a dish that costing only $15 could be so comforting on a cold night.

Wild mushroom papardelle (priced at an extremely reasonable $12) included a filling portion of housemade noodles with a well-seasoned, garlicky mushroom ragout that included several woody matsutake mushroom stems.

Cocktails -- a Manhattan with brandied cherries and a French 75 (normally too sweet, but here, the perfumes of gin were allowed to peak through other flavors) -- were well-balanced and much better than you'd ever expect to get from a neighborhood restaurant.

I can't wait to go back and try more of the menu.

I was about to post a fairly negative account of Kith & Kin, but then I read aschie30's thoughtful post and decided that she's right. Kith & Kin is serving food at about the same price as ubiquitous Lincoln Park bars and grills, and its cooking is in a different league. I'd rather eat the tasty but sloppy grouper cheek sandwich at Kith & Kin than a well composed fried "fish" sandwich at Lincoln Station or some such place. I'd rather have Kith & Kin's bland chicken liver pate than, say, some chicken fingers from The Beaumont, even though I do enjoy the stripper poles on the latter establishment's dance floor. Kith & Kin has an interesting menu, and the staff takes food seriously. It's a different kind of place.

Then again, these are pedigreed chefs whose cooking I've enjoyed at other establishments. Can't they smooth out that pate, serve it at a less unpalatably frigid temperature, and make it taste like actual chicken livers? And can't they read a book about how to cook pasta? At least if they offered up the standard bar-menu fettucine alfredo, I'd know not to order it. But these ambitious guys offer spaghetti carbonara, something that might be ordered by people who give a shit about more than the next shot of Jäger. Why serve that if you don't know how to make it?

Anyway, I'll probably go back to Kith & Kin. The place has a good beer and wine list, good prices, friendly people, and ambitious food offerings. Some stuff tastes good, and some stuff is worth ordering for comedic value.

I convinced my Friday drinking and dining crowd to go to Kith & Kin on Friday night. We usually arrive early (6-ish) so when asked if we had a reservation (no), it was no problem to seat us. They were even willing to accommodate our nebulous group number. Sometimes we know how many are coming, sometimes we don't. They gave us a table for six with no problem...and we ended up with six.

We started with a couple of crocks: the pimento cheese and the pork spread (can't remember the fancy name) and some onion rings. One friend was delighted that pretty much everything could be made gluten-free and they had gluten-free toast to accompany the crocks. Both crocks seemed like a throw-back to me. I grew up eating cheese balls with cheddar and pimentos. The pork crock was described to us as a textured pâté, but reminded me of a fancy deviled ham spread. It was good, especially with the hot mustard that was on the plate. Maybe I was just in the mood to remember times past as I sipped a Manhattan while a couple friends enjoyed their Schlitz drafts.

I had some tastes of other entrees. I really enjoyed the bites of choucroute I was given. My friend loved it. The pork belly was delightful. I sampled a mushroom from the parpadelle aschie describes above and thought it very flavorful. I had the shrimp and grits. Lots of shrimp, grits cooked well, interesting textural contrast with the greens in the dish. I ate half and had the rest for breakfast the next day. Still good. The report on the burger was just okay, but the open-faced fried egg sandwich drew a thumbs up.

We enjoyed our evening at Kith & Kin. The service was also good, although we had to ask for more toast to finish the crocks.

Kennyz wrote:And can't they read a book about how to cook pasta? At least if they offered up the standard bar-menu fettucine alfredo, I'd know not to order it. But these ambitious guys offer spaghetti carbonara, something that might be ordered by people who give a shit about more than the next shot of Jäger. Why serve that if you don't know how to make it?

Kenny, my pasta was cooked perfectly. Based upon at least my (admittedly) one experience, it probably wouldn't be fair to sweepingly assert that the kitchen doesn't know "how to cook pasta." (FWIW, I know people who have had the carbonara and enjoyed it immensely -- at least no one complained that the pasta wasn't properly cooked, however one does that.)

Kennyz wrote:The place has a good beer and wine list, good prices, friendly people, and ambitious food offerings. Some stuff tastes good, and some stuff is worth ordering for comedic value.

Ouch. There are very few restaurants I've been to where I would say that the kitchen put out food for only comedic value - I don't think Kith & Kin is one of them.

Wendy,

I have had the papardelle with mushrooms too, and I agree that it is good. But the carbonara was a joke: a mound of spaghetti sat atop a soupy broth of a sauce that pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Nothing could be done to marry the two together.

I cetainly do not think the kitchen is putting out food only for comedic value. Not sure how you surmised that, since I described a number of dishes that I really liked.

Anyway, not everyone cares for my posting style. I say it like I see it.

Kennyz wrote:Wendy,
But the carbonara was a joke: a mound of spaghetti sat atop a soupy broth of a sauce that pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Nothing could be done to marry the two together.

That certainly doesn't sound what i would want from a carbonara, which is a dish I’d rather make myself anyways, since the few times I bother ordering, it’s rarely done how it should be.

That said, the current value of this place seems pretty clear, hopefully they'll work some kinks out and become a destination as opposed to a place that stands tall among dwarfs.

Some hits and some misses last night at Kith & Kin.

First impressions first. We were late for our reservation, but the restaurant more than made up for that slight by taking 10 minutes to bring us any water. It must have been at least half an hour before any food hit our table. You will not be popping in and out of here to get anyplace quickly. Things run slow.

We started with onion rings with a sort of ranch-ish sauce, the beet salad with grapefruit, frisee, taragon and craime fraiche and an eggplant puree with almonds and raisins.

The rings were the first thing I tried and they were excellent. Greaseless, crunchy crust and melting onions on the inside. Best rings I've had in a while. The sauce was good. The rings were gone quickly as we were waiting a while and hungry.

I was particularly bummed to see the praised bean puree absent from the menu. Even more bummed when I tasted the eggplant (seemingly its replacement). Except for being too sweet, lacking salt and acid and tasting nothing of eggplants, this dish was fine, by which I mean, it was an utter waste of calories. They were quick to replace the crostinis though.

The salad was really quite wonderful. Simple and a very nice balance of all the ingredients listed above. My favorite of the starters.

For mains, I opted for the mussels in IPA, madras curry and pickled garlic which was serviced with a side of naan. A companion got the buttermilk fried chicken thighs served over cheesey grits and brussels sprouts (sorry, forgot the cheese). Another dining companion, being not all that hungry and vegetarian ordered a side of Anson Mill grits with marscapone.

The chicken was the clear winner. Crispy, well seasoned boneless thighs over creamy grits and, I believe, somewhat roasted/carmelized brussels sprouts. The flavors worked well and the execution was great. I love mussels and most of them were meaty and moist; few were gritty. But that's about the only good thing about them. I tasted neither IPA, nor curry, nor salt. And the delicious sopping liquid at the bottom of the bowl, well, it was just liquid. I don't get what pickled garlic was doing in this dish. The naan was pretty good. I only wish I had had some flavorful sauce worth sopping with it.

The marscapone grits were completely bland. Just mush.

For dessert, we shared an olive oil pound cake with orange semifreddo. The cake itself had a subtle olive oil flavor but wasn't much on its own. With the light orange semifreddo though, this was a very nice combination.

On the whole, I'd say our dinner was a good one with some nice flavors and was reasonably priced. But whether it was the wait or the seasoning issues, I'm just not left with much desire to return and explore more of the menu.

AlekH wrote:

Kennyz wrote:Wendy,
But the carbonara was a joke: a mound of spaghetti sat atop a soupy broth of a sauce that pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Nothing could be done to marry the two together.

That certainly doesn't sound what i would want from a carbonara, ...

No, it's not. There were other problems too. The guanciale had been sliced paper thin, which is to me a sin in carbonara making. Little pork flavor got into the dish, and the thin, raw-textured meat slices offered none of the textural interest that a carbonara should have. Also, while I admire K&K's effort to use homemade pasta, I think it's misapplied here. A good carbonara requires starchiness that's better achieved with high-quality dried spaghetti, which is why I think the Kith & Kin version just ended up being soupy. I'd say I hope they work on this dish, but since they're so far off, I'd rather suggest that they abandon it altogether.

So two guys who had experience under some of the most respected chefs in the world, Thomas Keller and Grant Achatz to be specific, turn up in a sleekly modern yet welcoming space in Lincoln Park, serving comfort food in something of a fine dining atmosphere, sometimes with French words or the names of pork breeds on the menu (though in general it’s very light on the ingredient-genealogy thing). A lot of people are loving it.

Me… some of it impressed me, some of it left me thinking, is that it? Is comfort food enough when you’re performing on this stage, or should we expect more? Does the mere fact of being in this fine dining atmosphere, in this neighborhood and with these resumes, oblige you to play at the more elaborate games of teasing and subverting expectations and expanding minds that seem to be de rigeur for fine dining these days? Can you look like The Hot New Chicago Restaurant Paradigm and serve food like The Comfort Food Paradigm at the same time?

Or am I just asking questions that no else wants the answers to?

Before you answer that, let me walk through a couple of dishes. One that’s received a lot of acclaim is the fried confit chicken thighs, and this is a good example of how a deceptively simple dish— fried chicken, dumplings, gravy— can have a lot of technique and work behind it which produce incrementally more wonderful results. Doing chicken as confit produced dark meat that had reduced halfway to a jerky texture in some ways, yet still had the juiciness and crispiness of fried chicken, set off simultaneously by salty gravy and skin, the fluffy blandness of dumplings, and the bitterness of some brussels sprouts. The technique and balance of this dish were impeccable, redefining the very idea of chicken and dumplings as a dish.

But if you’re redefining dishes, are you still in a comfort food zone? At the very least, you’re pushing it to the edge of comfort, but with great success in this case. At the same time, though, my wife had short ribs in a traditional veal stock-wine braise. A classic dish, executed very well… and exactly as any nice French restaurant might make it, or would have made it in 1920, or indeed, as I’ve made it at home. You got a problem with that? Not exactly, but if I’m again expecting something as revelatory as the fried chicken thighs, I’m left waiting for the punchline.

Or is that just me? Maybe. But that’s how I felt about the meal— constantly wondering, should I just be happy to be comforted, or do I want my comfort nudged to the next level? A salad was another good example— pecans and blue cheese and some poached pears could be in a salad anywhere, there’s one not entirely unlike it at California Pizza Kitchen, but not many places would use lightly grilled escarole, softening its texture and sharpening its taste; a wonderfully simple but refined touch. But hardly safe or expected, if that’s supposed to go with the comfort territory.

On the other hand the pork “crock,” a spreadable pork pate, was pleasant enough (we ate it all) but it hardly seemed memorable as pate goes; here’s where Kith & Kin seemed timid next to the Mados and Bristols and Purple Pigs. (The LTHer who damned it as being like Underwood deviled ham wasn’t being that cruel.) Likewise, one dessert pulled off the highwire act with great success despite an executional error— an olive oil cake, served a little hard and cold, but beautifully balanced with a lush orange-vanilla ice cream; the other played it safe (fresh churros with a chocolate ganache to dip in) and was appropriately choco-decadent, but no more. Again, the one that tickled the mind, too, made the one that merely pleased the belly look a little small.

It could be that Kith & Kin is exactly what it wants to be— sometimes ingeniously innovative, often simply a nicer version of Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap. An audience for what it is has clearly found it, and so maybe everyone will just live happily ever after and not every meal has to be overthought like I’m doing right now. But I liked the Kith & Kin that pushed my comfort zone so much more than the one that comforted me and no more, that I think it’s almost a shame if you have that ability and don’t use it to the fullest. Enjoy your success, Kith & Kin— but don’t get comfortable.

P.S. To earlier notes about service issues and slowness, it was a smooth-running machine last Saturday night, and we were in and out surprisingly quickly (not rushed, they just got everything out quite efficiently).

Mike G wrote:It could be that Kith & Kin is exactly what it wants to be— sometimes ingeniously innovative, often simply a nicer version of Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap. An audience for what it is has clearly found it, and so maybe everyone will just live happily ever after and not every meal has to be overthought like I’m doing right now. But I liked the Kith & Kin that pushed my comfort zone so much more than the one that comforted me and no more, that I think it’s almost a shame if you have that ability and don’t use it to the fullest. Enjoy your success, Kith & Kin— but don’t get comfortable.

Mike,

This is an interesting take on a restaurant that is on my soon-to-try list. One thought that occurs to me is that, just like many other places that are talked about on LTH, Kith & Kin may have some dishes that are simply better than others and a smart diner should order to their strengths (the chicken dish, for example). Overall, I'm glad to see a restaurant in a neighborhood high on the fluff to substance factor that is at least worth visiting.

I had a fairly middle of the road review typed up, but I thought others said it better, so I'll be brief.

Been there three times, my repeat visits were at the insistence of a fan that could not believe I didn’t love it. Service and price had a bit to do with my opinion, which might not be appropriate for a review, but one thing is certain: That poutine has to go.

Or maybe they're actually trying to do both...

Kith..familiar friends, neighbors, or relatives (the more classically rendered dishes)
Kin...a group of persons of common ancestry (the dishes that push the envelope)

I bet they're not tellin'

Hi,

Is it potentially possible this would be a good location for a casual business lunch on a Saturday afternoon ... and not too noisy?

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Is it potentially possible this would be a good location for a casual business lunch on a Saturday afternoon ... and not too noisy?

Regards,

I believe the flatscreens were moved in specifically for Super Bowl, so I'm thinking Saturday afternoon might be rather quiet (especially if you sit on the second floor) -- though it'd have to be late afternoon, and more like really late lunch or early dinner, as I don't think they open until 5PM.

David Hammond wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Is it potentially possible this would be a good location for a casual business lunch on a Saturday afternoon ... and not too noisy?

Regards,

I believe the flatscreens were moved in specifically for Super Bowl, so I'm thinking Saturday afternoon might be rather quiet (especially if you sit on the second floor) -- though it'd have to be late afternoon, and more like really late lunch or early dinner, as I don't think they open until 5PM.

If this is a place that is prone to move in flatscreens for sporting events, keep in mind that the NCAA basketball tourney will be in full swing this weekend.

While I’ve got K&K on the brain, I should mention that I kind of enjoyed these five pots of fun:



When this panoply of gustatory pleasure was plopped upon the table, Mr. Pairs4Life (one of the cooler dudes I’ve met recently – he fishes a lot and gives me pheasant) immediately asked for more crispy bread and cornichons, a righteous call as this robust offering demanded abundant carb and acid.

Moving up the line, that’s chicken liver pate beneath a disconcertingly deep liquid over-layment of oil (I prefer my pate caps congealed), then a dish I totally forgot (somebodyhelpme: eggplant puree?), spinach which was probably my favorite, followed by a kind of deviled ham thing (which I also liked but which Pairs4Life confirmed “looks a lot like Underwood,” or at least it so appeared to her), and pimento cheese spread (also a thumbs-down from P4L, if I’m remembering correctly, though I ate a lot of it).

So, why did I kind of enjoy an appetizer spread for which I can offer no more than lukewarm descriptions? Because it was a lot of different stuff, right out of the box, and it was visually interesting, and I am mightily intrigued by Comrade Plotnicki’s speculations re: food as art -- plus it was something to talk about, which I must point out is to me almost more important than taste.

Did it taste great? It tasted good, for the most part, but more importantly it generated interest, we talked about it, and I could have stopped there…but didn’t.

Personal tragedy: I forgot to order the poutine…and choucroute. Next time.

followed by a kind of deviled ham thing

That looks exactly like the ham salad my Grandmother always had in her house when we visited Indianapolis growing up. Used to spread it on toast, nothing else. Heavenly tasting and even then we knew it was a completely unhealthy thing that the parents wouldn't allow but Grandma would. Strack and Van on Elston always has something similar in their deli case but I can never pull the trigger because it looks 98% mayo.

That one part of one dish makes me want to visit Kith and Kin.

Hi,

My Mom likes the very same type of ham salad. She claims it is not made of ham, rather it is ground bologna held together with mayo (and maybe piccalilli?). Does anyone know more about this type of spread?

Regards,

(one of the cooler dudes I’ve met recently – he fishes a lot and gives me pheasant)

Pheasant is not a fish.

Glad I could be of assistance.

A rare weeknight date night brought my wife and I to Kith and Kin last night. I thought I'd add my two cents here.

I liked pretty much everything about this restaurant. It's the kind of place that I'd like to live around the corner from.

We shared one "crock" (creamed spinach with fried shallots) which was a nice way to start the meal, but even one crock seemed a little heavy for just two people. We followed it up with an excellent beet & frisee salad and then split two entrees: the lauded chicken-thighs and the papardelle with mushrooms.

I'm not sure I can add much to the chicken thigh discussion, they're just darn good fried chicken (and a huge portion). The pappardelle is very good and one of my favorite styles of pasta: thick, wide, hand cut toothsome noodles with a sauce that doesn't overpower.

A couple quibbles (not complaints, quibbles):

My biggest issue with the food was the sodium level. We didn't find any one dish particularly salty, but the cumulative effect of the salt in the food built up pretty quickly to the point that we stopped eating the entrees early. Both of us felt a little overwhelmed by sodium and took half of each entree home.

My second quibble is that I think a menu like this demands a larger and more thoughtful beer list. If a mostly-under-the-radar burger bar like The Bad Apple can put together a world-class beer list, Kith and Kin should be able to.

Best,
Michael

I can second the pappardelle with mushrooms. A really, really simple dish that had me looking for bread (they don't do bread service) to get the rest of the liquid out of the bowl.

I also liked the eggplant crock o'fun.

First dessert I had to send back because it tasted...salty, but not in a planned way.

Kirth & Kin

Pate ~ fine, drinks ~shrug~, $15 for one slightly salty fried chicken thigh, out of balance.