I’ve been wanting to go back to Vespertine ever since it reopened in April 2024 after a four-year closure. It’s a two-Michelin-starred restaurant tucked into Eric Owen Moss’s award-winning Waffle Building in Culver City, which always reminds me a little of the “Dancing Building” in Prague!
We absolutely loved seeing the “rebirth” of a more mature Vespertine. This time around, the experience feels more rooted in pleasure—Chef Kahn’s cooking still has its intellectual edge, but now it’s clearly guided just as much by heart.
Of course, getting here wasn’t easy. Vespertine closed at the start of the pandemic, and Kahn and his team pivoted to creating some of the most creative takeout in California, including meals inspired by his Southern and Cuban roots. I’ll always remember those takeout meals; they were genuinely something I looked forward to every month during that strange time.
Kahn’s talent is undeniable. Every dish is visually beautiful, and the food is not just wildly inventive (sometimes even playful), but also technically precise and beautifully balanced. We loved the 12-course, three-hour, multi-sensory journey, and the pairings were just as memorable. Brian went with the Dynamic pairing—wine, sake, beer, and even kombucha—and every element worked perfectly with the food. I chose the Vitality pairing, and it’s easily one of the top three non-alcoholic pairings I’ve ever had.
The meal finished just as strongly as it began, with a mesmerizing dessert full of kaleidoscopic flavors.