A long time ago, I was planning to write a review of the then-new Kay ‘n Dave’s in Culver City. At the time, they had a late-night happy hour that was pretty sweet, but before I could write about it, they put the kibosh on it. It left a bad taste in my mouth that prevented me from going to Kay ‘n Dave’s again for a long time, but when I finally went back over the weekend, I was a new man, just looking for a good meal.
My buddy and I took a seat at the bar and were greeted by one of the freshest-faced bartender/waiters I had ever seen. It was only later that we realized he was new (as one of his coworkers told us), but at first it seemed like we were dealing with an airhead. I perused the menu until I found something that whet my appetite. This was their Chicken Mole Quesadilla. On the menu, it simply said it was served with guac and sour cream. I assumed it also came with cheese, chicken and mole sauce, but I asked our waiter to be sure. I asked him if it came with any vegetables and he seemed sure that if it came with any, it would say so on the menu. Oh no, poor new guy, you do not live the life of an unvegan. It is a life where even the simplest dishes on a menu are attacked by unannounced vegetables. I took his word, though, and ordered.
When my quesadilla arrived, the unfortunate newbie was wrong. There were peppers and tomatoes to be found in my quesadilla. There weren’t a ton of these, but there were certainly enough to make eating more difficult. One thing that also made eating difficult was my lack of a place setting. When I asked the waiter for one, he seemed quite confused and appeared to have no idea what I was asking for. This was confirmed when he returned with crayons and paper. I know he was new, but having never been a waiter myself, I still know what a place setting is. Alas, I finally got what I needed and began to eat.
The quesadilla was actually quite enjoyable and a great value at only $7.50. I was disappointed every time I bit into a vegetable and swallowed, for I knew that somewhere a tree was crying for the loss of its brethren, but some of the veggies just blended into the food and couldn’t be detected. The was fortunate, but still not as fortunate as it would have been without vegetables.
Now rating this place is pretty hard. I cannot fault the restaurant for the new waiter and I also can’t fault the new waiter for being new. Out of respect for Kay ‘n Dave’s, I will avoid giving a numerical rating to this meal and hope that my wordy description of it will help paint a picture of this cantina in Culver City.