• Home
  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Social Media News
  • Privacy & Terms
  • Thunderbolt Social Media
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Dangerous Cupcake Lifestyle

  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Food & Wine
    • Wine
    • Cupcakes
  • Disney & Marvel
    • Disney
    • Marvel
  • Crafts, Cars & Cool Things
    • Crafts
    • Cars
    • Dogs
    • Cool Things
    • Technology
  • Home & Life
You are here: Home / Food / Kayndaves, My New Spot for Sunday Brunch

Kayndaves, My New Spot for Sunday Brunch

February 9, 2016 By Donna Biroczky Leave a Comment

Tweet
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Brunch.

Admit it, I have your attention now. Brunch has that power. Everyone likes brunch, the noun and the verb. Eat brunch, do brunch, ‘let’s brunch.’ It’s a common Sunday morning activity that gets everyone out of bed…later than usual, which just adds to the beauty of it.

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to brunch with the Gigasavvy gang, an amazing group of foodies. It was hosted by Kayndaves Cantina in Culver City. They also have locations in Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. I drove from the Inland Empire and it was completely worth it, so don’t let the distance be a deterrent. Trust me. One sip of one of their amazing cocktails and you’ll be glad you went.

Kayndaves began back in 1991 with a location on the Pacific Coast Highway, owned and operated by Dave and his wife, Jintana. Neither of them are chefs, so they hired Alejo to run the kitchen with his two brothers, Ruben and Roberto. They’re from Oaxaca and grew up with a love of food inherited from their great grandmother, learning to cook using only fresh ingredients. They have brought that love and the knowledge of authentic traditional food onto the extensive menu at Kayndaves, and we were treated to a large sampling of all that’s available.

tequila shooter

Isn’t that adorable? That martini shot glass holds a watermelon shot, made with fresh muddled watermelon. No watered down melon-flavoring here, it’s nothing but the real thing and was a fantastic way to get us in the mood for what was to come. The morning was chilly and many of us gathered around a big round table with a fire pit in the middle; other heaters are scattered discreetly around the outdoor seating area so everyone’s warm on a California-cold winter’s day, creating a warm, rustic environment that’s both family- and singles/couples-friendly.

tamarindo margaritaNext up was the Tamarindo Margarito. Made with Xicaru Mezcal, with a chili-rimmed glass, this was my favorite of the four drinks we sampled. (And while Jintana told us that these glasses weren’t the normal size, they were plenty big, and no skimping on the alcohol here!) I am a new fan of Mezcal and would gladly drive back just to drink another of these and introduce the husband to all-things-Kayndaves. A margarita and a molcajete — perfect Sunday afternoon drive destination!

margaritaThat beauty is a Blackberry Margarita, made with fresh muddled blackberries and mint. No filter required on that gorgeous drink, complete with chunks of berries and mint that almost hid the tequila, which is both good and bad, right? So easy to drink and perfectly thirst-quenching after chips and salsa and guacamole.

starters
The starter plate was an array of textures and tastes, from the mini Pibil Sope on the far end (cochinita pork oven-roasted in banana leaves with agave leaves) to the Squash Blossom Relleno (fresh blossoms stuffed with jack cheese, Mexican herbs, crema and pico de gallo) and on to the Ceviche Tostada (sole marinated in fresh lime juice) and the mini Chicken Mole Taco (and the mole is made from scratch, as it should be).

I think I liked the Squash Blossom the best — I could pick it up to eat it whole and the cheese pleasantly oozed out. And the ceviche? Sign me up for more of everything please.

chilaquiles

Chiliquiles verde!! It’s been a while since I’ve had a legit chiliquiles. I’ve been going to a local Mexican store that has a deli/restaurant on the side for mine, but this was amazing. Made with spicy tomatillo salsa, cojita cheese and fresh herbs, it was layers of flavor and texture, with a perfect crunch. The yolk slowly covered the surrounding chips making it absolutely perfect. I ate almost that entire plate, despite all the prior food. (And then I went for a long run after I got home.)

molcajete

This molcajete was reportedly a small version of the real thing, but I can’t imagine it being any bigger. It was so satisfying, full of grilled steak, shrimp and chicken slow cooked with a relleno in guajillo sauce. The sauce was just thick enough to coat everything and the vegetables had the perfect crispness to alternate bites with. I can’t eat red meat so a lot of this went home with me, along with those savory, seasoned rice and beans.

molcajeteAren’t those colors beautiful?

dessert

Then there was dessert. Some food is too pretty to eat, and this plate was one of them…but I didn’t let it stop me. The Tres Leche cake on the left was soft and moist, and that caramel tasted entirely handmade, like everything else in Kayndaves. Of course, handwhipped cream, too. The Bananas Flautas in the middle were light on the outside, slightly crispy and the bananas inside reminded me of a fancy flaming bananas foster dessert on its own, but my favorite was the Coconut Crusted Fried Ice Cream. I was pretty full by this point but I managed to put away that entire ball of crispy coated ice cream. It’s such a contradiction in terms, but that’s what makes it even more fun to eat. (And I couldn’t take it home, right?)

kayndaves

                 Meet Alejo, the master chef behind all these creations, being introduced by Jintana.

I can’t not share a photo of the iced coffees they brought us right before we left. They hit the spot perfectly, as most of us had a decent drive home and being alert is always important after a full meal. Enjoying iced coffee in front of the fire just felt right, and it was a nice ending to a relaxing and fun few hours with good friends.

iced coffee

Kayndaves right across the street from Trader Joe’s and next to a public parking area not far from the 101 freeway. (I took the 210/134 from here in the Inland Empire, making it an easy drive.) You can follow them on their Facebook page, Twitter, or on their colorful Instagram account. Let me know if you try it and what your favorite food is!

Tweet
Share
Pin
0 Shares

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: Blogging, restaurant

Previous Post: « Knott’s for the Cure: Support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Fund
Next Post: Ultimate Valentine’s Day Gift Suggestions for a Busy Mom »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

dangerous cupcake lifestyle club 33 profile
I’m Donna, and I’m not a mommy blogger.
I’m a Marvel geek and creator of Dangerous Cupcake, a Southern California lifestyle blog dedicated to life after the kids grow up. As my four kids enter different stages of their lives, I get to do the same, having fun, loving Disney, watching Marvel, and not letting my age define anything. Phase 2 of life is pretty amazing, and midlife isn’t a bad word. Join me in changing focus and enjoying life during our next adventure, without totally starting over. However you do it, life is short, live a little dangerously.
Donna@DangerousCupcakeLifestyle.com

We are an Amazon affiliate, which means some Amazon links you click may be our affiliate links. In that case, we may make some money IF you purchase using those links or other affiliate links.
We appreciate you!

STUFF WE WRITE ABOUT

Footer

Follow on Instagram
Life is short, so it should never be boring. Dangerous Cupcake Lifestyle is all about enjoying life, specifically midlife, finding yourself after your kids grow up and above all, keeping it real. Live dangerously. We'd love to hear from you -- let's work together!

Copyright © 2023 Dangerous Cupcake and Thunderbolt Social Media

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT