Although the name Kozy Kitchen might bring to mind toothless, banjo-plucking hillbillies sitting in rocking chairs, gnawing on biscuits, the Kozy (as regulars refer to it) on McKinney Avenue is just about as different from that image as Angelina is from Jen. Think organic, think local, and know that all the servers have teeth. Culinary team Nicolas Pavageaux, Tiffiany Darnell, and Jeff Wells take their ingredients seriously: meats are grass-fed, seafood is wild, and breads are homemade. Check your Type A personality at the door. Breathe, relax, and try not to yank your hair out while waiting 10 minutes for a glass of water.
Once they get it to you, the laid-back staff is so friendly that you’ll forgive them for the test of patience. Mornings, make like the personal trainers who dive into three-egg omelets, or the regulars who fork down mouthfuls of breakfast tacos (corn tortillas, scrambled eggs, and bacon) or fluffy ginger pancakes while tapping out e-mails on their laptops. Neighborhood folks stop in for takeout cups of Segafredo Zanetti coffee and thick slices of sour cream coffee cake. A daily special of grilled coho salmon with soba noodles for lunch was moist and medium rare, and the grass-fed buffalo burger topped with goat cheese—sans bun—was juicy and rich. Local artwork covers the walls, Gerbera daisies brighten the tables, and a glass case full of cakes (think carrot, chocolate, cheesecakes, and several gluten-free varieties) and cookies beckons near the cash register.
Dinner is served on Fridays and Saturdays only, and a changing menu of entrées recently included elk fillet and swordfish. If you’ve never had gluten-free desserts, try a homemade slice of carrot cake on the way out.
Get contact information for The Kozy Kitchen.
