Test Kitchen reemerged this past Friday night with a sneak peek at MessHall Kitchen, the new restaurant coming to Los Feliz this summer from the owners behind Sotto, Picca, and Short Order. Held at Amy Pressman and Nancy Silverton’s Fairfax burger joint, the evening was a “boot camp” lead by another, unrelated Silverton; this time Keith Silverton, a chef whose long career has led him through the kitchens of Jeremiah Tower and Mark Miller, and is known to L.A for his work opening Dominick’s, Smitty’s Grill, The Spider Club, and cooking at Nonna of Italy.
Silverton’s concept for MessHall would fit perfectly into the refresh of Clifton’s Cafeteria, as it combines the comfort of camping cuisine with European and New American pedigrees. Previewed dishes included a brandade of gold potatoes with garlic toast, a take on schnitzel made with trout, buttermilk fried chicken and center cut hog chops in gargantuan dimensions, and a scout cookie S’more for dessert, all paired with new cocktail creations from Julian Cox and .ink’s Josh Goldman. Take a look at the dishes Silverton slipped the diners at Short Order this weekend in our slide show, as MessHall readies for an August debut in the former home of Louise’s in Los Feliz.