Got to head over to Kava for a second round today and try some things I did not get around to last…read moretime, so here are my thoughts:
The food REMAINS IMPECCABLE. I was obsessed with the octopus last time and it was once again grilled to perfection with excellent acidity. The zucchini chips were delightful (even as someone who hates zucchini's). The feta psiti was a comfort per usual. What blew me away and I was so excited to try was the lamb chops. They were cooked to perfection, the look was closer to a medium-well (we asked for medium) but the meat was still perfectly juicy and spiced. The mousaka was also lovely, I have only had this dish homemade and it certainly held its own... definitely had a homemade feel with a generous meat portion. The Roka salad was also lovely. As far as drinks go, I enjoyed my aperol spritz and my spicy margarita a lot, I especially like the tsipouro having tried it as a shot the first time, but I think if I were to go again, I might go for wine for a more consistent liquor content.
Now let's talk about service. I want to preface that certain things would 1000% be overlooked had we reserved for a busier time, but we went in 15 minutes after opening and by the looks of it, there were more than enough servers for the tables filled in the patio. The first time that I tried Kava, part of the excellent experience was our server. They were such a sweet person who really took the time to bond with us, brought us a round on the house, and just checked on us and made sure we were always doing good. Today really lacked that element. As soon as we sat down, the server informed us that they were out of three small plates, which happens, but not 15 minutes after opening as this was the case. Nonetheless, we were able to order a lot of yummy things, so fine. We then asked if it would be possible to angle the umbrella some way or move to a different table so I would be covered from the scorching sun this afternoon, and our server said "just wait ten minutes, the sun will move behind the building..." I understand that I asked for a patio and obviously you cannot control the sun nor the weather, but I just feel like the situation could be handled a little better -- at least a better response. Then, my dad ordered a beer which was completely warm. We asked for another which was luke warm, so then he just asked for a cocktail instead. The server was kind enough to bring a cold beer on the house later, but again, right at open, you kind of expect things to be in order. Overall, our server was just kind of... there, not super attentive nor pleasant. Another thing, I tried to get around the Resy "day before" policy because the reservations for Sunday opened during my graduation ceremony on Saturday and I wanted to make sure I get my table especially as my parents were catching a flight, so I emailed management in advance per the host's instructions upon calling. We went back and forth rather unnecessarily (with very delayed replies on their part), then I got completely ghosted... Not sure why. I was eventually able to get a table by calling the host after my ceremony on Saturday and they were incredibly accommodating, but they also noted that this was a graduation celebration, yet there was no acknowledgment... I had a graduation dinner last year at a different establishment in Boston and our server went beyond to ensure a great experience and even brought out a hand-written card with our check. These details could really really help the Kava experience in my opinion. Finally, the servers bringing out the dishes were completely confused. Almost every single dish was brought to the wrong table before reaching us and we could see them running around the patio with our order... rather unprofessional. Ultimately, it is the service that leads me to dock a star from my previous rating. Had the food not been as consistently fantastic, I definitely would be docking more.