New Lounge on Ventura Turning Heads

By: Linda Karabed
lkarabed@uci.edu
In recent months, a new place has brought a new look to Ventura Boulevard with the opening of Kaffe Rouge Restaurant and Lounge. Debuting earlier this year, it has quickly become a favorite for local students and hookah lovers. With all the talk stirring around this place, we decided to check it out and see what really separates it from other lounges in Los Angeles.

Open seven nights a week, Kaffe Rouge’s hookah and food menu is about as diverse as it gets. The food ranges from American favorites to special culinary creations that are inspired by different flavors from around the world. The ambiance of the place is indeed unique. Radiant red and black leather couches are a staple of the place and one of their dining areas has been converted into a private bedroom lounge, where patrons can dine or smoke hookah while they lay back and relax. While other hookah lounges try to emulate comfortable seating, many of them fall short, simply placing a Persian rug over a hard board box seat. Kaffe Rouge definitely has seating that is, as they proclaim, “truly fit for a king.” So we liked the seats, but how was the food you ask?

We did a little homework before we visited and discovered that their most popular dish was the Stuffed Tiger Shrimp. When we arrived, we were particularly impressed to find that this place used New York Steak meat in all their beef dishes. That’s right, their hamburgers, steak skewers, and steak quesadillas are all packed with New York steak meat. That is definitely a level of quality you don’t see too often at restaurants that are famed for their hookah. We decided to order a few of these dishes to see if it lived up to its hype and we must admit we were thoroughly impressed. The Stuffed Tiger Shrimp was delicious down to the very last bite. The Steak Quesadilla was one of our favorites, packed with cheese and the New York steak meat. While we weren’t able to try everything on the menu (obviously), what we did try, we liked.

This place gets our thumbs up for both presentation and food. The ambiance is very unique and the food delicious. Adding to the fun, Kaffe Rouge has a happy hour that is one of the best around. The happy hour offers beers at $2.50, appetizers at $5.00 and hookahs at $10.00. That really is one of the best bargains in town. See you there!