Meat Your Valentine: A Taste of Home at Doma Kitchen

Doma Kitchen's location, in the corner of a mall, is unassuming. A busy shopping area with chain restaurants and a movie theater flank the small space.

Yet, the self-effacing eatery is a facade for a restaurant that serves up truly amazing meals. Breads and cakes are baked on-location, veggie patties are molded by hand using whole ingredients, and cherry tomatoes and cucumbers are pickled on-site.

The dishes coming out of Doma are supreme, the flavors incredible.

Every menu item at Doma is carefully planned and executed, and the owners' passion for food can be sensed in each bite.

The meals are homemade, flavorful, and crafted with quality ingredients – dark seeds dot crispy breadsticks, pieces of lamb float around hot, steamy bowls of borscht. Dining at Doma evokes a certain nostalgia, whether real or imagined, of living during a simpler time when bread was kneaded by hand and meals were prepared with whole ingredients. The restaurant's website boasts that it stands for "memorable experiences and warm hospitality," and that is exactly why patrons return again and again.

Doma, which opened about two months ago at its current location, offers internationally inspired cuisine, with an emphasis on Eastern European and Central Asian dishes. Owners Angie Corrente and Stan Mayzalis, along with Chef Kristina Miksyte, draw inspiration from their numerous world travels. Chef Miksyte, a Lithuanian native, received her culinary degree in Europe, while Ms. Corrente spent part of her life in Ukraine.

The name Doma is derived from the Slovakian word for "at home."

Doma Kitchen has two main spaces. The primary dining room features hanging shelves and handmade lighting and accessories.

Mr. Mayzalis' background in eco-friendly construction can be seen in the choice of light, wooden furniture. Another room acts more like an annex and seems far removed from the open, noisy kitchen; it is an undisturbed dining area. In this space, the walls are tastefully decorated with installations from local artists. 

Some of the most popular dishes include crispy chicken Kiev, lamb stroganoff, and Lithuanian-style dumplings.

On a recent night, duck was included as part of a specials menu – it was roasted and drenched in a sophisticated currant and pear sauce.

The star item on the menu, however, is the eight-layer Russian honey cake, a divine homemade dessert. Layers of tangy sweetened sour cream alternate with paper-thin sheets of cake.

Ms. Corrente tells a beguiling story of its patrician origins – legend has it the cake was originally made for Catherine the Great, who did not enjoy the taste of honey but was infatuated with the dessert. At Doma, it tastes as if it were made for royalty.

For Valentine's Day, Chef Miksyte will be serving a one-time, three-course tasting menu. The day's specialties include filet mignon with sweet mashed potatoes, chimichurri sauce, crispy onions, and heirloom carrots, chicken pâté with crostini and onion jam, and white fish with bulgur and olives served on a bed of house-made cherry tomato tapenade. A live tango band, promising a good time, will enliven the night – reservations are highly recommended.

Doma Kitchen, 4325 Glencoe Ave #8 in Marina Del Rey CA, 90292

Telephone/reservations: (310) 301-0582