Plugs — Kae Whalen

L.A. food, drink, and leisure recs from a wine personality + LINKS

Plugs is The Angel’s recs column. Every week, you’ll get six picks—a restaurant, a bar, a shop, an ingredient, a person, and a treat—from someone in Los Angeles who knows what they’re talking about, plus a selection of Angel-curated links. (Plugs are for paid subscribers of The Angel only; upgrade your subscription to receive all six!)

#83 is Kae Whalen, a wine personality, sometimes-somm, event producer, and writer. Kae got her start in restaurants serving at Isa and Diner in New York before relocating to Los Angeles where she became the wine director at Kismet, earning a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for her work there. In 2020, alongside Sam Zimman, Kae founded Gay Wine, a live video-turned-event series that culminated in Open Door, a wine fair spotlighting California natural winemakers. Today, her work spans writing, private event production, and restaurant consulting—and she’s also currently clocking in as a somm at both Baby Bistro and Anajak Thai. Last week, Kae celebrated one decade in L.A. In honor of the milestone, here she is with her Plugs!

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Restaurant — Taix

As tempting as it is to Plug either of the places where I work, if you read The Angel, it’s likely that you already love them, or at least know about them. So instead, I’ll talk about Taix, the beloved and oft-mispronounced bistro-cum-dive bar in Echo Park. Apparently, early menus included a pronunciation guide — it’s tex, for anyone wondering. Taix is a singular treasure, kept alive by the perfect combination of loyal Taixans, confused newcomers, sports fans (there’s TV), and morbid curiosity (it’s been under imminent threat of closure for a solid two years now). I feel instantly at home in its French-y pub-adjacent main dining room, replete with a fireplace, cushioned armchairs on wheels, and a perennial yuletide energy. I know all the Taix girls, and the girls know me — two seconds after settling into one of said armchairs, I’ve been offered my usual dirty vodka martini, and two seconds after that, a giant, slightly over-salty and very perfect beverage is in my hand. The food is genuinely good, or at least the one thing that I order is: a medium-rare burger (no tomato, pick your battles) with Swiss (sometimes blue cheese if I’m feeling unhinged), served with fries and a ramekin trio of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and ketchup. In the best of times, I’m splitting with my bestie and the unofficial mayor of Taix, Sam Zimman, in which case we will also order a wedge salad. When you split stuff, Taix will serve it portioned for you on two plates, a nice touch.

A split wedge and Sam's "psycho order" at Taix. Photos by Kae Whalen.