LA Weekly

You could make an argument that every remaining hour on the eve of destruction is happy hour, but there’s also a place where that’s the case almost any day of the week. Kay ’n Dave’s is a nice little story of what can happen when you follow your bliss.

“I was a lawyer and no one was ever happy,” muses Dave Licht, owner of the hottest Mexican restaurant on the Westside. “Now, every day, all I see are happy people. And there’s no negotiating. You got a buck? You’ve got a taco. Case closed.”

Taco Tuesdays are especially happy days around Kay ’n Dave’s. The place is packed from the front door to the bougainvillea-adorned patio. And why not? This is the best deal in town. For $1, you get your choice of six varieties of taco: chicken machaca, beef machaca, black beans, carnitas, grilled steak or grilled chicken. Splurge and you’ll taste the most delectable chicken taquitos for $2.95 a plate. Wash it all down with a killer $3.50 margarita de la casaand there is no rebuttal.

Now, what about the rest of the week?

“Well, after Taco Tuesday took off, we came up with Margarita Monday,” says Licht, a native Angeleno. “House margaritas, a buck. On Wednesday, you buy two margaritas at regular price and get the third one free. Thursday is double shots. Two for one. Then comes the weekend, and you have to pay retail. Hey, I’m a Jew!”

“Kay” is Licht’s first wife and former business partner. He bought her out, amicably, and remarried a Thai-born ball of fire named Jintana. Now they are the oddest couple in L.A.’s highly competitive Mexican restaurant business.

“I can’t cook and neither of us drink,” says Dave. “But we both love people, love good food and love life. We hope our place reflects that.”

Kay ’n Dave’s proudly claims to be “lardless regardless,” and insists nothing is fried in trans fats. Its sauces are vegetarian-friendly, and it uses only skinless white-meat chicken. All the soups, salsas and sauces are made fresh daily. And if you show up on the right night between 4 and 7 p.m., for five bucks you can get stuffed and buzzed. Vamanos!


10543 Pico Blvd., Rancho Park, (310) 446-8808 or www.kayndaves.com.