This time around I took Kitten Teeth, proprietor of Kitten Teeth Vintage. Fine dining isn’t necessarily wasted on Mister J, but as he does not drink, a wine bar would not be the ideal place to bring him. Our server, Sarah, was very knowledgeable and helped guide me throughout the tasting flight. Pleb that I am, wine isn’t even on my top ten list of alcoholic beverages to order when out, especially when I’m dedicated to the fine nectar of Pabst Blue Ribbon. If I’m going to pick a wine, I’d play it safe and go with a Riesling because they’re sweet. Sarah suggested the Tiny Bubbles flight – a trio of champagne samplers. With Don Ho now serenading me like a broken record, I went for it.
Tiny Bubbles
From left to right: Taittinger Brut Reserve, Il Prosecco Brut, Lous De Sacy Rosé
My favorite was the Il Prosecco, which was the lightest of the trio and very dainty and crisp in flavor. Definitely the sweetest, although not the fruitiest; that would be the Taittinger, which had a slight fruity acidic bite to it.
We’re big on cheese in this family. I have a distinct memory of my sister dragging me to the grocery store at 10:30pm, the word “Gouda!” on her breath as she hunted down the cheese like a predator to its prey. So imagine my distress when I had to pick a cheese platter from the Tasting Flight options. I finally settled on Not Ba-aaad.
Not Ba-aaad Cheese Sampler
From left to right: Clarines Triple (France, sheep’s milk), Sage Derby (England, sheep’s milk), Roquefort (France, cow’s milk)
These were all amazing. I’m as much of a fan of soft, creamy cheese as I am stinky blue. Bonus points for the walnuts and cranberries, but the olives were a little too sour for my liking. The addition of sage and the inclusion of cheese that uses sheep’s milk is really what won me over. Maybe it was in my head, but the cheeses that used sheep’s milk seemed lighter. I personally cannot pick just one, though, and this was such a generous portion we never did get to consume all of it. Kitten preferred the triple cream.
So, I’m going to break down each of our meal by course rather than person. We each ordered a starter, a soup, an entree and a dessert. Yes, it was a lot. Yes, we were in pain by the end of it all but more on that later.
Starter: Crab Cakes
We both went for the signature crab cakes and wow. I know why Evan was raving about them. These are so amazing, I could easily snack on them all evening while I sip on something cool and summery. The greens are a wonderful contrast, and while I’m not normally a fan of fruit based salsa/relish, that too was the perfect compliment to these meaty, crispy crab cakes.
Crab Cakes
Soup: Pesto Beef, Zesty Roasted Tomato
Personally, I never want to hear the words “pesto” and “beef” when describing the same dish, but apparently I am missing out on something pretty tasty. According to Kitten this soup of the day was light and brothy, accomplishing a perfect balance without the flavor pendulum swinging too far in one particular direction.
As for the zesty roasted tomato, I could have done without it. I was not expecting the zesty part to be played by bell peppers, which I have an aversion to, nor was I pleased with the dollop of melted cheese atop the soup’s center along with the refreshing basil and crustini. Cheese on vegetable soup bugs me for whatever inane reason, and while this soup is good it just isn’t my bowl of soup. Knowing me, I’d swap out the bell pepper for some fennel and call it a day.
Beef Pesto, Zesty Roasted Tomato Soups
Entree: Sugar Cane Grilled Scallops
Chef was kind enough to grill me a scallop so I wouldn’t have to snatch one from Kitten when I distracted her by kicking her in the shin and blaming it on a passing server. That was plan b, anyway, but I may have found myself walking home. The scallops came with soba noodles, sautéed pea pods, carrot shavings, onion
cilantro, miso, sweet yuzu soy sauce. An odd yet intriguing accompaniment I would have never conceived of, Kitten and I agree the scallops were tender and cooked perfectly (scallops are easy to mess up and should never be handled by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing). There was a slight saltiness that paired beautifully to the sweet yuzu and made this dish a true winner.
Sugar Cane Grilled Scallops
Entree: Australian Rack Of Lamb
I waffled a bit on what to order since Kitten just had to take the scallops and since I’m the damn professional here I have to be bold and try something else. GEEZ. The giving I do, I tell you what. Anyway, the rack of lamb was joined by Provencal herb+garlic rub, sunchokes, eggplant, zucchini
artichoke hearts, mint raita sauce. I enjoyed all of it but kept mistaking the sunchokes for potatoes and, well, you can imagine my surprise when I popped them in mouth. The lamb itself was out of this world and it was really all I could do to maintain a professional demeanor and not pick up the bone and tear at it with complete abandon.
Australian Rack Of Lamb
Dessert: Speyside Butterscotch Pudding
We were going to burst from all of the gourmet goodness in our stomach’s, but I was determined to forge on – there was no way I could come here and not get that amazing butterscotch pudding. 12-year glenlivet + brown sugar custard, Chantilly cream chocolate sauce, fleur de sel, chocolate straw HELLO, lover. You already know this is my new, favorite dessert. It’s so rich and sinful, I’d cheat on Mister J with it.
Dessert: White Sangria Gelée (not pictured)
A very creative endeavor that includes sweet manseng wine, peach essence, fresh berries red seedless grapes, passion fruit reduction, and Chantilly cream. Kitten said it was tasty but she could only eat about one-third of it before she had to thrown in the towel and claim defeat. Judging from my own bite, it is the perfect dessert for those looking for a fruity, light treat.
Throughout the evening we were entertained by the music of guitarist Greg Poree and bassist Keith Jones. The music was entertaining and never too loud that I could not enjoy my conversation.
Would I go back to redwhite + bluezz? Definitely. This is a great place for dates, friends and family. I would not bring children under the age of fifteen or folks who would rather go for a burger and fries. The menu changes seasonally and – bonus points! – they have updated their website to reflect the summer menu changes.
red,white+bluezz
70 S. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
