Review: Vol. 94 (Pasadena)

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Rachael

When my friend Evan told me he was going to take me dinner for my birthday – and I got to pick the place – my brain nearly imploded from all of the possible choices. Dragging my heels for weeks, I remained indecisive as I scoured through posts upon posts of my favorite local food bloggers, trying to hone in on a couple of choices. It finally boiled down to two heavy contenders: Maxamiliano in Highland Park, and Vol. 94 in Pasadena. I put the choice to Evan, who was still very insistent on me having the final say, but did say he felt a bit of a slant toward Vol. 94 as it touted itself as a small plates/tapas restaurant. Vol. 94 it was!

Located just across from the Paseo Mall on Colorado, Vol. 94 isn’t terribly noticeable from the street, but when I stepped inside I was somehow transported to a spacious, bright and stately room that looked as if it belonged in a palace by the sea.

If you can’t tell from that picture above, they’re a bit big on the wine. I’m not really one for ordering wine when I dine out, though, but Evan and I more than made up for it with our rampage on their menu. Now, some might think it tacky of me to post the prices here as this was a birthday meal, but I realize others find it helpful to know. I forgot to take home the menu they gave me so some prices are unavailable unless they are on the website.

Melon Prosciutto Gazpacho - Vol. 94 - Pasadena

Melon Prosciutto Gazpacho
Toasted Pine Nuts | Sprouts | Balsamic Vinegar | Chilled Melon Broth

I love the combination of melon/prosciutto, and going with this was a refreshing dish to start our meal off with, especially since the day we chose for our outing was exceptionally hot. A little bit sweet, a little bit salty, crunchy, smooth and chilled. Great way to wake up our palates.

Watermelon Aguas Fresca - Vol. 94 - Pasadena

Watermelon Aguas Fresca ($2 add-on to dish above)

Evan first ordered this, and after he permitted me to have a sip I ordered one for myself. Aguas Fresca have a habit of running on the sugary side, but this was as thirst-quenching natural as if it had been freshly pressed at our table. Watermelon is the perfect flavor to compliment the hot summer day while not so overbearing as to compromise the rest of our dishes.

Pirate’s Gold ($12)
Squid Inked Gnocchi Parisienne | Pistachio-Leek Puree | Mint | Bottarga | Rainbow Chard

Ever since my experience at Wood & Vine, I’ve been a little gnocchi obsessed, especially since I can’t order it from just anywhere. Gnocchi has to come from a restaurant of high caliber and I felt comfortable enough with vol. 94 to let them handle it. The upped the ante by adding squid ink into the mix, which I never tasted before. Though it’s not pleasant to stare at food that resembles burnt mini marshmallows, the gnocchi had a great texture and all of the components harmonized well. Living well up to my expectation, I was wishing for more as soon as it had gone.

The 60′s ['Shrooms & Weed] ($7)
Hen of the Wood Mushrooms | Dandelion Greens | Popcorn Grits | Tonburi | Sliced Porcini Mushrooms

It’s not as if Evan and I would enter into a suicide pact should we be medically bound to a vegetarian diet, but suffice to say this was our only non-meat selection (dessert doesn’t count) and we were both happy with our selection. I’m not a big fan of culinary foam as I think it’s another useless trend, but aside from that, this was the ideal dish for mushroom-loving fiends such as we.

Amberjack Crudo ($14)
Kanpachi | Avocado | Mango Kaffir Lime Relish | Tamarind Caramel Popcorn

I glanced right over this gem, but am so pleased Evan went for it. Amberjack is new on my radar, and Kanpachi is its most mature state, meaning fish measuring over 4′ in length. It has a firm meat, but a delicate flavor. The tamarind popcorn threw me off for a moment, but was good just the same, adding to the tropical Southeast Asia flavors of mango and Kaffir Lime.

Drunken Softshell Crab - Vol. 94 - Pasadena

Drunkin’ Softshell Crab ($10)
Soju Marinated Softshell Crab | Spiced Korean Jam | Korean Pear | Oro Blanco Gastrique

This is the dish that first caught my attention when I scoped their menu online. Let me tell you; it was worth the wait and the hype I built up in myself. Spicy and crunchy, this dish set the bar very high for all of my future encounters with softshell crab. The fried pear (looks like lotus root) was a nicely sweet touch and the shredded jicama was just the bit of freshness required to make this plate the perfect balancing act of flavor and texture. If you can’t handle the heat, do not order this from the kitchen!

Pan Seared Diver Scallops - Vol. 94 - Pasadena

Pan Seared Diver Scallops (approx. $16)

Unfortunately they have changed their menu so the current scallop selection is not what we ordered and I was apparently a bit lazy with my notes so I’ve no clue what anything on that plate is other than the scallops. The greens may or may not be baby bok choy, the white a finely shaved mushroom of some sort, and the caper looking spheres are not capers. It doesn’t matter anyway because Good Lord look at the sear on those scallops! I do not believe I have come across its equal, and if its Chef Phil Lee or someone else in that kitchen who made these scallops, well, I want them at my home searing scallops for me day and night. That was not a euphemism.

SGV Duck (price unlisted on site)
Royal Anise-Chili Sauce | Japanese Eggplant | Chinese Long Beans | Yu Choy

I’m picky with duck, but there was something completely unique about the SGV (San Gabriel Valley) duck that called out to me. It definitely had a firm kick to it, but the heat was not unbearable. The creamy cinnamon left a lingering sweetness on my tongue and while the meat itself was a wee chewy (the nature of being rare), it was still one of the best duck choices I’ve ever made.

Pat Bingsoo ($7)
Condensed Milk Custard | Strawberry Shaved Ice | Azuki Beans | Kiwi Pate de Fruit

I imagine this is the kind of food a child in South Korea would make him or herself when mom and dad are out and the babysitter is too busy talking to her boyfriend to notice. Raid the fridge, grab ALL THE SWEETS and go bananas. They live with no regrets and neither did we after digging in to our first bite (after the awkward pause of, “OMGWhatisthis?”)

Overall Impression
- The service at Vol. 94 cannot be rivaled; everyone is impeccably professional in terms of friendliness, knowledge, and efficiency. They were sure to refresh our plates + cutlery every other new dish so that our palates could experience each dish on its own. I even briefly exchanged niceties with owner Joon Kim, who set upon to create his culinary vision with Executive Chef Phil Lee.

- My biggest criticism lies within their online presence, specifically the website which has crashed my computer more times than I’d like to admit due to its auto-play embedded music that cannot be switched off. I strongly advise vol. 94 to do away with it. Also, they have a locked Twitter account which defeats the purpose of a business operating a Twitter. Minor and easily fixed quibbles when compared to the stellar service and food, though.

- vol. 94 is perfect for a special evening out begging for a unique bite or a spot of a wine and a shared plate before heading out to live entertainment. 15% off specials are offered when you sign their guestbook and use a print-out.

There was not a single dish that fell short and I am aching to save my pennies and return to vol. 94 so I can ravage their extensive menu once more.

Vol. 94 Wine Bistro
239 East Colorado Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91101
626.356.9494
http://www.thevol94.com
Monday: Closed
Sunday, Tues-Thurs: 5:30p-11:00p
Friday-Saturday: 5:30p-Midnight

Showcase: redwhite+bluezz (Pasadena)

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Rachael

It wasn’t too long ago that I visited red+white+bluezz, a jazz wine bar and restaurant located in the heart of Old Town Pasadena. Though I gave me entree a mixed review, I was overall very impressed, as was my friend Evan. I was invited back to give another go, this time to try out their summer menu along with some choice pickings from their Tasting Flights – kind of like samplers.

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

Review: red + white + bluezz (Pasadena)

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Rachael

red, white + bluezz wine bar and restaurant

There needs to be a twelve-step program for weaning oneself off of Groupon. Until then, I am enjoying my addiction merrily. The latest food related Groupon I purchased was to red + white + bluezz, a jazzy wine bar and restaurant in Pasadena. I’d seen it since it first appeared but never got curious enough to plop some money down – until now. My friend Evan and I decided to go halves on it, which now looking back, is pretty stupid since the only real thing a Groupon meal split is going to cover for two people is the tip. Oh, well, live and learn (hopefully learn anyway).

Evan went the smart direction – he picked from the prix fixe menu with a wine pairing. He got to chose an appetizer, a main and a dessert and three wines were carefully paired with each dish by the knowledgeable waitstaff. For his meal, Evan chose:
Appetizer: Crab Cakes passion fruit riesling cream, mango sweet pepper relish, micro intensity mix
Main: Pan-Seared Loch Duart Salmon with mashed potatoes and some green beans
Dessert: Speyside Butterscoth Pudding, 12-year glenlivet brown sugar custard, chantilly creme, shaved cocoa, fleur de sel

You actually do not have to get the wine pairing. That is an additional $18 for a three-course meal.

Unfortunately, none of my pictures of the crab cakes came out well but Evan loved them and was kind enough to let me have a taste – yum, indeed! Both of us recommend this starter highly, and bonus points for the refreshing side of greens.

Salmon

Entree: Evan really enjoyed this dish, and goes on to recommend it. It should be noted that he enjoyed all three of his wines and recommends the wine pairing.

Now, me. Well, I was a little more than bummed out that red + white and bluezz is falling into the same pattern as many high-end restaurants and not keeping their menu up to date. Seriously, people. If it’s a “sample” menu, say so, otherwise have a care and keep it updated otherwise you’re going to have to explain to people like me why there are no fried green tomatoes when they were advertised as being on your menu. My original intent was to order a few appetizers and a dessert, but the fried green tomatoes not being on the menu any longer threw a wrench into the gears of that plan and I opted for the traditional 3 course meal, ordered the old fashioned way since the other appetizer I wanted was not offered on the prix fixe menu.

Starter: Fried Mac N’Cheese – signature cheese blend, frosted flake panko crust, bacon sharp cheddar béchamel
Main: Duck confit over a bed of risotto with peas and corn (it was described better on the menu, but again it is not listed on the website’s menu)
Dessert: Butterscotch pudding

Fried Mac and Cheese

Appetizer: OK, not what I was expecting. I was envisioning a little crock of some kind. Anyhow, these were good but definitely need to be shared with company because they’re so rich. I wish the inside had been a bit creamier, as it was a little starch-overload. I could have used a light bit of greens like Evan had with his starter, although I do understand why they wouldn’t with this.

Duck Confit over Risotto

Entree: Not the greatest. I ate about five or six bites and was done. The duck was cooked very well, but the risotto was too hard and the taste glutenous with frozen mixed bag of vegetables thrown in like an afterthought. None of the vegetables in there tasted fresh. It honestly kept reminding me of Chinese take-out, like fried rice in a cream sauce. I’m glad I know what a fantastic risotto tastes like, otherwise I’d be too put-off to try it again. Unfortunately, I can’t say I’d ever order this again.

Butterscotch Pudding

Dessert: This is the Dessert to Rule Them All. The Pudding of Puddings. I would eat this every single day until the day I left this earth. I can’t even begin to explain the harmony that each of these components bring to the overall dessert because, like the One Ring Itself, it’s just fucking magic. I speak for both Evan and myself when I say that if you’re going to hang out at this place and listen to some jazz, at the very least order this.
This pudding made up for my crummy entree, hands down.

Live jazz is performed every night and it was enjoyable to hear in the background (we made sure to sit off a ways from the band).

Would I go back to red + white + bluezz? Yes. The dessert sealed it for me, despite a sub-par entree. It is not uncommon in my experiences to find high-end bistros like this one to serve excellent apps and desserts but fall short on entrees, although Evan enjoyed his well enough so perhaps it was merely my draw of the cards that evening.

red + white + bluezz
70 S. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105

this post is part of WanderFood Wednesday!

Review: Bar Celona (Pasadena)

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Rachael

I normally won’t waste my bandwidth on bad reviews, but the problem with Bar Celona is that it isn’t bad food. It’s bad service and overpriced, albeit very good food.

I’ve spied Bar Celona on the several dozen times I’ve walked up and down Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena, but it wasn’t until I learned that one of my favorite Los Angeles chefs – Chef David H. Plonowski – used to work there that I was really motivated to give it a go.

My friend ordered
crispy eggplant with honey, spiced yogurt
goat cheese & chard croquetas
gazpacho

I ordered
sweet potato and butter empanada
Serrano ham wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese and drizzled with honey

Verdict: Incredibly rich, not too much chard, but otherwise very good.

Verdict: We didn’t realize “crispy” automatically meant fried, so that was kind of a bummer. Otherwise, the sauce was fabulous. I think it’d taste better if the eggplant was grilled.

My friend said her gazpacho (not pictured) was not great with “overpowering flavoring with a consistency and taste more akin to a sweet salsa given a quick run through the blender.”

Verdict: While absolutely fantastic tasting, I would have expected just a couple more dates (five-six) for the price of $8.00

You do not see my empanda pictures because it was never delivered to me. Yes, they totally spaced out about it. No, it was not busy – around five patrons including ourselves, and at least four servers that I counted.
My friend received her food relatively quickly; within five-ten minutes of ordering. I received my dates about five-ten minutes after she did and never saw nor heard about the empanada until the bill came and saw that they charged me for it anyway.
A quick correction later (at least they didn’t attempt to dispute it) and my friend and I were quick to get the hell out of there.

Would I dine at Bar Celona again? Maybe. If it was happy hour when the tapas are $5.00 a pop and someone else was footing the bill. Otherwise, I’ll save my pennies and make the trip to Santa Monica to pay Chef David a visit at his new place of business, Bar Pintxo.

Bar Celona
46 East Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105

FOODIE FIENDS: Has less-than-savory service put you off of going to an otherwise decent restaurant?

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Tag Archives: Pasadena restaurant

Review: Vol. 94 (Pasadena)

Showcase: redwhite+bluezz (Pasadena)

Review: red + white + bluezz (Pasadena)

Review: Bar Celona (Pasadena)