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Restaurant Review: Bistro K, Pasadena, CA
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July 18, 2004
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Dinner was to be found at Bistro K, a beautiful restaurant in South Pasadena. It's nestled into the corner of the building that houses the Fremont Center Theatre. The Theatre is worth checking out; consider getting Bistro K's pre-theatre offering and attending a show afterward. (That's what we did, and we had a lot of fun.) Of course, if you do that, you won't be able to do the five-course degustation menu, so mull over your priorities before making your plans.
As appetizers, Rebecca and I both ordered the Foie Gras special. A torchon graced the regular menu, but the special was Seared Foie Gras with Sauteed Apples and Eel. That's right, foie and eel. Normally, we try to get different appetizers in order to get more exposure to a menu, but we both love eel, and where foie gras is concerned, we're both just too selfish to share.
Combining eel, foie gras, and apples is not unheard of. (See, for instance, the book "Foie Gras: A Passion".) Neither of us had ever had it before, however. The foie gras was of good quality (and there was plenty of it!). I would have liked it a little bit crustier. The eel had excellent texture and flavor. Rebecca and I both felt that the taste of the eel tended to dominate the taste of the foie gras. To me, it felt more like an eel dish, although there was much less eel than foie gras. I didn't mind this at all; there's nothing that can dress up eel like a little (or a lot!) of foie gras. The textural combination of the two is matchless. But Rebecca preferred to eat them separately. She loves foie gras Just That Much.
For our entrees, Rebecca had Veal Sweetbread with Wild Mushrooms, Tarragon, and Crayfish Ragout. Wish I could tell you something about it. I was entirely too busy with a "Pot au Feu" of Fresh Squab, Duck Breast, Poached Foie Gras, Poached Leeks and Shallot Confit in a Lime Nage.
Pot au Feu is the French version of what the English, in their relentless pursuit of flowery culinary terms, call "Boiled Dinner". It is normally made with beef. A typical traditional version involves boiling the beef with onion, carrots and celery in water for an hour or so, letting it sit for a day, add other vegetables such as turnips, leeks, and potatoes, then boil the hell out of it for another hour or so.
Sounds great, doesn't it? You won't be surprised to hear that I've never ordered Pot au feu at a restaurant, nor attempted to make it at home. First off, I always resist the idea of boiling anything. The whole point of most cooking techniques is to increase flavor and complexity. When searing, for instance, you may lose flavor as liquid escapes from the meat (it's a myth that searing "seals in the juices"), but the flavor you gain from crust formation and from carmelization of the juices on the pan, which you then incorporate into a sauce, far outweigh any loss. But with boiling in water, you leach flavor into the liquid and give nothing in return. This could be fine in the case of a soup or a braise, where you intend to use the liquid. But "Boiled Dinner" is not a stew; most of the liquid is removed before serving (though it is hopefully used for some other purpose). I'm sure a traditional Pot au Feu is much better than I give it credit for (it is classic French country cooking, after all), but I've just always been more attracted to other menu items.
I will wear a pointy hat and annoint myself Pope, however, before I pass up any dish that has both Squab and Duck in it. Throw a little Foie Gras in there and I'll take two. (Actually, I didn't realize that the dish also had foie gras in it when I picked the appetizer. Not that I wouldn't have settled on the same choices; I just would have felt guiltier about them.)
Bistro K's interpretation of Pot au Feu minimizes the potential loss of flavor by poaching the ingredients in a lime court boullion (thereby lending the flavor of the boullion to the ingredients), and serving them in a dish with a bit of the boullion at the bottom (returning some of the lost flavor to the dish).
One characteristic of poaching (which is just like boiling, only at a lower temperature) is that it results in a very tender texture which can, if done properly, border on sublime. In this dish, the duck was this way. You could almost cut it comfortably with a fork. The squab was also very good. The meats were flavorful in and of themselves, but were even more interesting with the boullion, which had a slight citrus tang that was a perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the poultry. And naturally, the foie gras lended just a bit of kick to everything.
As good as the rest of the dish was, the shallot "confit" nearly stole the show. No, it isn't just that I don't get to eat onionlike products that often. It was better than candy. And folks, I love candy.
I'd like to make this dish, but I think that without the onions in the court boullion, the leeks, and the shallot confit, it would suffer. Besides, it's tough to get fresh squab, and even the frozen stuff is expensive. And there's no substitute for foie gras.
Still, I think I could find an worthwhile interpretation, if not one quite as transcendent. Maybe use duck legs and thighs (cheap and plentiful in the chinese areas) and free-range chicken breasts, if I can find some at reasonable prices. Perhaps find a way to work a little pork in there in some fashion. Use roasted garlic instead of shallot confit. Throw a roasted tomato in there. Maybe a mound of root vegetable brunoise with bacon and rosemary in the middle of it all. I'll think about it.
There are two astounding things about Bistro K that I have not mentioned yet. The first is that they don't yet have their liquor license. As a result, they encourage you to bring your own wine, and they don't charge corkage. That's right, folks, no corkage. We brought a $50 wine that we'd purchased three or four years ago (hence, it felt like it was *free*) that would have cost $100 or more in a regular restaurant. Wine is often the most expensive single element in a meal, and restaurant wine lists don't always have what you want (Oh boy, Chardonnay again...well, at least they have twelve to choose from). The ability to cut wine costs in half or more and to bring exactly what you want, even from your own stash, is just tremendous. As we left, we saw a large group that had the right idea. The table was crowded with wine glasses -- it appeared that there were at least two per person. I saw at least eight or nine bottles of wine, including several of my favorites -- a Vieux-Telegraphe, for instance. Sigh. Makes me nostalgic for the heady days of non-studenthood.
The other astounding mentionable is the price. For the most part, entree prices are $16 or less. That's right, for the same price as a horrible meal at, say, the Black Angus Steakhouse (sans incredible moneysaving coupon), you can eat at Bistro K. Pick your jaw up off the floor. You'll need it to call for a reservation.
July 18, 2004 in restaurants | Permalink
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