Bar Chelou

Conrad is in Chicago, and Van and I have a handful of days together here, so we went out on a dinner date last night.  Destination?  Bar Chelou!

Van had been there at least a couple of times, but it was a first for me.  The restaurant has had good buzz in its relatively short lifespan, garnering a mention last year in the LA Times top 101 list.  And good for it!  I'm glad that there was Pasadena representation on that list, and I think - based on our experience - that the mention was merited.

We settled in the lounge

to wait for our table on arrival, but we were soon seated.  A Sazerac for Van,

something spirit forward and fragrant with thyme called the Coquette for me. 

We shared four savoury dishes and two desserts, and I would be hard-pressed to pick favourites.  The carrots were a surprise, not just because I expected a roasted preparation but also because I kept finding new flavours in them. 

The sprouted cauliflower came in a delicious sauce that I would have happily had with a steak. 

The heritage tomato pan tomate was one of the best iterations of that simple Spanish classic that I have ever enjoyed.  The lamb ribs were meaty and satisfying. 

I loved the combination of lemon and chamomile in the semi-freddo,

and the buttery crumble with the roasted peach sorbet was excellent.

Other things I liked:  very friendly service, the fact that we had a table tucked in a back corner that gave us a somewhat quieter setting for dining and talking (Conrad would love the food, but as with many restaurants, the din among the hard surfaces would make hearing conversation difficult).

Meanwhile, the Pasadena Playhouse, whose structure is the home to Bar Chelou, was having a big evening.  The red carpet opening of a production of La Cage aux Folles starring Cheyenne Jackson and including a queen I recognized from Drag Race.  Fun.  We might consider going to it before it closes.  But when Van and I left the restaurant, it was intermission, and Van spotted among the gatherees outside my erstwhile twin, Jesse Tyler Ferguson.  A rare celebrity spotting in the wild!  I hope he enjoyed the show.  Van and I certainly enjoyed our date!