In its Elements
New Playhouse-adjacent restaurant makes do without a partner
By Erica Wayne 02/11/2010
It seems 2010 isn’t working out for the best so far. Unemployment’s up, health care’s on life-support and poor Elements Kitchen, in the planning for well over a year, opened on Jan. 19 in its wonderful newly renovated space on South El Molino Avenue just in time for the adjacent Pasadena Playhouse to announce that it was going belly-up (taking our subscription money with it).
My husband and I have been longtime subscribers to the Playhouse, living with erratic schedules, pared-down productions, heating and air-conditioning failures, etc., etc., just because we love the place and its history. And, occasionally (in between mediocre biopics on Ann Landers and Lena Horne), there’ve been some amazingly rewarding productions.
The most disappointing aspect of our years-long tie to the Playhouse has been the fact that almost none of the eateries that have occupied the neighboring space — seeming to rise and fall almost as frequently as the curtain on the plays next door — have been open on Sunday evening, our subscription night. Frankly, almost none of them have been worth dining at; so it all worked out, but still …
However, being aficionados of Elements Café, we’d been looking forward to the opening of Elements Kitchen ever since we learned the little breakfast/lunch and catering establishment on South Fair Oaks Avenue was planning to expand. And we were overjoyed to find out that the new restaurant’s schedule included Sunday dinner. On our last Playhouse visit (“Camelot” — how appropriate from so many different angles), we peered in the windows of the almost-ready restaurant and told ourselves we’d be dining there next play night.
Alas, both we and Elements have been abandoned. We got our “Dear John” letter earlier this week, assuring us that the Playhouse both respected and was grateful for our loyalty. And, this morning, a message came in on email from Elements indicating their grief that the theater was closing. The sentence that most interested me was the following: “We appreciate the concern that our friends have expressed for us; however, despite the unfortunate closing of the Playhouse, Elements Kitchen is open and doing very well!”
Now, that’s a little bit of sunshine! Elements has one of the most innovative kitchens in our neck of the woods. And, since I put myself on their email list, I’ve been monitoring their menus and putting in a bit more time on the treadmill to prepare for our first dinner there. Obviously it’s not going to coincide with a play, but maybe we can find a good movie at the Laemmle Playhouse 7 to round out the evening.
I’d love to partake of their Valentine’s Day dinner, the menu of which was also sent via email. It began with an Emerson quote: “Thou art to me a delicious torment.” Of course, Emerson wasn’t referring to food when he wrote this. But I am.
The whispered ingredients of Elements red borscht from the starters (red cabbage, red onion, port, crème fraîche, caviar) are haunting (even though they could probably have gotten a bigger bang for the buck with beets). Never mind, the second course contains a roasted beet and tarragon soufflé (with goat cheese ice cream, candied pecans and cara cara oranges). Entrees? Chestnut gnocchi and oven-dried red grapes with Brussels sprouts, brown butter and Parmesan. My, oh my!
OK, if those are a bit too inventive for some Pasadena lovers, there are several alternates for stick-in-the-muds who still want a romantic night out. How about a nice mixed-green and fine-herb salad with braised baby vegetables and Meyer lemon vinaigrette plus grilled beef tenderloin with wild-mushroom ragout, haricots verts, pommes frites and a roasted red pepper coulis?
Dessert is a secret. But given the wonders of the regular menu (e.g., white chocolate and coffee mousse with milk chocolate ganache, brownie and chocolate glaze; citrus tart with whipped mascarpone, kumquat chutney, tarragon meringue and puff pastry; liquid coffee gelée and coconut cream — each $8), how could it be less than spectacular?
The price for the complete menu is $75; with wine-pairing, $100. Expensive? Yup, but as a once-a-year treat for those of us who still have jobs, priceless! Now, if you’re planning to make a habit of Elements Kitchen, you might want to forego Sunday in favor of a less crowded evening. The regular menu has plenty of equally creative dishes (along with a wine list that’s eminently satisfying, both from a price and selection viewpoint).
Liver, for instance, can be had in two recipes, one the hautest of haute (PF&J — pistachio butter, foie gras torchon and jellied sauternes with brioche toast, candied pistachios and roasted grapes - $19); the other way down-home (crispy fried chicken livers with Anson Mills grits and mahogany onion gravy - $9). Ooh-wee!
The kitchen cooks in many tongues — there’s a game hen cassoulet ($17), monkfish lemongrass and kafir curry with lobster steamed rice ($28), baccala alla vicentina with baby artichokes and gremolata ($12), Bolivian roasted chicken criollo ($16) with chorrellana (think pico de gallo plus), kabocha squash and miso risotto with tofu katsu and edamame ($19). Not only do these all sound tempting, but they’re all spelled right, a rarity on menus these days.
So, although I’m sorry the Playhouse has taken a powder with our money, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that they’ll be resurrecting at least part of their new season. Meanwhile, every cloud has a bit of a silver lining. I’m sure when we finally get a chance to try Elements Kitchen, street parking will be a lot easier to find.
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