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This the view of the entrance of the Dining room from our table. |
First they brought out a plate of assorted bread. A slice of sourdough and a bacon roll both still warm and smelling so good. |
The Langham hotel in Pasadena - 6/16/10
The food - Amuse bouche and Course 1
We decided to go with the 4 course dinner (3 savory and 1 sweet) at $79/person. When you walk in The Dining Room it feels like time has stopped. It looks like an old world long gone with tables spread with white linens and shiny silverware for the privileged, wealthy, and for us the adventurous. The room is outdated and feels a bit stuffy, everyone is on their best behavior, and it is pretty quiet. It didn't help that the room is lined with miniature yachts like an country club in the New England. In my opinion the service by itself was very good but it was a bit too formal and stiff. When ask how a dish was cooked the waiter was a bit evasive and did not know for sure how it was done .
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This the view of the entrance of the Dining room from our table. |
First they brought out a plate of assorted bread. A slice of sourdough and a bacon roll both still warm and smelling so good. |
Presented alongside the bread were three rounds of butter, one from Vermont and the other from France and in the middle is a goat cheese . Both butters were warm enough to spread easily.
The first amuse bouche compliment of the chef: Caviar Gougere & Tomato Pate de Fruit with Tomato and Basil
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Hoa ordered a glass of Pinot Noir. They barely fill up the glass! |
Japanese Kampachi with Jamon Iberico, Sea Sponge, Grapefruit, and Crispy Rice. and a marshmallow like puff called a "sea sponge." The rich fish was a delicious bite, tempered by a bright salinity and smoky hint while the countering pickled peach and briny sea sponge brought out layers of flavor.
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Close look at the Japanese Kampachi dish.
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Veal Sweetbreads Tempura with dehydrated Kale, buttermilk, Mustard gelee on a bed of Potato puree. Very interesting dish! the dehydrated Kale is a bit crunchy, the sweetbreads tempura has a very nice texture and the buttermilk sauce was rich but |
Foie Gras frito with black sesame bread, Pickled blueberries with raspberry sauce and basil. Kevin adores Foie gras and this dish is not exception. He closes his eyes and start chewing slowly so he can enjoy the taste a bit longer. What an awesome dish! The waiter told me the foie gras was cooked sous vide and then seared very briefly. Let me tell you the foie gras just melt in your mouth and the pairing of blueberries was a perfect combination. The black sesame bread was interesting but I can do without it. |
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Kevin enjoying every single bite of his Foie gras dish. |
For our second course, the warm truffle brioche was served with a quenelle of goat’s milk butter (creamy and slightly pungent). The brioche is dotted with flecks of black truffle, the roll smelled fabulously and tasted just as great. To me the goat's milk butter was a bit pungent but Kevin enjoyed it a lot and thought that the combination of the truffle brioche and goat's butter was exquisite and the goat’s milk butter was seriously spectacular. Once you break the loaf in half, the alluring aromas of black truffle will hit you that you have to take a bit with a smear of butter... I had to stop eating it because I wants to leave room for my other 2 dishes to come. Let me tell you that this Brioche is addictive especially when slathered with slightly translucent goat butter or salted butter. |
Next.. Course 2, 3 and desserts
Filed under: Restaurants
