Bistro K in South Pasadena - quickee review
Went to Bistro K for the first time on Sat. night - very enjoyable all in all.
Small place, as others have noted, 6 to 8 tables inside, but a very charming patio outside with another 8 or so tables.
We really liked the Blue Crab and Avocado ravioli app, though it's truly misnamed in that it's actually fanned out avocado on a low cylindrical mold of crab meat with fleur de sel and a few other things mixed in with the crab. Very nice. The Duck Fois Gras Torchon was also good, served with toasted white bread and sea salt.
Mains were quite good also - scallops were a generous portion and properly cooked, and the same goes for the Duck Breast with a good reduction and an inspired low mold of potato with sliced fava beans on top. Duck was well seasoned and cooked just as I ordered it. Entrees came out hot and good.
The apple tart was had for dessert was great, with a salt caramel ice cream is was actually divine, though there could've been a bit more ice cream and it would've been better on the side rather than on top, me thinks.
Prices are quite reasonable - most apps are under $10, and entrees are generally under $20, some well under $20. That's a real coup for the quality and balance here. Another big plus is there is no corkage (and no wine list) so you can bring whatever you like. Coffee was good, which is another plus. (There's no excuse for bad coffee anymore - there are a ton of great suppliers now in the US and we shouldn't stand for dish water any longer, Dadnabbit! Ranto finito)
The one knock is that they were shorthanded. It seemed like only one waitperson and one server were in the place, which is a lot for 15 tables, though they claimed there were more when I asked (the others must've been really small and fast). I'm told they have more help on Thurs/Fri. The staff worked very hard and were bustling yet charming and warm - grace under pressure. I felt we were well taken care of, and the ordering advice we received was spot on. It wasn't the quickest meal given their short handedness, but that's not what we dine out for, so it worked fine for us. And the timing between courses in the end was just fine.
Overall a winner. Mindblowing, no, but much better than most in the area at a much lower price. And a mind is a terrible thing to blow, anyway.
The spring 2005 menu is being served now, follow the link below.
Cheers.
AltadenaJack
Jul 17, 2005 11:33AM
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Great review, thanks.
Did you feel the tables were too close together?
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It's a small place - but given that I didn't think the tables were too close together at all. They could've squeezed in more...
There was a larger party inside (10 people or so) and their table conversation was pretty loud close by, but we moved a bit away and that helped a lot.
The tables outside were definitely not too close together.
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