Derek’s Bistro: Beyond Great Food

Let’s face it-Pasadena has gone restaurant crazy. It’s seems as if a new one opens up every few days. With so much new to choose from we sometimes forget about the tried and true, the neighborhood hideaways that always deliver delicious food and a cozy atmosphere. Derek’s Bistro is one of those neighborhood gems.

Located in a small shopping center on the corner of Glenarm and Marengo it has been a local hangout for 17 years. Some frequent diners may be alarmed to hear that Derek has left for points South and long time investor Tony Auer has taken the reins. But no worries much remains the same, food, atmosphere, and great service.

“A lot of restaurants have good food, what makes a restaurant remarkable is when you go beyond the food. Derek’s has professional staff-people who want to be in the food industry,” said Tony. They’ve also got a new chef, Paul Ragan. Classically trained, until recently he had worked and lived in Spain. Now he’s returned home and is making Derek’s Bistro his own. Many of the old classics are still alive like the beef wellington and the lamb, they’ve just been tweaked.

Tony suggested that we start the meal with the beet salad and a glass of Felines Jourdan, Picpoul de Pinet. The wine had the lightest floral notes along with wisps of melon. The beet salad was served with herb goat cheese croquettes and a light vinaigrette with a nice bit of frisee. Earthy-beets and tart goat cheese mingled together for a nice light dish.

We had to try the pan seared foie gras accompanied by a caramelized apricot, mango and orange jam. The foie gras was cooked to perfection and basically melted in my mouth, add to this the addition of the complex jam and toast points and this became an extraordinary dish.

Plump diver scallops were nestled on a bed of sweet pea and mint risotto and was dotted with white truffle oil. Seared with a nice crispy exterior the scallops were succulent and had an earthy note from the truffle oil.

One of my companion’s favorites were the lamb chops coated with honey, mustard, herbs de Provance and panko bread crumbs they provided layer upon layer of flavor. My companion recommends using your fingers to get every bite.

We also dined on the pan roasted Jidori chicken breast. You might wonder what exactly Jidori chicken is. It’s not a recipe but a type of chicken. It is farmed here in California on an all vegetarian diet, free range with no antibiotics. Derek’s Jidori chicken was an airline chicken breast pan roasted and served with a heavenly garlic pan sauce, haricot verts and garlic mashed potatoes. If you’re a chicken lover (and I am) this is one dish you will relish.

Grilled North Atlantic salmon topped forbidden rice (black rice actually reserved for the empire and forbidden for anyone else to eat). An herbed Beurre Blanc accompanied the salmon as did roasted fennel. The forbidden rice added a nutty touch to the rich salmon.

Fork-tender fillet mignon sat atop roasted asparagus spears. The perfect meal-right? Add a generous portion of pomme frites and you’ve just taken perfection up a notch. The beef was served with a red wine reduction and the tender asparagus were studded with chopped shallots.

Dessert consisted of a moist bread pudding with Makers Mark caramel and crème anglaise-yum and dark-rich Valrhona chocolate lava cake. My favorite? It’s a toss up: they both were delicious and of course chocolate is one of my major food groups, but I’ve got to say that Makers Mark caramel was to die for.

Derek’s Bistro, 183 E. Glenarm Street, Pasadena is open for dinner only Tuesday – Saturday from 5:30 – 9ish. For more information or reservations call (626) 799-5252 or log onto www.dereks.com.