The Wondering is Over

How many times have you driven past it? Granted, it’s hard to really see, tucked into a leafy dead-end alcove just off Fair Oaks, but once inside this historic home, you’ll find a wondrous and warm, friendly oasis. That the food is remarkably good, is almost a bonus.

The building itself once served as staff housing for the historic Raymond Hotel at the top of Raymond Hill, which was the premier hotel for the area back in 1886, and once billed itself as the perfect “winter home” for traveling San Franciscans, of all people.

Since its new owners took over just ten years ago, the building has seen a few additions and renovations, including a new back-of-the-house bar, and a roomy covered patio with portable heaters that will keep any California lightweight warm.

It is, of course, the perfect special occasion place, but it also serves an affordable lunch, should the mood strike you.

Tim Guiltinan, executive chef, has fashioned a menu that is as exotic as it is traditional. Dinner “quick bites” range from Hand Cut Smoked Onion Rings with malt vinegar aioli to Chicken Satay with spicy peanut sauce and Asian slaw, to Sticky Potato with sesame, Korean red chili, scallions and cilantro. We opted for those, and they were vaguely magical. Coated in the sesame and red chili oil, these tiny new potatoes were like a brand new pop song stuck in your head, spicy and memorable.

We also opted for the Hand-Harvested Scallops, served in a shallow pool of lobster corn bisque and succotash. The scallops were fist-sized, meaty and tender at once—worth re-visiting here just to catch them again.

Asked to prepare something for vegans (obviously not me), Guiltinan whipped up a couple of vegetable dishes—one a simple carrot, freshly cut, cooked and re-configured in what could have been an alien city cityscape with pools of mustard for dipping. (Of course, that was the one thing I didn’t write down. It looked  like mustard.), as well as a vegetable mélange of ingredients so green one could practically smell the earth. Speaking of earth, the earlier mushroom appetizer came in a bed of pumpernickel bread, crumbled to resemble the mushroom’s forest soil. See? It’s the little things.

This would be a good spot to mention Michael, our server. Knowledgeable and attentive, he set a comfortable and welcoming mood for the evening.

The headliner of the evening was a dry-aged prime Bone-in Rib Eye with more of those new tiny potatoes, and grilled asparagus spears as big as shoulder-fired rockets. Served medium, the steak was tender and flavorful with a natural salty, smoky flavor with nothing added to it.

Dessert was a quickly devoured crème brulee, and a tray of petite sorbets, which also vanished from our sight in just a few swoops.

Should your holiday visitors want someplace with a touch of rarely-found Southern California history, as well as food to e-mail home about, The Raymond is the secret spot. Well, at least it was until now.

The Raymond is at 1250 South Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena. (626) 441-3136. www.theraymond.com.