THE JJ IN PASADENA OFFERS A STEAK, A SMOKE AND A SONG.Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic Expect to pay plenty at the striking new third-floor dining emporium called JJ Steak House in the heart of Pasadena's Old Town. No money was spared to put this place together. Marble floors, expensive furnishings and quality objets d'art come together for the classiest dining act in Old Town. And it's prime all the way at JJ's, where thick, juicy, USDA USDA, n.pr See United States Department of Agriculture. prime steaks are the signature items on a simple, one-page menu of familiar, comforting fare that is hard to fault despite the cost. When you end up spending around $50 a person or more, as you do here for a substantial meal and beverages, you expect to go home happy with the total experience. JJ's would seem to achieve this more often than not. That's as long as you're not looking for clever, cutting-edge food. In fact one of the popular facets of a dinner here is the crisp, chilled wedge of iceberg lettuce perched in a pool of balsamic vinegar and crumbled bleu cheese that accompanies all entrees as a starter. This throwback of sorts, would, of course, be poo-poohed by certain members of the frou-frou foodie population. But, realistically, it's a pleasant, refreshing change from the ubiquitous bitter baby greens mesclun mes·clun n. A mixture of young leafy greens, often including young lettuces, used as salad. [Provençal mesclom, mesclumo, mixture, from Vulgar Latin salad that's now everywhere. Because of the iceberg wedge, it doesn't make a lot of sense to order one of three a la carte salads with dinner unless you're a salad freak. Recommended appetizers are a couple of nicely done crab cakes with remoulade sauce ($7.95), an off-menu smoked salmon quesadilla que·sa·dil·la n. A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of quesada, ($10.95) or grilled strips of portobello por·to·bel·lo or por·ta·bel·la or por·to·bel·la n. pl. por·to·bel·los or por·ta·bel·las A mature, very large cremini mushroom. [Origin unknown.] mushroom mixed with sauteed wild mushrooms ($7.95), even though this is a somewhat saladlike arrangement. My pick of the steaks is the rib eye, a bone-in 18-ouncer, lovely and juicy ($23.95) and the lowest in price of the five options. Petit filet mignon ($24.95) and a full-pound New York stripper ($27.95) have both been received well, but the raves are reserved for a perfect six-chop rack of lamb Noun 1. rack of lamb - a roast of the rib section of lamb crown roast rack - rib section of a forequarter of veal or pork or especially lamb or mutton lamb roast, roast lamb - a cut of lamb suitable for roasting ($29.95) prepared with roasted garlic and delivered with three-pepper jelly, and a superb veal T-bone chop ($26.95) paired with a rich reduction of cabernet red wine and porcini mushrooms. On the seafood side, filet of Chilean sea bass in a slightly creamed lobster sauce with a tasty mango garnish ($17.95) is a light and lilting treat, while a slab of moist salmon ($17.95) comes effectively boosted with the restrained tartness of capers CAPERS. Vessels of war owned by private persons, and different from ordinary privateers (q.v.) only in size, being smaller. Bea. Lex. Mer. 230. , kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes in a light cream. A small, broiled broil 1 v. broiled, broil·ing, broils v.tr. 1. To cook by direct radiant heat, as over a grill or under an electric element. 2. To expose to great heat. v. lobster ($30) is delicious and expensive. And sides of potatoes ($3.95), particularly the cheesed version, and some straightforward vegetables (steamed asparagus, skillet of mushroom caps and sauteed corn, $4.95 each) provide satisfying sharing possibilities. Desserts seem almost superfluous, though there appears to be a popular '90s-style, post-dinner thing going on, that of an expensively furnished cigar lounge near the entryway where patrons can puff on an expensive stogey (Santa Damiana damiana (däˑ·mē·ä·n $18, Fuente Rothschild $13.50) from the humidor hu·mi·dor n. A container designed for storing cigars or other tobacco products at a constant level of humidity. [From humid (on the model of cuspidor).] and sip a cognac (Remy VSOP VSOP very special (or superior) old pale: used of brandy or port $8). The service is attentive and knowledgeable and the wine list adequate. But you'll pay $15 per bottle if you bring your own. And come Tuesday, veteran piano performer and ex-Pasadena restaurateur Bill Maldonado will be tickling the ivories of the dining room's baby grand. What more could you want? THE FACTS The restaurant: JJ Steak House. Where: 88 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. When: Open for dinner only from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Recommended items: Maryland crab cakes, grilled portobello and sauteed wild mushrooms, smoked salmon quesadilla, rib eye or petit filet mignon steak, salmon or Chilean sea bass filets, broiled lobster, veal T-bone chop, rack of lamb, steamed asparagus, gratin gra·tin n. A top crust consisting of browned crumbs and butter, often with grated cheese. [French, from obsolete grater, to scratch, scrape, from Old French; see grate1.] dauphinoise potatoes. How much: Starters from $8 to $11, entrees (with iceberg salad) from $15 to $30, sides $4 and $5 each, desserts from $6 to $7. Full bar. Major credit cards. Wine list: Extensive inventory of around 120 labels, none under $20 and with only a few between $22 and $30. A reserve list has up to 40 rarer and prized bottlings. Recommended: Joseph Phelps 1994 cabernet sauvignon ($37). Corkage: $15. Reservations: Suggested. Call (626) 844-8889. Our rating: Three and One Half Stars for food; Three and One Half Stars for service; Two and One Half Stars for wine. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: General manager Jeff Powell, left, executive chef Angel Guzman and owner Ralph Viscuso offer a steak and seafood menu featuring USDA prime beef at the JJ Steak House in Old Town Pasadena Built on the foundation of one of the oldest, most beautiful and most prosperous cities in California, Old Pasadena arose from the ashes of a decaying bowery that had a well deserved patina of homeless and hippie. . Myung J. Chun/Daily News |
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