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Want a $100 gourmet meal but don’t want to pay the full $100? Then Bistro 561 is the place for you! Located right next door to the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, the restaurant is the final test for aspiring new chefs. While dining here is still not exactly cheap, it is quite a bargain when you think about how much Joachim Splichal et al charge for a similar meal.

I started the meal off with a key lime cosmopolitan, as I was celebrating some good news. I have to say, while this wasn’t the best martini I’ve ever had (especially at $9.50 per glass), I did find it pleasant. Most lemon/lime martinis tend to be too tart for my taste, but this one was just fine. I also liked the contrast of the green lime sitting in my pink drink. Oh, and in case you can’t tell from the photo, I had a lovely table right next to the window. Yes, I was feeling very happy and comfortable at this restaurant.

I was surprised when the servers came and brought over a Spanish style amuse bouche to my table, especially after the elaborate bread basket was served. The bread basket consisted of four different types of carb-filled delight - thin, plain toasted bread; cheese bread; olive bread; and cheese and herb chips. While I had been happy enough with that, it was overshadowed by the oyster amuse bouche. I’m not entirely sure what went into the amuse bouche, but there was definitely some pancetta mixed in with it all. All I do know is that I could have had several more this oyster!

Next came the appetizers. The spinach salad ($8) wasn’t warm, as advertised, but it was still quite good. I definitely met my iron intake with the amount of spinach on the plate, and the potato fingerlings, more pancetta, and poached egg complemented the each other well. Overall, nothing special, but it still made a nice appetizer.

My lunch companion ordered the dungeness crab cakes ($12), which I liked quite a bit. Filled with a lot of crab meat, the interesting thing about the crab cakes is how the chef threw some curry into them. I totally was not expecting that and was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Also be prepared that the crab meat is not chopped up very fine like at most restaurants. Instead, the crab cakes at 561 are shredded, so you can see how much crab was actually used.

My main course was the most unique seafood chowder ($16) I’ve ever had in my life. As you can see from the photo, it’s not a soup. What I got was elements of a typical seafood chowder, with probably less than half the fat. First of all, there were three mussels that I gobbled up immediately. The mussels were truly excellent. Served on top of a celery and some cubed potatoes is a generous serving of halibut. The halibut was very tender and moist. Even though the texture was wonderful, the flavor was a little lacking. The trick is to eat it with (or in alternating bites with) the dried prociutto (the red flakes you see in the photo). The prociutto is almost like bacon here and has such a nice salty contrast to the halibut. Not to be ignored, the celery and potatoes have soaked up the juices of the mussel and halibut, making them enjoyable to eat as well. This was a very creative entree, and the presentation was well done.

I also got the chance to try a bit of the beef cheeks ($17). Served with some onions, black truffles, and mashed potatoes, this dish is a winner. First of all, the beef cheeks taste almost identical to pot roast. The only difference is the beef cakes might have a little more fat to them, which is probably why the beef tasted so flavorful and tender that it almost seemed to melt in my mouth. I don’t even know where to begin with describing the black truffles other than I wish there had been more. Like with the seafood chowder, the accompanying sides supported the main feature on this plate.

We’re still not done yet! What is a meal at a nice fancy restaurant without dessert? We were shown the dessert menu right after we ordered our entrees because there were two desserts that take 20 minutes to prepare. One was the sweet potato souffle, which we passed on. We did wind up choosing the second dessert called Chocolate Euphoria ($9), and euphoric I was when I bit into this chocolate molten cake served on top of creme anglaise. The cake was so decadent and was stuffed with hot fudge. I think some restaurants call this dessert a lava cake, but 561 still found ways to make this dessert their own. Stuck on top of the cake was a mint cookie that went very well with the chocolate. To the right, a little scoop of homemade chocolate sorbet! This dessert is any chocolate lover’s dream.

Okay, so some of you might be tempted to check this place out but are looking at your wallets thinking 561 is still out of your reach. I’ve got some good news for you. If you walk through a narrow corridor at the restaurant (or just go next door), you will wind up at the School Cafe. This is an even cheaper way to enjoy good food at a low price. The menu isn’t as fancy, but still looks really good. Today’s special included flank steak and trout almondine, both for $8.95. Since it is a cafe, you can pick up specialty coffee beverages, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. The Neopolitan cake ($3) looked really good. There are other items on the menu like quesadillas. Everything here looked like it was under $10.

Definitely don’t miss out on checking out Bistro 561 or School Cafe. Who knows? Maybe in a few years, you’ll be paying $200 per plate by these future chefs.

Bistro 561
561 East Green Street (cross street Madison)
Pasadena, California 91101
(626) 405-1561

Serving Lunch 11:30-1:30
and Dinner 5:30-8:30
Monday - Friday

One last tip: Green Street is a one-way street, so if you’re not familiar with the area, check google’s map before trying to find this place.

By Pauline (see more of her posts).