Pete's Cafe & Bar

Recently my sister, my grandma and I ventured out to L.A. to see a production of Les Miserables at the Ahmanson. It was a Mother's Day gift from my oldest sister, Andie. She, my Grandma, and I all love going to the theater and it has become a little tradition of ours in this past year. Andie last minute took a trip with her good friends to Hawaii so Stephanie, my other sister, and I took my grandma out for a night of good food and great theater.

Stephanie and I did a little research and settled on Pete's Cafe & Bar for dinner. The menu sounded good; experimental and classic at the same time all the while being reasonably priced. The restaurant was also centrally located to the Ahmanson theater which was a big deciding factor.

We started with a goat cheese tart with tomatoes and a small salad on top. I have decided that I love balsamic reduction. It was so thick and tangy and complemented the warm goat cheese so well. The pastry was soft, light, and airy with just enough flake to make it melt in your mouth.

Needless to say, between the 3 of us, we licked the plate clean.

I was extremely exhausted, due to work and Jackson deciding to stay up the night before, so I ordered an Espresso. I used to work at an Italian restaurant, Lorenzo's Pizza and Pasta, when I was at school at ASU. The owner's were from Italy and brought their personal espresso machine from their home into the restaurant. I learned how to make REAL Italian espresso, how to grind the beans, etc... I can remember drinking 2 or 3 of them on a shift at work and not being effected at all. I don't know if I am getting old, or if I just was so exhausted, but the espresso was delicious and woke me right up.

I always think the inside of an espresso cup is so pretty. I was trying to take good pictures for the blog but forgot my camera and was stuck with taking pictures on my Iphone.

I ordered pasta with bacon wrapped scallops. It was really good. I wish that the bacon had had a small amount of crisp on it, but it was delicious none the less.

My grandma ordered the free range chicken with horseradish mashed potatoes, and green beans. Her chicken was incredible!!! I really feel strongly about ordering chicken in a restaurant. I feel that it is so boring, and that you can make/order chicken anytime, anywhere. But my opinion was put to shame in this instance because my Grandma's chicken was really delicious.

Stephanie ordered lamb Bolganese. It was very fragrant. I will leave that to your imagination as to what I am implying.

Close-Up of my bacon wrapped scallops

Dessert was a chocolate lovers delight. While I love my picture and am proud of my work, I did not love this dessert. Chocolate Ice cream, with a flour less chocolate cake, covered in a chocolate ganache, dusted in edible gold, and a wafer twist. The flour less cake was really good and moist, but I always like a hint of Berry, or spice with a chocolate dessert. I think that was all this needed to take this dessert to the next level.

I have to say though, that presentation wise, this was beautiful. And as Andie has always told me, presentation is everything.