TECHNIQUE RESTAURANT - Pasadena, CA

I have heard about this place before I even moved to LA, but sadly never had the chance to check it out due to their operation hours. (Monday to Friday in between 5-8pm for dinner) I was interested mainly not just for the cheap food, but mostly wanted to experience what culinary students can create for their customers, especially after finding out they change their menu every 6 months.

Host station

 

Open kitchen and dinning area

Street parking wasn't too bad. The facility was clean and roomy, but it had the school cafeteria vibe. When slave girl and I walked in, there was no one at the host station. We had to poke our heads to get someone's attention. We made a reservation but the restaurant was nearly empty for dinner time. After we were led to our table, that was when we realized our host was also our server.

Lunch order area

We ordered Three Course Prix Fixe for $25 each person. We picked crab cake and frisee salad to start, steak au poivre and pan seared salmon for entree, and cali cheesecake and chocolate souffle to finish.

Complimentary bread

To our surprise, with our meal we also got a complimentary amuse which was smoked salmon wrapped inside fried cucumber topped with avocado puree. The coating on the cucumber was fried to crisp and I really enjoyed the flavor of all things combined in one bite.

Amuse

The crab cake was a little bland but huge in size.

We like the running egg on the salad but they put a little too much dressing so it was a bit soggy.

The steak was done right.

The salmon tasted ok but I was a bit confused on the plating.

The desserts though, oh my, it was fantastically delicious. Generally we were pleased with our dinner.

Cali Cheesecake

Chocolate Souffle

The service was pretty good. Our water was always filled and we were checked on often. We had a good time chatting with our server about her classes and what not at the end of the night and it was very pleasant.

Closing time~

It is however sad to learn the school is going to be closed for good in July, 2017. If you haven't tried this place yet, you should definitely give it a try before they go away just for the experience.