Union
Housemade Stracciatella, Roasted Garlic, Crostini
Fairtime Peaches, Spinach, Mangalitza Lardo, Buckwheat Honey
Crispy Duck Crostone, Arugula, Calimyrna Figs, Toma Brusca
Wild Mushrooms, G&T Polenta, Pedro Ximenez Sherry Vinegar, Sage, Rosemary
Spaghetti alla Chitarra, San Marzano Tomato, Garlic, Fresno Chile
Squid Ink Garganelli, Maine Lobster, Fennel, Meyer Lemon, Truffle Butter
Burnt Semolina Casarecce, Rabbit Sausage, Spigarello, Pecorino Romano
Porcini Lasagnette, Golden Chanterelles, Rosemary, Parmigiano-Reggiano
Chocolate Raspberry Gelato and Citrus Sorbet
Giaduja Chocolate Budino, Cocoa Nib, Truffle Salt, Liguarian Olive Oil
Olive Oil Cake, Citrus Gastrique, Salted Honeycomb Gelato
Cinnamon Meringues
Following Bruce Kalman on Twitter and Facebook for months while watching the menu at Union evolve each week to accommodate whatever was found fresh amongst Southern California’s bounty of farmer’s markets it was finally on a Monday evening that three of us sat down at the end of the bar in Pasadena, the Chef himself in house overseeing the kitchen amidst a travel schedule that had recently seen him bounce from coast to coast.
Considered by many to be a destination sort of meal, the distance from various parts of Los Angeles quite substantial when accounting for the traffic induced by the city’s continuous urban sprawl, it was just moments after opening that our party arrived for a 5:00pm reservation, the restaurant filled to capacity for the meal’s whole duration with service that was professional yet friendly, the suggestions spot on and beverages kept brimming.
Truly a menu where nothing sounds unappealing, the biggest challenge being to decide on which items one would least regret taking a pass, it was no doubt on pastas that the order was focused and with all dozen items inclusive of complimentary meringues showing a great degree of technical skill benefitted by top notch ingredients one would be hard pressed to name a better farm-to-fork Italian concept anywhere within two-hundred miles…or potentially anywhere in the nation.
Proudly displaying the books of respected Italian Chefs behind the bar while paying homage to Alice Waters with signage at the front and back of the space, the meal began with a large bowl of housemade cheese simply dressed in garlic and olive oil alongside costini, the richness well balanced by a plate of grilled peaches atop leaves of spinach gilded with honey and lightly draped in lardo.
Requesting that plates be sent out slowly it was in round two that the meal really began to sing, for as much as I love duck confit when paired to something as sweet as figs it was the creamy bowl of polenta that immediately stole the spotlight, the foraged mushrooms rendered all the more aromatic by herbs while a splash of acid helped to enliven each bite.
Confident that secondi are probably quite good, but far more interested in Kalman’s handmade pastas which lean toward nontraditional shapes and sauces that challenge conventional norms, it was in a quartet of options that appetites were invested, the guitar-cut spaghetti requested to be light in chiles with little more than tomatoes and garlic rendering the al dente noodles bold and aromatic without being the slightest bit wet or heavy.
No doubt working well with the bounty of both land and sea it was next in black Garganelli that a great deal of balance was found, the touch of citrus offsetting rich lobster and truffles while lean rabbit sausage crumbled amidst double-tubed Casarecce, the rags of Lasagnette supple and dainty draped over mushrooms and rosemary.
Somewhat limited in dessert offerings, but raved for the olive oil cake and a budino that was calling out loud, it was both of these items that rounded out the meal along with two scoops of ice cream – the chocolate raspberry rich while citrus was refreshing, eaten in that order best as a palate cleanser prior to toothsome toasty cake and hazelnut chocolate pudding that by itself might justify a drive to Pasadena.
http://unionpasadena.com
