Holy Saints! What a catchy name for a restaurant. Located in Pasadena, this small restaurant serving progressive Californian-style food is only open four days a week for dinner only. I was excited to try this spot out.
Every table had this cute and bright little light. The light also has three different light settings! For waters, you can choose between tap, still, and sparkling. The menu was not too big (both in terms of items on the menu and also the text size), but still required us making some important decisions. We decided to get a few dishes to share.
Starters
Griddled Old World Sourdough Bread & Barbeque Butter – grass-fed cultured butter, extra virgin olive oil, house spices – From sitting down to this starter arriving at our table, it took 25 minutes, but it was definitely worth the wait. There were four slices of bread, and the crispiness and seasoning was perfect. The dish also came with some pickled cauliflower. I loved this starter!
Small Plates
Fire-Roasted Cultivated Mushrooms – crispy tostadas, rose radishes, roasted peanuts, salsa macha – I am not sure what I was expecting, but this is not what I expected this dish to look like. The mushroom was sliced so thin! The taste was great though. Every bite had a mix of different textures – crispy, crunchy, soft, and creamy. I just wish this had another piece or two of tostadas.
Essentials
The Morning Catch – jasmine rice pilaf, basque-style piperade sauce, easter radishes – I would have to say this was my least favorite out of everything we ordered (it was still good though!). This dish had a very strong (and a lot of) sauce. It went well with the rice, but at the same time, the sauce was a bit too strong and sour for my liking.
Barnyard Spaghetti Bolognese – colorado lamb, berkshire pork, wagyu beef, pecorino romano – This dish was heavy, but I did enjoy it! I do wish that I didn’t eat as much before I got to this dish though. There was so much meat! Having lamb, pork, and beef mixed together was interesting – everything was grounded so it was hard to tell what everything was.
Essentials
Rosemary & Garlic Basted Lamb Sirloin Steak – crispy butterball potatoes, dill creme fraiche, wild arugula – Yum! I liked the potatoes and the arugula! The lamb was also delicious, but my one comment is that it was quite salty. Otherwise, I’d totally get this again!
Grandpa’s Pan Roasted Duck Magret Au Poivre – hand-cut steak fries, pan reduction sauce, fresh herbs – Out of everything on the menu, I was most looking forward to this dish, and it did not disappoint. Every bite of duck was all meat and no bone. It almost reminded me of this really good duck ramen I had in Kyoto. The sauce and fries were good as well. Definitely try this out!
This was a really good meal. The portions were also much bigger than I was expecting. It was also a nice surprise to see the owners cooking in the kitchen and serving the customers! I would get the sourdough starter and the duck again. Knowing now how big the portions are, I would probably try another starter and do one less of the entrees if I’m sharing with the table. Hope I can try some of their other dishes next time!