Housed in a quaint brick building transports away from Pasadena and into Western Europe. Bacchus' Kitchen is a New American take on classic, mostly European dishes.
The wine bottles are modestly priced ($35-$80) with a few available by the glass ($13+). A handful of beer and water to choose from, including a 2019 vintage of Pasadena Water for $0 (we had a chuckle when we saw that on the menu). They also have San Pellegrino sodas and espresso beverages.
We ordered a bottle of Altolandon Doña Leo (a Spanish Manchuela white wine), appetizers lamb belly and lemongrass curry with tiger shrimp & clams, main dishes pan seared scallops and beef bourguignon, and shared the panna cotta.
The meal started with an amuse-bouche consisting of a crustini topped with a sliced and peeled tomato, sea salt, olive oil and fresh basil. It was a nice pallet cleanser for the appetizers.
This was the first time I've had lamb belly. I've had countless pork belly, so I was intrigued to try a lamb version. Lamb belly doesn't have the same fat-to-protein ratio as pork belly, so don't expect a thick layer of crispy fat. The more lean crispy meat had a beautiful concentration of the delicious gamey lamb flavor, which contrasted well with the white vinegared apples and fennel.
The lemongrass curry with tiger shrimp and clams were even better than the lamb belly. A lovely medium spiced lemongrass curry with fresh clams and large tiger shrimp. The two slices of rustic toasted bread was the right medium to sop-up the curry.
The pan seared scallops were perfectly cooked medium with a golden brown crust. The tender center had a delicate ocean brine with a subtle sweetness. The large couscous with carrots, fennel root and garlic was a lovely side with sugar snap peas and wild mushrooms over a creamy tomato sauce.
My fiance had the beef bourguignon. I only had a bite, so I can't go into too much detail, especially since it's not photographed in this review. The mashed potatoes were creamy and the mushrooms brought out the savory flavor of the meat.
The panna cotta was amazing. The vanilla bean topped panna cotta sits on a puree of passion fruit and is complemented by blackberries.
All in all, we'd come back for the lemongrass curry tiger shrimp and clams, the pan seared scallops, beef bourguignon, and panna cotta.
