Our 250th Dinner

PWFS 250^th Dinner

The Pasadena branch of the IWFS was founded in 1954, and it was with a sense of pride that we celebrated our 250^th dinner on October 23^rd, 2023. To mark the occasion, we returned to a perennial favorite of our group, Restaurant Bistro 45, under the proprietorship of Robert Simon who has been a mainstay of Pasadena gastronomy since he and his father opened Café Jacoulet in 1983. This was a revolutionary bistro style café that achieved huge popularity and laid the foundation for Robert opening Bistro 45 in 1990. For the last 33 years, “45” has been a local favorite and had hosted 6 of our previous dinner events. For our 250^th dinner we needed something out of the ordinary and Robert, chef James Lambrinos, dinner chair Simon Harrison and the PWFS Events Committee envisioned an ambitious eight-course dinner to be served with some of the finest wines from our cellar. The evening did not disappoint!

Our initial course, the opening salvo, was a grazing table serving a sampling of the finest fresh sashimi this side of Tokyo. In fact, the fish was flown in directly from Japan and was paired with Shimino No Mai “Pure Dusk” saké, a rare and incredibly smooth triple polished elixir. This was followed by delicious passed hors d’ouevre while members and guests mingled.

Once we were seated we were treated to a caviar course that contrasted Royal Ossetra from the Caspian Sea with Hybrid Kaluga caviar from the Amur river. Dinner chair Simon Harrison gave a short talk on the two main areas where sturgeon have evolved over a period of 65 million years. Few people knew that the Amur river is 2,800 miles long and flows into a drainage basin that is the size of Alaska. When a fish has this long to evolve in such a large pond it grows ever larger and the Kaluga sturgeon is truly a monster, reaching up to 20 feet in length and weighing over 2,000 pounds. The fine caviar was paired with 2012 Drappier Brut Cuvée Grand Sendrée champagne.

Now we settled into the main courses of our dinner. Each course was paired with a wonderful wine from our own cellar. Cellarmaster Dave Felton introduced these wines, explaining in his own deeply knowledgeable way the reasoning behind each pairing. A 2019 Hermitage Blanc Rhone, plush in the mouth with a clean licorice finish that balanced the Maine lobster (flown in live that day). A 2017 white Bordeaux from Château Smith Haut Laffite offered hints of peaches, kumquats, lime blossom and an exploding floral perfume on the palate to complement the Vermilion cod caught fresh from our Channel Islands off the Santa Barbara coast. Next was a wonderful 2012 premier cru Burgundy Beaune Greves from Bouchard Père et Fils, a beautiful and complex wine, full bodied and elegant, that was perfectly matched to the Petaluma duck breast. Finally, the wine star of the evening was a 2002 Château Lafite Rothschild Bordeaux that even exceeded its lofty reputation. The wine was superb, at the peak of its drinkability. The classic minerality combined with luscious fruit and silky mouth feel only enhanced the tender lamb chop with which it was paired. We finished with a small Freestone peach tart.

As we said our goodbyes, we thanked Robert Simon and the Bistro 45 crew for a memorable dinner, but we also thanked James Reynolds and Norman Goss, the two gentlemen from Pasadena who, on June 16^th, 1954, held a dinner at the Stuft Shirt restaurant that became dinner number one of our Society. They would have been proud to see their creation so alive and well 249 dinners later.

Dinner Menu

Assorted Wild Fish Sashimi: Bluefin Tuna, Fluke, Pink Snapper, Yellowtail and Spanish mackerel. Shimizu No Mai “Pure Dusk” Junmai Daiginjo Sake.

Passed Hors’dOeuvres: Grilled wild shrimp skewers, Foie Blonde on grilled sourdough with port aspic, Goat cheese and apple beignets with lemon sauce.

Caviar: Royal Ossetra (Caspian Sea) and Hybrid Kaluga (Amur river). House blini with crème fraîche and onion. 2012 Drappier Brut Cuvée Grand Sendrée, Brut Millesime.

Live Maine Lobster “Salad”: Fennel, celery root, basil & saffron aioli. 2019 Domaine des Remizieres “Cuvée Emilie” Hermitage Blanc.

Sautéed Channel Islands Vermilion Cod: Heirloom spinach and citrus sauce. 2017 Château Smith Haut Laffite Blanc, Passac-Léognan.

Seared and rendered Petaluma Duck Breast: Stone fruit gastrique, black rice & haricots vert. 2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune Les Greves Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus 1^er Cru

Roasted Australian Lamb Chop: Thyme Demi, Pommes Anna & heirloom carrots. 2002 Château Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac.

Freestone Peach Tart: Crème Fraîche Ice Cream