The Parkway Grill

Last weekend I headed home to southern California to attend a reunion of my high school marching band. I had an absolutely fantastic time at the reunion, and as an added benefit, got to visit my parents for a few days. Normally when we visit, they take the whole family out to a nice mid-range restaurant for dinner. But this time, since it was just me, they decided to go high end and took me to dinner at the Parkway Grill in Pasadena.

A landmark of the food scene in Pasadena for 25 years, the Parkway is one of several restaurants in the Smith Brothers empire, consisting of six upscale area restaurants. We arrived around 6:30, left our car with the parking valet, and went in. I had made the reservation using Open Table under my name, and let the hostess know that we had arrived. We were about to be shown to a table, when a young man (apparently an assistant manager) came bounding up to us and greeted my father like a long lost friend. Now, I know that he used to eat lunch there occasionally, but I didn't realize quite how well known he was. Apparently he'd once brought Hugh Downs there for lunch, but he's never given them his name. He always pays with cash, and the staff has tried to figure out who he is. Well, they now have his last name since I made the reservation. Anyway, the assistant manager showed us to one of the best tables in the house, next to the window in the atrium. He knew exactly the kind of cocktail that my father wanted, and gave him the first one on the house. Wow, I thought I was just going to dinner - I didn't realize that we were going to get rock star treatment!

The food and service were excellent. My dad and I each started with oysters on the half shell, and my mom ordered the famous black bean soup with tomatillos and crème fraîche. I had a nice glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with the oysters, and my mother ordered a glass of California Chardonnay. For the main dish, I had some wonderful braised short ribs with scalloped potatoes, tomatoes, and a port-truffle veal glaze. I paired this with a delightful Meritage from BV. The food was very well executed, but not terribly innovative.

Sadly, I'm writing this now almost a month after the fact, so I can't remember what we had for dessert, but I remember that it was very good.