Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 14, 2011

8

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 14, 2011 

RUTH’S CHRIS

Steak is one of my favorite dishes. My parents told me that when I was a boy, they would say 
the magic words, “We are having steak for dinner.” My excitement level would explode. As 
if a long awaited birthday had finally arrived. Some things never change. I still love a great 
steak. Maybe I have been spoiled but an Argentinean Restaurant or the Brazilian Chascaria 
that gives you all you can eat and stuffs you like a human luggage container isn’t my idea of 
enjoyment. I really believe you can’t get a great steak for $19.95. A great steak restaurant 
must have two essential ingredients, first and foremost, “The goods,” a quality piece of meat, 
and secondly, the correct oven to prepare it in. Chef Gary Watanabe of The Ruth’s Chris 
Steak House in Pasadena has both!!! 

Founder Ruth Fertel was raised in Happy Jack, Louisiana, Fertel graduated from LSU with a 
degree in Chemistry, and in the 1960’s Ruth saw an ad for a local steak house and took the 
job where she met Chris Matulich, the owner of Chris Steak House. Against advice, Ruth 
borrowed enough money to buy Chris out. The story has many more twists and turns, but 
as they say, “the rest is history.”

Each of the Ruth’s Chris has an identity of it’s own, the Pasadena Restaurant has a perfect 
greeting area as you walk in. The hostess 
to your front the main dining room to your 
right and to the bar area is on your left. Now 
I have dined at Ruth’s Chris at least ten time since it opened five years ago and I am very 
comfortable pulling up a chair in the bar area. I am a people watcher and this is a great stop 
to watch people. 

Steak makes up 90% of all sales in the restaurant; each steak is artfully prepared in an 
1800-degree double broiler over. It is one of the reasons that you cannot get your steak 
at home to taste like theirs. The Beef is dry-aged in Chicago and shipped twice weekly to 
Pasadena. Here it is just like when I was just a boy, for eating at Ruth’s Chris is a special day. 
The Petite Filet was incredible, I ordered it medium, rare as my first test. All the steaks come 
out on a sizzling plate with butter, and Chef Watanabe cooked my steak to perfection. I 
must confess that I rarely order a NY Steak, it isn’t sexy enough, Chef agreed, that NY Strip 
Steak is under appreciated. I am now a convert. The New York Strip Steak was delicious; 
in fact it might have a new best friend in this reviewer. My guests devoured the Rib Eye 
Steak as if they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Impossible, because before the steaks we also enjoyed 
some of the best Calamari that I have ever had, yes, the best. Too many restaurants try to 
fool you with frozen rings, Yuk! If you have been reading 
my articles and following my radio show, Crab Cakes are 
one of my favorites, and they certainly pass the test here. 
A little hint, some of these items are available for sampling 
at a great price during happy hour. What would a Steak 
House be with out a legendary wine list. The list is headed 
with selections from the manager and boosts eight pages 
of wine. If you can’t decide there are some thirty to forty 
wines by the glass. Desserts, are you kidding me, I am supposed 
to be on a diet. Leave your diet at home, the chef 
prepared cheesecake and a Creme Burlee that made me 
want to hang out at the bar and have a glass of wine here 
every night. Our server Karla, was a delight and she knew 
her steaks, great training!!

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 369 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena 
(626) 583-8122. Many other dishes were sampled all A 
+ Please check out the website www.ruthschris.com for 
hours of operation and other available entrees. Join me 
on KABC Talk Radio every weekend for my “Dining with 
Dills” radio show. E mail me at thechefknows@yahoo.com

deCroupet Cakes – Cake Sisters


by La Quetta M. Shamblee

Springtime signals the onset of increased activity 
for wedding cakes, birthday cakes and specialty 
cakes at deCroupet in Arcadia. Also known 
as “The Cake Sisters,” Cheryl Marino and Janine 
McRiley have been baking special-order cakes 
behind the pastel pink storefront on Huntington 
Drive for almost 12 years. Several elaborate cake 
designs displayed in the store window greet onlookers, 
teasing the eyes and tempting the taste 
buds. Their schedule of classes on cake decorating 
and candy making, coupled with an extensive 
retail inventory of supplies make this a one-stop 
for everything needed to make cakes, cookies and 
chocolates at home. They have a wide selection of 
round and square commercial cake pans of tiered 
sizes at very reasonable prices, including round 
10” x 2”’s for $11.99 to 18” x 3”’s for $21.99.

The popular Food Network Channel has been 
good for business in the midst of the recent economic 
downturn, especially considering that 
special-order cakes are considered luxury items. 
Cable shows like The Ace of Cakes, Last Cake 
Standing and Cupcake Wars are bringing on renewed 
interests in baking among adults, while 
inspiring the next generation of sweet tooth artists. 
According to Cheryl, “These shows have 
prompting an interest in baking as an art form, 
even among younger people - especially teens.” 
She shared her amazement when a 10- year old 
came in with sketches of a cake design for them to 
prepare. Custom car designs with intricate details 
on grills and fenders have been among the most 
challenging, with the biggest being a seven-tiered 
cake that was six feet tall.

During this time of year, a minimum one-
week advance ordering is recommended, as they 
maintain a brisk baking schedule to keep up with 
back-to-back graduations. deCroupet has grown 
and been sustained through word-of-mouth. Apparently, 
their customers have been impressed by 
their level of personal service, accompanied by delicious 
cakes that have had guests licking the icing 
off their fingers. The following sampling from the 
deCroupet menu of flavors for cakes, fillings and 
icings is enough to make your mouth water - of 
course, all the standards cake flavors are available, 
plus choices like snickerdoodle, lemon poppyseed, 
pumpkin spice or red velvet. Want to surprise 
your guests with a burst of flavored filling? Perhaps 
you’d like double chocolate, raspberry, cheesecake 
or espresso mousse? They’ll top it off with an icing 
of flavored whipped cream, buttercream, ganache 
or rolled fondant.

Cheryl and Janine really are sisters, the last generation 
to carry the deCroupet surname. Cheryl 
attended culinary school and worked as a pastry 
chef in large restaurants. She credits Janine as one 
who takes the artistic lead and is more adept at the 
business operations. However, they both spend 
hours in the kitchen working the recipes from 
start to finish. They enjoy the flexibility of owning 
a business and working close to home, which has 
provided the added bonus of them being able to 
pick up their children from school and bring them 
back to the business until closing time. In fact, 
their regular customers have seen their kids grow 
up, an extended family of sorts.

Ready to prepare for the next round of auditions 
on one of those cake baking cable shows? Or 
simply want to enjoy learning the basics of cake 
decorating? These classes are close to home and 
will provide a fun-filled break from your regular 
routine. They offer classes from adults on Tuesday 
nights from 6pm to 8pm, and afterschool on 
Wednesdays and Thursdays for children. If you’re 
interested in having deCroupe prepare an elaborate, 
tiered eye-catcher, or you simply want a delicious 
cake for a special occasion, you can contact 
this talented, Cake Sisters, tag-team to see what 
they have in store. 

For more information, visit their website at www.
cakesisters.com. Business: DeCroupet’s Cakes, 23 
E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA 91006 - (626) 
446-6903.

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills


THE LAST APPLE FRITTER SURVIVING


Rev. James L. 
Snyder

 For the last week, I 
have been chief cook 
and bottle washer in 
the house while the 
Gracious Mistress of 
the Parsonage was 
visiting our son and 
his family in Ohio. I like nothing better than 
being in charge. Of course, I wonder what in the 
world I am in charge of when I am the only one 
in the house.

 I started out the week planning my menu. When 
in charge I have one basic rule, dinnertime is any 
time I am hungry. My wife has the sophisticated 
idea that meals should be at set times of the day. 
That’s for folk who are stiff and suffer no flexibility 
in life. I, on the other hand, am the epitome of 
flexibility. I roll with whatever comes around.

 The main course of my menu for the week was 
pepperoni pizza. After all, you cannot go wrong 
with pizza. So, I bought five large pizzas, one for 
each day of the week. This menu planning is really 
easy. I intended to pile my pizzas on the counter, 
begin at the very top and work my way to the 
bottom, one pizza for each day of the week. Just 
to show I am as organized as my wife is, I marked 
each box for the day of the week that it would be 
eaten. Monday was on top and of course, Friday 
was on the bottom.

 As everybody knows, pizza by itself is a rather 
lonely meal. Every pizza needs a little bit of 
pizzazz to make it palatable. I know nothing more 
pizzazzable then Apple Fritters. Usually, when I 
am not in charge of the menu, Apple Fritters are 
not permitted. But this is not usually. I am in 
charge and so Apple Fritters are the companions 
of my pizza for the week.

 Unlike most people, I am not that fond of 
change unless of course it is jingling in my pocket. 
When some politician gets on his high horse and 
talks about change, I immediately turn him off. 
I know the only change he is 
interested in is that change 
jingling in my pocket.

 

 Some people say variety is 
the spice of life, but the older I 
get the less spice I really need, 
unless it is Old Spice and I need 
gallons of that.

 For those of us who are 
culinary novices, there is 
something to say for having a 
well-developed routine. Once 
that routine is developed, 
there is no cause for any more 
thought. Anything that cuts 
down on my thought process is 
okay with me. When somebody 
says, it is the thought that really 
counts, just count me out.

 And so for the week I set 
before me a feast of pepperoni 
pizza and Apple Fritters. To go 
with this delectable meal I have 
an unlimited supply of coffee. 
I must say that I do love my 
coffee. Everything goes better 
with a good steaming cup of Joe.

 

The week started just fine. 
Monday my pepperoni pizza 
was fresh and hot. I went to the 
bakery and bought three dozen 
Apple Fritters. After all, you 
never know when somebody 
will drop in for lunch. How 
embarrassing it would be if I 
did not have an Apple Fritter 
to offer a visitor. It would be 
downright inhospitable.

Monday was the only day the pizza was 
warm. After all, I have yet to master the delicate 
intricacies of working the oven. The last time I 
used it I burnt everything to an unrecognizable 
crisp and almost burned the house down in the 
process. The general rule in our house is that I do 
not touch the oven.

No matter, pepperoni pizza is good hot or cold, 
especially if I have an Apple Fritter to go with it.

For Friday breakfast, I noticed that the 
pepperoni pizza had a little bit of green fur on the 
top. I’m not quite sure if this is some exotic kind 
of pizza or what. But I must say by Friday this is a 
rather nice change. Maybe there is something to 
say for change after all.

 

Since it was Friday, the biggest thing to do was 
to get rid of every evidence that I was in charge for 
the week. Meaning, of course, all the pizza boxes 
had to be destroyed and there could not be an 
Apple Fritter on the premise.

I looked at my stash of Apple Fritters and for 
some reason I had four left over. I ate one while I 
thought of what to do with the remaining Fritters. 
I decided to hide the leftover Apple Fritters; after 
all, it would be a shame to throw something so 
delicious away. I was sure my wife would be too 
tired from her trip to look for such things as 
Apple Fritters and I picked a place she would 
never think to look.

Later on that evening, I was reclining in my 
chair reading a book when my wife came into the 
room and said, “I was making the bed that you 
did not make all week and guess what I found 
under your pillow?” She then pulled from behind 
her back a bag I recognize as one with my Apple 
Fritters.

Isn’t anything sacred anymore?

I was reminded of what the Bible says. “But if 
ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against 
the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out” 
(Numbers 32:23 KJV).

And The Winner Is......

Celebrity Judge Peter Dills and “The People” Choose 
the Winners at Kiwanis Boot Skootin’ Chili Cookoff


Amateur Chefs included (left to right) Joe Pergola, Critics Choice Amateur Winner John Johnson, 
Mrs. ‘Doc’ Waters, Mrs. Abodie, People’s Choice Winner Hattie Harris and Amy Putnam.

 
The Sierra Madre Kiwanis Club held its first annual Boot 
Skootin Chili Cook-Off last Saturday Night and everyone 
who attended was a winner. The event began with the 
Chili Cook-off with entries from both professionals and 
amateurs. The newly opened Burger Shack in Monrovia, 
pictured above, was chosen by Dills as the Critic’s Choice 
among professionals. Sierra Madre resident John Johnson 
won the Critic’s Choice Amateur Award and Sierra 
Madrean Hattie Harris overwhelmingly won the “People’s 
Choice” Award with her ‘Smoking Cincinnati Chili and 
Spaghetti”. Left, SM Councilwoman Nancy Walsh came 
prepared for boot skootin’ , lead by a professional dance 
pro and DJ. Proceeds from the event will help fund the 
club’s charitable donations. 

 Photos by S. Henderson & B. Coburn

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285