Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 11, 2012

9

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

Mountain Views News Saturday, February 11, 2012

Happy 
Valentine’s 
Day 

Are you ready for this Tuesday? If your answer 
was, why? What’s happening you are in deep 
trouble? First of all, let’s agree to agree, Valentine’s 
Day should be a full week. A single day is not 
long enough to fully express one’s love. What do 
you say about having an evening at home with 
a bottle of champagne and a candlelight table 
for dinner? You may wonder why a restaurant 
critic would dare such treason. In all truth, it’s 
an impossible night for restaurants. Service is 
less than optimal and even the guarantee of a 
reservation can lead to a long wait and the siphon 
of romance. 

Every February, across the country, candy, 
flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved 
ones. All in the name of St. Valentine, but who is 
this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate the 
passion of this holiday? The history of Valentine’s 
Day — and its patron saint — is shrouded in 
mystery. But we do know that February has long 
been a month of romance. Valentine’s Day, as we 
know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian 
and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint 
Valentine and how did he become associated 
with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic 
Church recognizes at least three different saints 
named Valentine or Valentines, all of whom were 
martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest 
who served during the third century in Rome. 
When Emperor Claudius II decided that single 
men made better soldiers than those with wives 
and families, he outlawed marriage for young 
men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, 
realizing the injustice of the decree, defied 
Claudius and continued to perform marriages 
for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s 
actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that 
he be put to death. His love for love lives on each 
February.

I realize that the stay at home experience will not 
fly with everyone’s better half, so let’s go dining.

One of my favorite restaurants in Pasadena is 
The Central Park Café on S. Fair Oaks. The 
menu offers a variety of meats, poultry and 
seafood. I 
am a major 
fan of their 
crab bisque 
soup. 

(626) 449-
4499

Noir on 
North 
Mentor 
next to the 
Ice House? 
Chef Claud 
Beltran is one of the best in town, in fact Noir 
was just named best new restaurant in Los 
Angeles by Zagat. 

(626) 795-7199

Avanti Café, The restaurant like the owner is 
small and very charming. Nice pizzas and pastas 
and you won’t go broke eating at Avanti. (626) 
577-4688

How about Café Beaujolais in Eagle Rock, I 
dined there recently and was very pleased with 
the dishes, plus their prices are reasonable. 
The crème brulee will make the most stubborn 
woman swoon. 

(323) 255-5111

One of the best-kept secrets is A/K/A Bistro in 
Old Pasadena. Owner Robert and Debbie Simon 
are truly at the top of their class when is comes 
to special days. The Portobello Shrooms are 
a must and the Pan Roasted Mary’s Chicken is 
exceptional. (626) 564-8111.

Join me every Sunday Afternoon at for Dining 
with Dills on KABC TalkRadio 790 AM, or email 
me your thoughts thechefknows@yahoo.com


A VALENTINE SPECIAL:

SPICE-COATED RACK OF LAMB FOR 
TWO WITH ARUGULA, AVOCADO, 
AND BLOOD ORANGE SALAD


INGREDIENTS:

For lamb: 

1 heaping tablespoon whole cumin seeds 

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 

1 tablespoon mild-roast coffee, finely ground 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 (8-bone; 24-to 26-ounce) rack of lamb 

3 tablespoons canola oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with 
back of knife 

3 sprigs fresh thyme 

For salad: 

Juice of 1 blood orange (about 1/4 cup) 

1 tablespoon shallot, minced (from 1 small 
shallot) 

3/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1 firm but ripe Haas avocado, peeled and cut 
into 1/4-inch-thick slices 

2 cups (1 ounce) loosely packed baby arugula 
leaves 

1 blood orange, peeled, segmented, and 
seeded 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

PreparationMake lamb:

Pre-heat oven to 400°F. 

Using spice or coffee grinder, grind cumin to semi-fine powder, 
then transfer to small bowl. Whisk in cocoa powder, coffee, 
and pepper. 

Rub exposed lamb bones with 1 tablespoon canola oil, then 
wrap each bone in foil, covering bones completely and leaving 
meat uncovered. Sprinkle both sides of uncovered lamb with kosher salt, then rub with 
spice mixture. 

In heavy, 12-inch oven-safe sauté pan over high heat, heat remaining 2 tablespoons canola 
oil until hot but not smoking. Sear rack, meat side down, moving occasionally to prevent 
sticking, until deep golden brown and crust forms, about 2 minutes. Flip to sear underside in 
same manner, about 2 minutes, then sear bottom of rack in same manner, 2 minutes more. 

Flip rack back to meat side up, then transfer pan to oven and roast 7 minutes. Add butter, 
garlic, and thyme to pan and continue roasting until thermometer inserted 2 inches into 
thickest part of lamb (do not touch bone) registers 130°F (for medium rare), 7 to 8 minutes 
more. Tilt pan to collect juices and spoon those over meat. Transfer lamb to rack with pan 
or plate underneath to catch juices and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. 

Make salad:

In small bowl, whisk together blood orange juice, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon 
pepper. Gradually add olive oil and whisk vigorously to combine. (Vinaigrette can 
be prepared ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days. Whisk thoroughly before using.) 

To plate:

Divide avocado between two plates, fanning out slices over half of plate. Top with arugula 
and drizzle with vinaigrette. Top with blood orange segments and sprinkle with remaining 
1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

Remove foil from lamb bones. Slice rack into 4 double chops and transfer to plates alongside 
salad. Serve immediately. 


Buy our chicken fried steakand eggs at the regularprice and get anotherorder for $2.95.975 No. Michillinda Avenue • (626) 351-0388 • Open 7am - 2:30pm dailyAnd be sure to check out our lunch combos:
4 Delicious Choices at $6.95 (includes soda)
7 Delicious Choices at $7.95 (includes soda)
(Coupon not necessary • In the Albertson’s shopping center, Michillinda and Sierra Madre Blvd.)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT


THE 
TWILIGHT 
SAD

 Scottish indie 
rockers The Twilight Sad 
demonstrate a complete 
overhaul to their wall 
of sound on their third 
opus, “No One Can Ever Know.” With added 
synthesizers, the under-the-radar outfit adds 
extra layers, darker tones, and an ominous vibe 
to their dense sonic borders. As a result, “No One 
Can Ever Know” is a taut, menacing, foreboding 
record that will surprise most supporters of the 
band. The Twilight Sad’s latest outing is something 
of an impenetrable mystery. The shift in artistic 
direction may have some raising questions, but at 
any rate, the secrecies behind the record only add 
to the supremacy of it. While the band has always 
received much praise for their work, the group’s 
recent effort may finally put them on the map as 
a true force to be reckoned with. 

 Frontman James Graham’s heavy accent 
sometimes makes his lyrics indiscernible, but 
often the unawareness only contributes to the 
ambiguity of the songs. The record launches off 
to a promising start to say the least. “Alphabet,” 
the opening track and best of the bunch, sets the 
mood right from the beginning. A simple, but 
haunting synth beat masked behind the gaunt 
lyrics gives you an indication how the rest of 
the record may play out. “Dead City,” a close 
runner-up for the best track, is an unequivocal 
distressing piece of music. The closing lyrics, 
taken straight from the album title, “No one can 
ever know,” establishes the theme of the record 
to be a secret that most may never be able to 
unravel. In essence, this is not your typical TTS 
album and proves the band is no one trick pony. 
Whatever Graham is feeling, he puts it on full 
blast with each and every track. The perceived 
tormented soul of a man is on display with an 
honest, moody, and cathartic reverberation that 
will continue to haunt you well after you stop 
playing the record. 

 “No One Can Ever Know” begins irrefutably 
strong. However, I think with the last two tracks 
it loses some of its glow. “Another Bed”, the 
weakest from the playlist, feels oddly off. Maybe 
it’s because the aforementioned song isn’t nearly 
as gloomy as the other tracks. Whatever the case 
may be, something about the arrangements didn’t 
do it for me. The closing song, “Kill It In The 
Morning” provides heavy synths, an aggressive 
blend of rock and electronics that have the record 
coming to a jarring finish. Despite the relatively 
disappointing conclusion, The Twilight Sad have 
crafted an intense, memorable, and evocative 
piece of work that’s a definite surprise in the way 
it sounds, but not a surprise in quality since this 
is a group that continues to produce powerful 
and original music with each sequential release. 

Key Tracks: “Alphabet”, “Dead City”, “Sick”, 
“Don’t Move” 

Grade: 8 out of 10

Artist: The Twilight Sad

Album: No One Can Ever Know

Label: Fat Cat Records 

Release Date: February 7, 2012