Chef Minuz went through as he says "the equivalent of culinary boot camp where we spent the first six months scrubbing and cleaning everything from the floors of the kitchen to the floors of the toilets, where beds had to have perfect corners and all pots had to shine". The two year school started with 80 students and ended up with less than 20. But he is grateful for the discipline and so are we since it shows in the understated but profoundly delicious tastes of his food. His imagination is held in reign by this discipline. We wish more talented young California chefs would take this page from his recipe book.
Especially intriguing was a soup of green bell peppers and cantaloupe. Perfectly executed, this chilled soup allowed the melon at the pinnacle of maturity to dominate with just a hint of the green peppers giving it a unique after taste that lingered just a few seconds to catch the attention. Tiny melon balls gave some texture to the otherwise smooth soup. My husband found the Ravioli di Pesce (ravioli filled with seafood in a shrimp sauce) sublime. The freshly made pasta just right. My traditional Venetian seafood soup (Polpettine de Pesce), where mixed seafood bites are cooked in a lobster broth with vegetables and tomatoes with a couple of slices of crispy polenta, was just as marvelous. If I have any complaint at all I would have liked a bit more of the broth and a slightly more generous serving. My husband, the man with the sweet teeth, sampled the Strudel di Mele, a honey apple strudel served with a touch of carmel sauce and roasted pine nuts. When the last vestiges of any trace of the serving finally disappeared from view and the plate returned to a perfect white, he acknowledged that it was edible.
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Ravioli filled with seafood in a shrimp sauce.
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Street sign.
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Main entrance and the small "pocket" terrace.
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Honey Strudel with pine nuts and caramel sauce.
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Next time we eat at this trattoria, we intend to try the Tonno Marinato All'Origano (filets of fresh Ahi tuna, marinated in lemon, oregano, salt and olive oil garnished with fresh tomato and served in a bed of green beans), the Crespelle di Spinaci E Ricotta (homemade crepes filled with fresh ricotta and spinach, covered with a thin béchamel sauce and baked), the Salmon Ripieno (baked salmon filled with a mousse of turmeric, salmon, white wine and shallots wrapped in a cabbage leaf and sprinkled with clam sauce). Of course the Dolce di Cioccolato (chocolate mousse with layers of hazelnut biscuit) beckons as does the Semifreddo Arlecchino (Venetian dessert made with soft meringue, crunch dried fruit and nuts, garnished with a wild strawberry and blueberry sauce and pistachios).
The decor tends to the trendy appealing to the Pasadena professional set but not in the least shallow or a cliché in any way. It is bathed in daylight from big sky lights. It is small and intimate with service so completely correct and gracious that we wish it could be emulated in more California establishments. Very definitely showing the influence of this charming restaurant's European training.
Tre Venezi Trattoria
119 West Green Street
Pasadena, California 91105
tel: 1-626-795-4455
Dinner only: Tues-Sun from 5:30
closed Monday
