March 3, 2016: Union

Ever since I had heard about Bruce Kalman's restaurant, Union, in Pasadena that made almost everything in house, including all of their pastas, it has been on my short list to try. Uncle Vic had gone with Jeffrey and Julie a while ago and they all really enjoyed the food, which just made me want to go even more. We met up with Brandon since he was home alone for the week and he wanted to take us out for giving him a ride home from Oroville. Union definitely lived up to my expections, which were pretty high to begin with.

We started out with the crostone with Pinkerton avocado, pistachios, San Andreas pecorino and fava beans. It was basically like bruschetta in that everything was placed on top of some crispy, toasted bread. The avocado was smooth and rich and the pistachio added a nice nutty flavor and textural contrast. The pecorino cheese provided a needed saltiness to boost the avocado flavor and the fava beans had a great fresh, green flavor to them. It was a really nice, light start to the meal.

Crostone w Pinkerton Avocado, Pistachio, San Andreas Pecorino & Fava Beans

Next we had the housemade stracciatella with roasted garlic and crostini. Stracciatella is basically a really fresh mozzarella that is very similar to burrata. In fact, I'm not really sure what the difference between burrata and stracciatella is, all I know is that they are both amazing. There was a very thin smear of roasted garlic puree around the bowl, which I couldn't really taste, but it didn't really need it. The stracciatella was dressed with some extra virgin olive oil and fresh cracked pepper, which was perfect and the crostini was toasted nicely and had a nice crunch. The portion they served was actually a very generous serving and even after getting more bread we still had a little bit leftover.

House Made Stracciatella w Roasted Garlic & Crostini

The bread and giardiniere with house made cultured butter and Hepp's sea salt came at the same time as the stracciatella. Giardiniere is basically spicy pickled mixed vegetables. Union's giardiniere included chilis, carrots, onion, cauliflower and celery and had a great acidic kick that opened up my tastebuds. I probably would have liked it to be a little bit spicier, but the spice level probably was perfect for the masses. The butter was nice and rich and went well with the pickled veggies and the extra stracciatella ended up pairing extremely well with the giardiniere as well.

Bread & Giardiniere w House Made Cultured Butter & Hepp's Sea Salt

Shortly after the above dishes came out the wild mushrooms with Grist & Toll polenta, Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar, sage and rosemary was served.  The sauteed mushrooms were excellent. They had a great earthy flavor and the sage and rosemary are classic herbs to go with mushrooms for a reason. The sherry vinegar added a light acidity and sweetness to cut through richness of the polenta. The polenta itself was rich and light at the same time and it was one of the better polentas I've had. Even though each component of the dish was varying in richness it didn't really overwhelm my palate or feel like it weighed me down.

Wild Mushrooms w G&T Polenta, Pedo Ximenez Sherry Vinegar, Sage & Rosemary

Next they brought out our pasta dishes. The bucatini cacio e pepe with Pecorino-Romano, black pepper and 63° egg. This dish was one of their most popular pastas and for good reason. The bucatini was cooked perfectly with a significant, yet tender, chew to it and the sauce was rich, especially with the perfectly cooked egg. The fresh black pepper provided a nice spice, yet was not overwhelming. It's a dish that is so simple, but Union executed it so perfectly that it was definitely one of the standouts of the night. 

Bucatini Cacio E Pepe w Pecorino-Romano, Black Pepper & 63° Egg

The other pasta dish we ordered was the porcini casarecce with yellow foot chanterelles, rosemary and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The casarecce, like the bucatini, was cooked to a perfect al dente and the chanterelles were delicious, I just wished there would have been a few more of them in the dish. The pasta was dressed very simply and the dish as a whole was very good, but I didn't think it was nearly as good as the bucatini.

Porcini Casarecce w Yellow Foot Chanterelles, Rosemary & Parmigiano-Reggiano

After we had finished the pastas they brought out the main dishes that we had ordered. The first to come out was the porchetta with Weiser Farms potatoes and salsa verde. Other than the pastas, this was the dish I had heard the most about at Union and it more than lived up to my expectations. The pork loin that was tender and very moist with a mild porky flavor and the pork belly that encased it had a rich flavor with a good balance of lean and fatty meat and the herb and spice rub in between the pork belly and loin gave a nice light, fresh contrast to the rich pork. The crackling on the outside was perfectly crisp without any hint of chewiness and the salsa verde lent a great vinegary herbaceousness to the dish that helped to cut through the fattiness of the pork belly. The potatoes were tender and fluffy, and helped to sop up the jus that was spooned around the plate. To be perfectly honest, this porchetta may have been the best pork dish I have had to this point and it is definitely in the top five of pork dishes for me.

Porchetta w Weiser Farms Potatoes & Salsa Verde

The other main dish that we ordered was the stracotto with Niman Ranch beef short rib, salt pork, parsnip puree and gremolata. The beef was braised nicely until it was so tender that it could be cut with the fork. It had absorbed a lot of flavor from being braised in red wine, which seemed to almost gave it a more rich, luxurious flavor and texture. I couldn't really pick up the salt pork that much, but I think it may have added some saltiness, obviously, but also some meaty richness that may have blended in with the short rib. The parsnip puree was sweet and smooth, but there wasn't nearly enough of it in my opinion. There was only about a tablespoon of the puree underneath the short rib when I think we would have been satisfied with about four times as much. The gremolata provided freshness that brightened the whole dish, but again, I would have liked a bit more of it too.

Stracotto w Niman Ranch Beef Short Rib, Salt Pork, Parsnip Puree & Gremolata

For dessert we shared the bay leaf pannacotta with pickled berries and vanilla. The pannacotta had the perfect amount of gelatin in it because it was soft and tender and just set. The bay leaf flavor was extremely subtle to the point that if I hadn't been looking for it I would not have noticed there was any bay leaf infused in the cream and it was overshadowed by the fragrant vanilla, which completely coated the top of the pannacotta with vanilla bean specks. The pickled berries added another layer of sweetness and enough acidity to cut through the richness of the dairy.

Bay Leaf Pannacotta w Pickled Berries & Vanilla

When the check arrived they gave us espresso meringues as a petit four to finish our meal. They were light and crispy and then after you bit into them they almost dissolved in your mouth. The flavor of the espresso was nice and it did not overpower the meringue, which was perfect for me, but it might have been too light for coffee lovers. It was a nice end to an excellent meal.

Espresso Meringues

Since Union has been on my shortlist of restaurants to try for almost two years I came into the meal thinking it would be difficult for it to live up to my expectations, but I have to say they were met and for some things exceeded. The highlights of the night for me was definitely the porchetta first and foremost and the bucatini cacio e pepe. Even though I had heard so many positive things about both dishes they still surprised me with the flawless execution of classic Italian dishes. I would definitely recommend Union to anyone looking for a good meal. The only people who might have a little trouble would be vegans, but even then the kitchen would probably whip something up that was outstanding.

Food 4.5/5
Service 4/5
Christal's Rating 3.5/5 (But she was sick and couldn't taste very well)
http://unionpasadena.com/