Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery — Restaurant in Pasadena

A gorgeous new open-plan restaurant with accompanying market and cheesery, in Old Town Pasadena!

ARRIVAL AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Parking at the nearby De Lacey Parking structure is an easy block's walk away, and the first 90 minutes are free! We walk up to Agnes on Green Street and note the inviting cushioned benches set up streetside ("Front Porch" seating), and the large and open entrance that gives you a peek into the cheese window and the small tables covered in jams, bags of corn kernels, walls of wine, assorted cheese boards and pinch bowls, all beautiful and feels upscale and well-curated.

We checked in with the host and were promptly shown to our table, which we reserved in the "Zen Den" back patio. We walked through the bar area, the cashier next to the cheese window, the open fire hearth in the center (what a centerpiece), gorgeous high ceilings and exposed brick, and subtle greens and wood details throughout. So beautiful.

Fun Fact: We learned that the room next to the patio is where the fresh pasta is made from scratch each day!

ORDERING FORMAT AND MENU: Our server explained that Agnes wants to provide the experience of having food at grandma's - everything's for sharing! "Order some from the left side, and a couple on the right side"; left side of the very rad menu included appetizers, salads, cheeses and charcuterie, and the right side were the pastas and entrees (including one section labeled "Hearth"). After passing by that open fire...definitely wanted to try that! Also a nice box was a shoutout by name to the executive team that make this all happen - a nice touch that I haven't seen often at all. On the back, dessert cheeses and wines, and desserts and coffee/tea.

DRINKS: I've read great things about the cocktails so we both went for that: I got the TOURNAMENT OF ROSÉS, a prosecco-based cocktail with Aperol, fresh watermelon, and purple basil; very refreshing, the scent of basil keeping things fresh and not too sweet, and the bitterness of Aperol well balanced against the fresh watermelon. Delicious. Husband enjoyed the JIM LLOYD, rum-based with passionfruit and grapefruit and IPA float - fruity and strong. Both drinks are beautiful, a sprig of purple basil wafting its scent on mine, and an orchid in my husband's.

FOOD: We got the LIGHTLY CURED TROUT & DUCK PASTRAMI, RIGATONI IN RED SAUCE, and CRISPY STEELHEAD TROUT.

The trout and pastrami starter or "snackadoo" came with heavily seeded crisps (so rich and complex, with the crunch perfectly toasty and crumbly without sticking to your teeth) and three seasonal pickles; we enjoyed pickled onion, green tomato, and a fresh dill infused sliced cucumber. The trout was so silky and thick, that it almost reminded me of salmon sashimi but more subtle in its sweetness; loved this with the dollop of creme fraiche. The duck pastrami was sliced thin and was especially good with the crisps.

The rigatoni was a right proper al dente, big and with thick ridges that hold the San Marzano tomato sauce well - and the sauce has that chili kick! This was all showered in a snow of grated parmesan, savory and spicy bites. Lovely.

The crispy steelhead trout was our pick from the "Hearth" section and you can really see and taste the fire - the skin shatters under our forks and this is served under a shower of dill, a thick grilled lemon slice for your squeezing pleasure, and a dish of tartare sauce with capers studded throughout. We inhaled this dish.

DESSERT: We could not leave a restaurant boasting a cheesery without having cheese - we left it up to our server for our choice! We wanted a savory, nutty cheese, and the recommendation that we were served after that was spot on! A two-year aged Dutch gouda, "Roomano Pradera", its savory chunks served on a board with crackers, a dish of raspberry jam (bursting with juicy flavor), three dried apricots, and those perpetually addicting quicos giant crunchy corn kernels. Everything paired wonderfully and it was easy to get so many angles from this one cheese with the...

Lunch here was a big-time disappointment. I was expecting a scaled-back taste of the dinner menu and experienced nothing of the sort. Not a single dish from the dinner menu, actually, save for sides like fried cheese curds, tater tots, or the touted meat and cheese boards, the last of which, a total flop. Not giving the slightest preview of your dinner game seems like a missed opportunity to lure people back in while flirting with the potential of turning them off altogether with seeming disjointedness. I had no idea I was walking into a sort of bakery, deli, French bistro-ish spot. Shame on me for not reading the lunch menu before coming in.

When a place has "cheesery" in its title, I'm expecting house-made cheese. Nope. Unless I'm missing something, this a complete misnomer. I'm also expecting cheese to be served at a proper temperature, not cold so that I can't taste it. Amateur move.

There was absolutely nothing remarkable about the cured meat and cheese board for $28. Serve some of that fresh bread you bake for crying out loud, not a stack of thin, flavorless crackers. Where do I spread this mustard? Runny, albeit delicious, salted watermelon jelly? Lavash-like crackers just ain't cutting it. The duck pate and cured pork were forgettable instead of mouthwatering rich and fatty. Isn't the point of all this to get my mouth juices flowing for more food? Instead this was like hitting the breaks. Pickles were room temp and dry as a bone, 4 grapes were sour; golden raisins, dried apricots and figs nothing you can't buy at Trader Joe's. And of course the corn nuts. Not delicious nor cute. They taste the same whether from a gas station or a fancy restaurant, case closed.

I get really irritated when servers don't let you know if the kitchen is out of an item before leaving you to deliberate your order. So that happened.

Also, no refills on drip coffee? I had to ask for one then noticed the charge on our bill. No one offered to refill my iced tea, either, so I'm figuring that, too, is treated like a specialty drink. Some B.S. for sure.

The Royale with Cheese was on trend with everything else: Nothing special, despite it being the server's #1 pick. I was expecting to be blown away by the ham itself, but "eh"... the best part about it, heck, about the whole meal was the fresh baked ciabatta bread it was served on, although truth be told, it was the wrong vessel altogether for these ingredients, lost in its crunchy crags and fluffy body. I barely tasted sharp cheddar but when I did it was delicious. The elements of this sandwich were too delicate to really make out and truly celebrate, as this kind of treat deserves.

All in all, I didn't get any "midwestern" vibes (aside from the vintage plates, maybe?) and the "cheesery" element of the joint was lost upon me, too, between cold hunks of the stuff and what was gobbled up by the perfect ciabatta bread. The meat and cheese board really needs a revision that presents rich, tasty morsels and not a bunch of dry and or lackluster accoutrements. Warm bread, that French butter I wish I tasted more on the sandwich and some easily spreadable cheese would all be steps in the right direction. Additionally, maybe a dish or two from the dinner menu that would give persnickety diners like me a reason to return. Not sure I will despite the LA Times "review" that really had me excited, but in retrospect, wasn't the least...

I happened to be down the street for work for one night and am so glad this is the restaurant I chose. I'm so happy and pleasantly full! The space is absolutely beautiful. There are plenty of little nooks in which smaller parties can go, but there are also larger spaces where you can have more than just yourself. I dined alone in the zen garden tonight on a last minute reservation. Despite most of the menu being geared towards sharing with two or more people, my server, John, walked me through the sizes so I could choose the right amount of food.

For those of you who follow me, you know I am a sucker for a good old-fashioned. On their cocktail menu, I spied an Old Towne Fashion and had to give it a try. Miso is not something I probably ever would have thought to put in a drink, but it and the other ingredients elevated this cocktail to absolute sipping perfection.

To eat, I ordered the cornbread eclair, the tinned fish of the day, and the curried cauliflower. It was hard to restrain myself, because I really wanted to order nearly everything. I had read descriptions of the cornbread eclair, so I already knew that had to be one. And when John told me the tinned fish of the day was a pickled tuna pate, I was sold. And who doesn't love curried cauliflower?

My cornbread eclair came first, and it was even better than those descriptions I had read. It looks like the most delicious dessert, but it is the perfect combination of savory ingredients in harmony. I have never had a luxardo Cherry in anything but an old fashioned, but they added the most perfect texture and flavor to each bite of that dish.

The tinned fish of the day was so superb that I literally left the restaurant with a bag of tins to share (and some to save for myself). To be fair, eating the entire plate was probably a bit too much for some because it was a pickle extravaganza. Pickled tuna pate, pickled daikon, pickled onions, and pickled cauliflower. The country mustard was amazing, and I was very thankful that the crackers were plain, as they were the perfect vessel for the pickle extravaganza. The curried cauliflower came out, and when the aroma hit my nose, it was heaven. I tried to balance the bites of the feta and mint and savored everything to the last bit.

I have not one single regret about my choices.

All of that was probably a touch too much food for most single diners, but I cannot say I would have left anything on any plate.

While I do recommend visiting with a friend, do not bypass this restaurant if you happen to be, like me, traveling alone for work. One of the servers, not mine, stopped and asked if I was dining alone and told me I was doing a good job of dating myself. Date yourself at Agnes. You will...