The Vol. 94: McSweetbreads + The Invasion of the Small Plates

By Jonathan Gold Wed., Dec. 14 2011 at 10:00 AM

F. Friesema

Jonagold apples

The invasion of the small plates is not finished, oh no. It is marching down our streets and avenues, invading our towns and villages, leaving behind nothing in its wake but duck-slider crumbs, remnants of Fiscalini bandaged cheddar and sticky drops of California sauvignon blanc. You may attempt to escape, to fortify yourself with the vulgar large plates that once represented cuisine, but against Brussels sprouts with hazelnuts, pork-belly bánh mì, grilled pecorino sandwiches flavored with black truffle, and rillettes of either duck or pork, resistance is as futile as attempting to determine why a restaurant might be called The Vol. 94.

Sure, you may be in Pasadena, in a bright restaurant across from the Paseo, and sure, you may be munching on a Thanksgiving-leftover sandwich -- really, cranberry sauce, stuffing and everything -- and a handful of nuts toasted in duck fat. You may be wondering where you've tasted anything like the beet salad with goat cheese or the albacore salad with ponzu (answer: just about everywhere), trying to figure out why the watercress soup tastes like new-mown lawn, or wrapping your mind around the idea of McSweetbreads, which is to say chicken-fried thymus glands with honey-mustard dippin' sauce. Rest easy: The terrorists have won.

The Vol. 94: 239 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; (626) 356-9494. thevol94.com.

Tags:

First Bite, Jonathan Gold, The Vol. 94

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Foodie.

I guess you were not a fan of this restuarant?

lynn @ the actor's diet

got a chance to try their stuff too - lots of vegetarian options:http://theactorsdiet.wordpress...

Haterade

J. Gold has mastered the art of the non-review: 1)Loquaciously describe a few dishes in a couple run on sentences (points for using "unctuous")2)Create a few wishy-washy conditional clauses using "if" "maybe" and "kind of," while passing light judgement.3)Cap it all off with a bizarre trope meant to evoke a sense of offbeat thoughtfulness.

Still, it's better than reading S. Irene...

Dave Lieberman

They have beet, goat cheese and toasted nut salad at the Cheesecake Factory now. Wolfgang Puck must be twitching compulsively in a corner.

Supafu2000

Jg should probably stick to praising the same shanghai style restaurants in sgv instead of non chinese fare.

Really odd criticism.

foodgps

Funny post. Michael Voltaggio actually made sweetbread mcnuggets with rhubarb ketchup at a multi-chef dinner in Manhattan Beach last year. They were good. It might be fun to try the Vol. 94 version at some point, but I'd hate to end up on a no-fly list.