Elements Kitchen in Pasadena Closes

Felicia Friesema

Elements Kitchen's tomato tartare

Sad news for tomato tartare lovers in Pasadena -- chef-owner Onil Chibas announced on Facebook yesterday that his 2-year-old Pasadena Playhouse-adjacent restaurant Elements Kitchen was closing for good, mere days after the restaurant reopened following a weeklong winter break.

Hi fans. It is with much sadness that I announce that Elements Kitchen has officially closed. Thank you all for the wonderful memories and support over these past two years...it's been such a great ride and I'm grateful to all of you! Sincerely, Onil Chibas.

Chibas was known for crafting an ingredient-specific menu, focusing on "elements" like lobster, cod, duck and various seasonal vegetables, offering each in two or three different formats -- usually a small-bites plate and one or two entrees. It was a concept that took some time to catch on -- perhaps too long, in hindsight.

The introduction of a new bar program earlier last year bumped up activity in the restaurant's more casual front room and included popular menu items from Chibas' other Pasadena and also-closed Elements Cafe. The nearly yearlong shuttering of the Pasadena Playhouse due to financial restructuring probably didn't help, reducing foot traffic around the off-Colorado Boulevard location.

No word yet from Chibas if his popular catering program will stay in business.

Felicia Friesema