David Brungard, manager of Restaurant Five Sixty One.

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Let's Eat Out at...
Restaurant Five Sixty One
By Sue Stauffer
LCF Outlook

561 W. Green Street, Pasadena

When you drive by Restaurant Five Sixty One on Green Street, you will always see numerous young people outside dressed in checkered pants and white jackets - the classic attire of chefs. Meriting further exploration, you will soon discover that you have just discovered a real treasure. Restaurant Five Sixty One is the home of the California School of Culinary Arts with the famous French Cordon Bleu Program.

"All the students are required to rotate and spend time in the front house service at the restaurant as waiters or waitresses before they can complete their studies here as chefs," explained restaurant manager, David Brungard. "We believe that it is important for all our students to understand all aspects of the restaurant business not just what happens in the kitchen."

Creating recipes means borrowing ideas from the past, so cooking has become not only an art form, but also a precise science with ever changing new procedures and cooking techniques created almost daily. These are our future chefs and they are trained to be both innovative and creative using an abundance of fresh vegetables.

The atmosphere at Five Sixty One is very professional and the dŽcor tastefully modern making dining a delightful experience. From the time you enter and are seated, you will receive fantastic service. The servers are extremely polite, attentive and eager to please. The menu changes frequently for there are always wonderful lunch and dinner specials so regular visits are necessary to sample the different fantastic menu offerings.

There are Prix Fixe menus that include starters, main dishes and desserts that can be paired with specially selected wines. Consider enjoying the wonderful tasting menu that explores the balance between sweet, salty, sour, bitter, aromatic, piquant, vented, and pungent. The tasting menu allows the chef to use seasonal products and carefully orchestrate the different dishes to create a perfect marriage of flavors. Wine pairing for the tasting menu is also available.

At Restaurant Five Sixty One, you will enjoy dishes that are representative of true culinary artistry. Each presentation is a true work of art and the flavors are blended flawlessly. This the perfect place for an intimate dinner, elegant luncheon or special occasion celebration. Whether you order, meat, fish or fowl, you will be making the right choice at Restaurant Five Sixty One.

For more information on hours of operation or to make reservations, please call (626) 356-0959. This is a dining experience that you won't want to miss!