The Raymond: Charming and Ordinary

Snug against the base of Raymond Hill, next to an enormous power substation in Pasadena, the Raymond Restaurant is unexpected--and lovely: a classic Craftsman-style cottage that represents the last vestige--the caretaker’s home, in fact--of the once grand turn-of-the-century Raymond Hotel. The gardens and architecture have been lovingly maintained. Indoors, burnished wood glows in candlelight.

And now that the weather is warming up, the patios may be the prettiest breakfast spots in town. As I write this, the wisteria on the back patio is having its last gorgeous gasp, the papery lavender blossoms raining onto the white linens, drifting like teeny sailboats in tea cups. Sorry you missed it. Maybe next year.

And there will be a next year: The Raymond is now one of the Rose City’s oldest restaurants and qualifies for the role of old standby, of institution.

I have always had a soft spot for the Raymond Restaurant: It was the place, 15 years ago, that a handsome man (well, he looked a lot like Glen Campbell) first took me out for an expensive dinner. I still remember what I ate: salmon. And I still remember what I thought about that salmon: Oh! It’s so plain.

All these many years later, the food is still noticeably plain--plain meaning unadorned, unsurprising, ordinary. But the Raymond serves a need: It’s a romantic, quiet hideaway that’s culinarily unchallenging, even old-fashioned. Some people like, even need, that.

The dinner menu changes weekly. You can order a la carte, or select items for a four-course dinner, or order the special three-course, $25 dinner that includes a glass of wine.

There’s usually one appetizer involving stuffed pastry: One week, it’s a pirozhki, a flaky pastry turnover filled with mushrooms and served with a spoonful of sour cream. The next week, it’s a pastry packet of fatty Italian sausage with horseradish-spiked sour cream. Other appetizers include cold jumbo shrimp with a remoulade. And a slightly sour pa^te comes with dry pumpernickel, chopped onion and, inexplicably, some very dissonant cranberry relish.

*

The “Soup of the Moment” is consistently pretty good. A corn chowder is potato-based, flecked with corn. Tortilla soup is plainer yet, a mild broth with tortilla strips. And the split pea is a classic, with a faint whiff of ham.

Green salads are lightly dressed: Sesame soy is the most interesting--flavorful--dressing choice. There’s invariably a Belgian endive salad, too; one made with apples and walnuts is, essentially, bite-sized portions of Waldorf salad cupped on individual pale green spears.

Entrees reinforce the theme of plainness. A beautifully cooked piece of swordfish is topped with an ice cream scoop of faintly gingered sesame butter and garnished, for some reason, with avocado. Long Island duckling has an appropriately crisp skin and is served, predictably, in a sweet fruit sauce--apricot, in this case. Lamb chops are nicely handled, tender, in a mild wine reduction. Nothing fancy here--except maybe the prices. (A la carte entrees range from $24 to $28.)

A chicken “paprikash,” the special dinner one night, is the one bad note in several visits: Served on green fettuccine, the meat is mealy, the sauce is virtually tasteless.

The Raymond may be at its best for brunch, when the gardens lend their irresistible charm to the food. Oh, Ermilio’s omelet with chopped peppers and onions is perfectly good, as are the souffle-like whipped eggs with mushrooms. And a plate of lox and cream cheese, with rye toast points, capers and cucumbers, is just fine.

Desserts, like everything else here, are familiar favorites: moist, nutty carrot cake; an inhalable flourless chocolate cake. One night, we’re especially lucky: There’s a fabulous hot fudge sundae made with Belgian chocolate, roasted pecans and an excellent rich vanilla ice cream.

With its low-key food and beguiling good looks, the Raymond definitely has its adherents--it’s impossible to get a table in the main room any night of the week without reservations well in advance.

* The Raymond Restaurant, 1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, (818) 441-3136. Open for lunch, brunch, afternoon tea and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Beer and wine served. Major credit cards accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $50-$82.