Chef Returns to Raise Curtain on His Big Production at Cayo

Claud Beltran, who last cooked at Dickenson West before that demure Pasadena restaurant and takeout reconfigured and became Derek’s, has finally resurfaced, this time with his own restaurant.

Called Cayo, it’s adjacent to the Pasadena Playhouse on South El Molino Avenue. As I stroll toward Cayo one recent night for dinner, a crowd converges in front, racing up the steps of the playhouse: curtain time. I hurry, worried that we’ll be late for our reservation, but the restaurant isn’t full after all. That may be because Beltran opened Cayo on the sly, with almost no publicity or fanfare.

Before Dickenson West, he worked with Thomas Keller, chef-owner of the French Laundry in Napa Valley, Calif., when the celebrated California chef was at Checkers hotel in L.A. At Cayo, he’s both chef and editor for the first time, and in the first flush of enthusiasm (he’s been out of the kitchen for months), he’s put together an ambitiously large menu, one that tests the limits and abilities of his kitchen.

At $12 for nine oysters on the half shell, every oyster lover in town should be queuing up to gobble down Fanny Bays, Kumamotos and Malpeques. That night, there’s also a lovely mussel soup with poached oysters, and an oddly intriguing individual crab and leek pie paired with a vanilla-scented curry sauce. I like the simple smoked trout, too, set on a bed of mizuna greens.

Main courses aren’t nearly as polished. Squab breast comes with gnocchi that taste more fried than anything else. Beef tenderloin is marred by a sweet Cabernet-hoisin sauce that’s decidedly not wine-friendly. Arctic char is overcooked and incredibly salty. The best is the “cayo buco,” braised pork top round served with the season’s roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts. It’s all heavier-handed than his graceful French cooking at Dickenson West.

A thin-crusted dark chocolate tart served with a puddle of creme frai^che and a larger one of dark bitter chocolate sauce ends the meal on a delicious note. And the Austrian griddle cakes only disappoint because the pancakes aren’t cooked through in the center. But, oh, those wonderful preserved plums piled on top!

In sports, when a player goes into a slump after he reaches the major leagues, they have a saying: “Go back to doing whatever it was that got you here.” I’d give Beltran the same advice. And wish him luck.

Remember, theatergoers can slip in before the performance for oysters and Champagne at the bar, or stop in after the show, if it’s not too late, for dessert.

BE THERE

Cayo, 39 S. El Molino Ave. (at the Pasadena Playhouse), Pasadena, (626) 396-1800. Open Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Fridays-Saturdays, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Appetizers, $7 to $18; main courses, $17 to $30. Valet parking.