Chef Dominique Crisp of L&E Oyster Bar will open Saso on Tuesday, November 11, Eater LA first reported Wednesday. Reps for the restaurant confirmed the news in an email to What Now Los Angeles. Saso replaces Trejo’s Cantina after a three-ish year stint as the anchor of the historic 100-year-old Pasadena Playhouse, at 37 S. El Molino Avenue.
Saso, which bills itself as a restaurant “where the seafood-driven soul of Basque Country meets California coastal cuisine,” is putting the final touches on opening including finalizing construction and hiring for its team, as per the restaurant’s Instagram and an advert from last week seeking front of house and back of house staffers.
At the focus of Saso’s kitchen will be a Josper oven, the hottest indoor barbecue on the market. “In the Josper oven, the spirit of outside campfire cooking is encapsulated gastronomically,” Crisp writes on Instagram. “Different flavors from types of charcoals that lend themselves to different heat thresholds allow us to experiment with each ingredient which allows us to cook efficiently. We use blends from all over the nation from oak to Missouri’s hardwood to Texas mesquite for slow cooking.”
On the menu will be seafood, pasta, and homemade brasa bread and tomato jam, for which Crisp jokes, “bet you can’t just have one piece.” On the beverage side of things, expect a full bar with wine, Basque ciders, and draft beers.
