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View the
Nikki C's menu
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Restaurant:
Nikki C’s Restaurant and Bar
Where: 470 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena
Phone: (626) 792-7437
Reservations: Available, not required
Cocktails: Yes
Service: Tableside wait service
Atmosphere: Dinner House
Outdoor Dining: No
Credit Cards: Major, except Discover
Kid’s Menu: No
Senior Discount: No
Food to Go: Yes
Catering Menu: No
Price Range: $6 - $27, average in the
mid-teens |
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Nikki
C's is at 470 S. Rosemead Blvd. in Pasadena |
Half
order of the shrimp cocktail |
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Mozzarella alla Caprese |
Hummus w/pita bread |
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Caesar Salad |
Cannelini Beans and Greens Soup with Pasta |
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Chicken Pastina Soup |
Chicken Cordon Bleu |
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Scampi |
Pasta
Creation |
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Tiramisu |
Cheesecake with raspberry and chocolate sauce |
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DOT COM DINING A Look At San
Gabriel Valley Restaurants by SanGabrielValleyMenus.com
Nikki C’s In Pasadena Celebrating
One Year in Business (please note this spotlight was done in June
of 2005. Menu items have changed, not all items described or shown in this
spotlight are currently available.)
By Bill Coburn
Nikki C’s Restaurant and Bar on Rosemead in
Pasadena, in the former location of Sunny Italy, is a really nice place to enjoy
some good Italian food. Open for dinner only, the atmosphere is comfortable;
not stuffy at all, but you know you’re in a nice restaurant. There are some
nice paintings on the walls, there’s plenty of room between tables, the lighting
is not too dark, but by no means bright, everything is very nice. We started
our evening with some garlic bread and a serving of balsamic vinegar, olive oil
and garlic, served at the table just as you would expect chips at a Mexican
restaurant. We also had some appetizers, hummus (with pita bread), Shrimp
Martini (jumbo shrimp w/diced avocado and spicy cocktail sauce, and Mozzarella
alla Caprese (sliced tomato topped with fresh basil and imported buffalo
mozzarella. By the time we were done with our appetizers, we knew we were going
to really enjoy ourselves, as everything so far was top notch.
Keelan ordered the Pasta
Creation, where you have a choice
of penne, rigatoni,
cappellini, fusilli, or cheese ravioli w/choice of marinara, pomodoro, pesto,
aglio oilo, or meatsauce (you can add Italian sausage or meatballs for a slight
extra charge). He chose the cheese ravioli with marinara sauce. I had a little
trouble making a decision, as several items sounded good, but finally selected
the Scampi. Katie and I both were thinking about the Chicken Cordon Bleu, and
Katie was hesitating because she didn’t really think of it as an Italian dish
and she thought she should pick Italian food at an Italian restaurant, but when
our waitress informed us it was her favorite dish on the menu, Katie chose
that.
Pasta, Seafood and Regional
Entrees come with a choice of soup or salad. For a nominal charge, you can
upgrade to antipasto or Caesar salad. Katie went with the Caesar salad, and
Keelan and I chose soups. I got the Cannelini Beans and Greens with Pasta,
Keelan chose the Chicken Pastina. We were all quite happy with our starters,
Katie pointed out that the extra charge for the Caesar was worth it, as it was
“a true Caesar dressing, not a creamy one.” Keelan enjoyed his soup, with what
I think was Acini di
pepe pasta, chicken, carrots, etc. I’d never had a soup like the
Cannelini Beans and Greens
with Pasta, but found it very tasty. Both our soups were a nice blend of broth
and ingredients, heavier on the ingredients, not too thin by any means.
Since the first time I tried
Chicken Cordon Bleu, I’ve been a fan, and have tried it at several places. When
I worked at Velvet Turtle (which I considered to be a very good restaurant, with
consistently good food) back in the eighties and nineties, it was an occasional
special, and I had it nearly every time it was available. That’s why I was so
tempted when I saw it on the menu at Nikki C’s, I like Chicken Cordon Bleu, but
don’t see it on too many menus. Once Katie ordered it, I figured I’d try hers,
and get the Scampi.
I tried Katie’s Chicken
Cordon Bleu at Nikki C’s, and it wasn’t even close. Of all the Chicken Cordon
Bleu’s I’ve had at various places, it is without question my new favorite. Next
time we go there, I’ll be ordering that, because a couple of bites just weren’t
enough. The boneless chicken breast was baked with imported ham mozzarella
cheese and topped with a French crème sauce, served with garlic sautéed green
beans, and pasta which Katie ordered with a pesto sauce. Keelan enjoyed his
ravioli in marinara sauce, and my Scampi, featuring half a dozen jumbo shrimp
sautéed in white wine and garlic butter, served over cappellini pasta was also
quite good. I’ve also always been a big fan of green beans sautéed with garlic
and butter, which was served with the scampi. It was a good sized meal, and one
of the better Scampi dinners I’ve had.
For dessert, we split the
tiramisu and the cheesecake, both desserts made on the premises. The cheesecake
was served with raspberry and chocolate sauce. We didn’t have room for dessert,
but once it appeared on the table, it was too good to leave any behind, and what
do you know, we managed to eat every bite.
All of our food was first
rate, both in taste and presentation. The service was also good, and we enjoyed
the house wines that we ordered as well, Katie having chardonnay and I the
merlot. While I’m no wine expert, I recognized many of the wines on the wine
list as being quality wines, from highly respected wineries. They also carry a
“Special Reserve” Port wine from the Coburn Winery (no relation), but we decided
against having some, as neither of us really are big fans of Port.
In addition to the fine food
found in the dining room, Nikki C’s has a nice lounge area where you can enjoy
sports, including satellite horse racing, on their plasma HDTVs.
There are ten pasta items,
sandwiches, salads, pizzasa, 5 seafood dishes, and nearly a dozen Regional
Entrees, including USDA prime beef, ribs, veal items and more. You can find the
menu for Nikki C’s at SanGabrielValleyMenus.com by clicking on Italian food,
Pasadena, bars and lounges, and several other categories. Or you can go
directly to their web page at
www.nikkics.com or
www.nikkicsrestaurant.com.
I highly recommend Nikki
C’s. Everything was first rate, and I am really looking forward to our next
visit.
Bill Coburn is owner of SanGabrielValleyMenus.com, a restaurant website
featuring more than 160 restaurant’s menus, as well as downloadable coupons. He has
nearly 20 years experience in the restaurant business, and has been eating for
much longer than that. |
