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The Ratkovich Company in the News DINING WITH DEBRA 1000 S. Fremont Ave., Alhambra (626) 300-3977 San Marino Tribune - April 4, 2002 By Debra Jorgensen A three-star restaurant in a 45-acre office complex. Sound unique? That’s exactly what I thought when I dined at Bistro 1000 a few weeks ago. Laurent Quenioux, one of Southern California’s master chefs, established LQ Management Services at The Alhambra, a 45-acre office campus on Fremont Avenue. He manages all the food service for the offices, including the County of Los Angeles, USC School of Medicine, Healthcare offices, Insurance offices, to name a few. When you walk into the complex, you’re set off by walking through a garden, with lush landscaping, and park benches, red brick buildings. Soon you enter a beautiful wood paneled, white table-cloth dining room, which is Bistro 1000. The complex itself is an interesting subject. It was once home to C.F. Braun Engineering Company. The Braun family, long-time pillars of this area, developed The Alhambra as their firm’s headquarters over a period of 60 years. Two years ago the one million-square-foot office campus was acquired by Campus 1000 Fremont LLC., led by the Ratkovich Co. It currently houses over 3,000 employees in a variety of organizations. I was met by Clive Hoffman and Victoria Deise, who gave mc a tour of the complex. Throughout the tour, I just kept thinking how lovely it would be to stroll through the garden after a nice dinner on a spring evening. Shortly after we arrived at Bistro 1000, we were served with an appetizer, which consisted of chips, which seemed to be thinly sliced bagels, (could be something else, it was totally different), baked and served with salsa. Delicious. This is an idea that would be fabulous at a dinner party, watching a ball game, or at a backyard BBQ. We then were served with a cup of Chicken Noodle Soup, which was made from scratch, obviously, with big chunks of chicken, noodles and vegetables. There is always such a difference between homemade soup with big chunks of vegetables and the flavor is so much better, because in the simmering the flavors really get to know each other. My choice for a main dish was the Spicy Tomato Chicken Sandwich. Excellent choice for me that day. It was served on a just-baked french roll, toasted, and smothered with chicken, jalapeno chiles, bell peppers and swiss cheese. This was an unusual sandwich, which I normally don’t order, but this had a tang to it, not too hot, just the right amount of spices. Accompanying the sandwich were homemade seasoned french fries, and a salad. Along with the soup and appetizers, this was definitely a good-sized lunch for anyone. Victoria ordered the pasta dish of the day, a Penne Pasta, which smelled delicious. She offered me a taste but I was so enthralled with my sandwich I just didn’t want to spoil the dance that was going on in my mouth. I’m ashamed to admit that all I know about Clive’s plate was that it was fish and that he was enjoying it immensely. He also offered me a bite, but, well, you know what was going on. Laurent changes his menu daily, so there is always a mixture of tastes going on. There is usually a pasta-of-the-day, which the server will have the “dish” on. They do have standard dishes every day that including a burger, your choice of beef, turkey, or vegetarian;. fish and chips, served with a garlic dip; steak; linguini; and a pastrami burger, among others. In the salad department there is a Bistro 1000 Cobb Salad, Caesar Salad, Fiesta Salad and Oriental Chicken Salad. I’m sorry to tell you that I was not able to “test” the desserts, one of my favorite things to do. I usually make a point to have a dessert wherever I go, but the amount of food that was served at lunch was more than satisfying for one person. Maybe next time. After lunch I was delighted to chat with Laurent for a few minutes. He is charming, and also gave me a tour of the fantastic kitchen. One could definitely get lost in the size of the kitchen he has to do his magic. And magic it is when you just imagine completing all the service he does for such a complex. It is definitely not your typical restaurant in a city, but the surroundings make you enjoy your meal even more, whether you dine indoors or out. Absolutely keep Bistro 1000 in mind for special events, weddings, receptions, meetings, social gatherings, or for a unique place for lunch or dinner. The parking is just off Fremont Avenue, past Commonwealth and Orange Streets and you can’t miss the brick buildings. Park in the visitors section and take a stroll in the “park”. Call ahead, (626) 300-3977 for reservations, hours, or for their menu for the day. Parking is free Good eating! ‹‹ back |