Public Eye

Kate, the owner of Crepevine in Old Pasadena, celebrated the third anniversary of her small, casual French bistro Monday night with a little party for her friends and customers.

By the time Phoebe and I walked in a little past 8, it was cheek-by-jowl time. We squashed together and talked with friends we didn't even know were regulars too and drank red and white from plastic glasses and grabbed at the plates of passing pizza. We were all happy to be crammed in because it was a kind of celebration of the fact that everyone loves Kate, which is the reason her restaurant works. Oh, it also very much works because of the mussels in white wine and the croques monsieurs and the wine list filled with unusual, affordable bottles mostly of the Spanish and Gallic persuasion rather than the usual overpriced, unthoughtful dreck. It's the best small-joint list in town.

Which is my point here. In these economic times, restaurateurs who want to stay open will do so on the force of their personalities. You have to be there for your personality to
be expressed. It would be like Europane without the creative presence of Sumi -- there'd be no point. Crepevine has survived two major kitchen fires -- what's a little recession, after that?

People were talking about the closure of that other charming bistro, 750 ml in South Pas, and about the fact that L.A. owner Steven Arroyo of Cobras & Matadors and many others simply couldn't be there much. (The Mission Street place will reopen as a woodfired pizza purveyor, certainly a smart move for the times.)

It's a lot of work, and you have to show up to do it.

See you sometime at Kate's place, which, while the mail may show up at 36 W. Colorado Blvd., is down the alley past Jake's burgers and billiards.