Weird kinda-French bistro & bar by Doug Rankin. Housed in the same 98-year-old Spanish Colonial Revival building as the Pasadena Playhouse, brings a welcome jolt of eccentricity to local and regional dining. Bar Chelou merges avant-garde perspectives with punk rock attitudes and baroque sensibilities. Chef Doug Rankin’s unique experience with his unbound culinary style, as he reimagines the historical Pasadena location with a quasi-European menu.