Don’t let the home-lettered signs and uninviting, tunnel-like space dissuade you from discovering this fine and eclectic Japanese spot with a lively sushi bar and a devout following. The knowledgeable young staff can’t wait to introduce you to the live sea urchin, the sake collection and the terrific izakaya, including such things as salmon carpaccio, [...]
Hometown girl Gale Kohl and her husband, Rene Chila, know how to run a restaurant, which is why tout Pasadena comes here. The waiters are pros, the Italian chef is talented, and the atmosphere is warm. We have many favorites on the menu, including mussels with white wine and garlic, caprese salad, Caesar salad and [...]
Think the Chalet fix is pretentious and wine bars are for posers? Then settle into a vinyl booth at the Colorado, order a Jim Beam or a pitcher of Bud, and put some Allman Brothers on the jukebox. This is a proper bar, where food means pork rinds and peanuts and real women can play [...]
Once the Pasadena Playhouse returns (we have faith that it will), the Playhouse District will really have it goin’ on, now that Elements Kitchen has added a proper bar to the neighborhood. Lined with windows to the street and the Playhouse courtyard, the space is comfortably furnished with a few low, upholstered seating areas for [...]
We’d live in Sierra Madre just for Bean Town—it’s pretty much the perfect coffeehouse. The coffee is robust, the furniture funky but comfortable, and the crowd diverse and cheerful: book clubs, retired guys, moms ‘n’ strollers, teens, dogs—sooner or later, everyone goes to Bean Town. Extras include live bluegrass and folk on weekends, WiFi, board [...]
After months of rumors and changing plans, Pasadena’s goddess baker Sumi Chang has quietly opened a new, larger offshoot of her Euro Pane Bakery & Café in the new building right across Colorado from the Paseo. It’s not officially open until May 1, but you can stop by now for a coffee, a pastry and/or [...]
Fans from as far away as Santa Monica make the trek to this gelateria tucked into a run-down shopping center at the top of Lake Avenue. With rich cream-based flavors (pistachio, from Sicilian nuts; zabaglione; stracciatella; seasonal fruits; chocolate of many kinds, including with red pepper or orange) and the intense sorbettos and rough-textured granitas [...]
Keep in mind that you must first pay admission to the Huntington plus the $25 price for tea. But this plentiful serve-yourself buffet has six kinds of finger sandwiches, fresh fruit, salads, spreads, little cakes. The two daily selections of hot tea are nothing to write home about, but the servers are friendly and helpful, [...]
Sure, it’s yuppie and overpriced, but it’s the best sushi in Old Town, and you could do worse than the fatty tuna sashimi and crab dynamite roll, especially if you’ve just come out of a movie. A sleek design, trendy cocktails and model-pretty hostesses complete the illusion that you’re in West Hollywood instead of boring [...]
A hidden gem, Zephyr is a Craftsman cottage suffused with Zen-like beauty and calm. All the rooms have comfy sofas, and the patios have tree-shaded tables; regulars chat just like they’re in their own home, or settle in at a table for a few hours with a laptop or a newspaper. There’s often-worthwhile live music [...]
