Roma Italian Deli

WHY Excellent Italian prosciutti, cheeses, sausages, salumi and gnocchi, sold with style and lots of sample tastes.

New Chong Qing

WHY A place for chileheads to give their palate a thrill ride.

WHAT Light years beyond kung pao, the Sichuan fare at this nicely designed little storefront is the winning contender for capsicum artistry in a city filled with peppery stir fries and incendiary noodles. The fresh fish hot pot has a fan club, but don’t let it obscure the other mouth-tingling goodies, like fried chicken cubelets—as crunchy as chicharones and spicier than jalapeño kettle chips, buried under an inch-deep blanket of dry-fried chiles.

Taco Deli

The delights of modest little Taco Deli, a bright takeout place in a La Canada strip mall, range from warming soups to gut-busting tortilla-based dishes, but the overall emphasis is on light, fresh healthy food from Mexico and Central America that tastes great and is prepared with a smile. I eat here at least once [...]

Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana

There are three Settebello Pizzeria Napoletanas in the world: one in Salt Lake City, one in Las Vegas, and a brand-new one on Colorado Boulevard, just down the block from Vroman’s and the Laemmle, sandwiched between Tender Greens and Roy’s. It doesn’t exactly sound like a recipe for success—“authentic Napoli-style pizza by way of Utah!”—but [...]

Wistaria Grill

This busy new restaurant in Sierra Madre has a fanatical following to judge from the crowds at dinner (and to a lesser extent, lunch). The space, formerly Lozano, which itself morphed from down-home Mexican to haute Southwestern (with a concomitant change in decor) is lovely and modern, open to the backlit bar, with exposed concrete [...]

A Taste of Pasadena, Take 20

“Please, Sir, may I have some more?” The 20th Annual Taste of Old Pasadena approaches quickly! $25 allows for All-You-Can-Eat samples from 30 participating restaurants, sponsored by the Old Pasadena Management District. Here are some of our favorites: Mignon Chocolate – dark chocolate ginger with sea salt, chili pepper ganache and Cuban mojito; just a few of [...]

Chef LQ & More at Vertical

Quietly, with few people noticing, one of L.A.’s most exciting and innovative chefs has taken residence in Pasadena. His name is Laurent Quenioux, and some of you no doubt tried his food back when he ran the on-the-edge (for Pasadena) Bistro K in South Pasadena. Next came the chic Bistro LQ in L.A., which didn’t [...]

Dip’s Grill

Dip’s Grill is the kind of convivial place that attracts lingerers who like to schmooze the night away over dinner. The long room a couple of doors down from Alhambra Bowling Center hums with bright light and activity: a couple courting, two friends catching up, a table full of women watching a vacation slide show [...]

The Market on Holly

A little bit of San Francisco and Portland in Old Pasadena, the Market on Holly is the creation of two longtime locals, composer Marty Davich (whose wife, Carrie Davich, owns the neighboring Maude Woods) and caterer Mary Pat Brandmeyer. There’s a small market (fancy pastas, oils, local organic milk), a swell bar with Portland’s famed [...]

King’s Row Gastropub: What’s in a Name?

What’s in a name? That depends. A buzzword is a buzzword is a buzzword, as Gertrude might say (but probably not). Gastropub is such a word. King’s Row Gastropub, now open in Old Town in the space formerly occupied by Neomeze (and run by the same people), is fair evidence of this: it has the [...]