Showing posts with label old town pasadena. Show all posts
Showing posts with label old town pasadena. Show all posts

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Literary-Themed Spring Cocktails at Kings Row Gastropub (Pasadena, CA)

I have to admit, I hadn't really bothered looking at the cocktail menu at Kings Row Gastropub in Old Town Pasadena before, after all, it's a beer bar, right? Well, I was wrong. Kings Row Gastropub actually has a solid cocktail menu - one of the best in Pasadena - thanks to bartender Zulma Cobain.

Kings Row Gastropub
Just like previous menus, her new spring cocktail menu is literary-themed. See how many titles/references you can pick out!

The menu starts out from the lighter ones:
Infinite Jest (Pisco Capurro, sugar, Pimm's No 1, lemon juice, raspberries, bitters)
Kings Row Gastropub
A very appropriate thirst quencher to start a spring tasting, and great for all Pimm's fans.
(The name is a title of David Foster Wallace's book).

Spring & All (Old Forrester, Averna, passionfruit, lemon)
Kings Row Gastropub
Spring is a time for fruits and flowers, after all, and the passionfruit goes perfectly with bourbon. Zulma's cocktails are not overly sweet and were all well balanced. 
(Spring and All is a poetry book by William Carlos Williams)

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Old Town Pasadena's Equator Rebrands as Edwin Mills

Old Town Pasadena's popular Equator Cafe on the little alley that is Mills Place has rebranded itself as Edwin Mills, serving gastropub-fare and affordable drinks with a slew of weekly specials.

Edwin Mills
The menu ranges from asian fusion to typical pub fare like chicken wings and shepherd's pie. The owner recommended that we try the Crabby puffs (crab baked over swai fish, $8)
Edwin Mills
The fish was back until it turned soft and melded with the creamy sauce to accompany the crab.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Old Town Pasadena Drinking at PUNCH

While 1886 Bar is one of my favorite bars in the LA area, there wasn't many other options for cocktails in Pasadena. That is, until recently. Now, you can get pretty good drinks at Trattoria Neapolis, though they've gone through some staff changes lately. One of the latest entrants is PUNCH Bar (it's been a while now since they've opened), headed by Robin Chopra and Darwin Manahan, who are also manning the bar at Corazon Y Miel.

Punch
The bar is a bit hard to find. It's on top of PICNIK, and I think you're supposed to go up the stairs from the parking lot around the back, but I got lost and they let me upstairs from inside PICNIK.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Laurent Quenioux's New Menu at Vertical Wine Bistro (Pasadena)

It's the height of summer and Chef Laurent Quenioux has rolled out a new menu at Pasadena's Vertical Wine Bistro. I hadn't been in for a while but I'm always excited to try LQ's food, especially seeing fried quail on the menu.

Now, when Laurent Quenioux is in charge, you can't miss the cheese plate! For mine, I chose cheese that spanned the whole range: Brillat Savarin Frais (France, cow), Bucheron (California, goat), and Pecorino Foglie di Noce (Italy, sheep). Truffle honey is extra but a must try.

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The cheese plate is typically served with berry jam, bell pepper mustard, roasted hazelnut, and baguette, but like I said my favorite condiment is the truffle honey! Especially with the creamy triple-creme Brillat Savarin.

I couldn't settle on a wine, so my server put together a flight instead. I asked for a rose and two reds and received: 2011 Schnaitmann Pinot Noir Rose from Germany, 2012 Boson Pinot Noir from Carneros, 2011 Le Pich Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa
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Appropriate for summer, the menu features Watermelon gazpacho with lobster and mango ($11)
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Thursday, April 24, 2014

Spring Menu at Umami Burger

This spring brings new options for the vegetarians and non-meat eaters to Umami Burger. I checked out the one in Old Town Pasadena and decided it was one of the few times I can bring my vegetarian friend.

We started with the Avocado Toast (toasted challah, crushed avocado, wild baby arugula, herbs, miso grapefruit dressing, sunny side up egg ($6, add bacon for $1)
Avocado Toast
Instead of just a spread of avocado, there are plenty of chunks on top of the toast. Being an avocado lover myself, I really enjoyed this, especially when combined with the runny egg yolk. Out of the spring additions, this was my favorite.

There are 2 special burgers for the spring.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Lobster Deal for Sunday Supper at Vertical Wine Bistro (Pasadena)

Sundays in Pasadena are going to get exciting with Vertical Wine Bistro's newly launched Sunday Suppers! The new Sunday Supper menu, which started this past Sunday, is $25 and includes a whole steamed Maine lobster, among other items. I'm not kidding and it's quite a deal!

The supper starts with an Iceberg Wedge salad with ranch dressing

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Crisp iceberg lettuce to get things going ...

Then, the main attraction: a whole steamed Maine lobster. One of the claws had been used for the lobster and shrimp roll. They come with a cup of lobster bisque and corn on the cob.
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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Beer Dinner at Kings Row Gastropub With Smog City Brewing Co

King Row Gastropub in Old Town Pasadena has launched a monthly beer dinner series, starting with local Smog City Brewing Co earlier this month. The five course dinner, paired with five beers, was quite a deal at $30 per person! The dinners are limited to 30 people and will take place in a communal setting. We had the owners of Smog City coming out to talk to us about the beers as well.

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The theme for the Smog City dinner is Smoke and Beers, in which all the dishes have something smoked in them.

There was an amuse bouche of taro chip topped with salsa crudo of melon, mint, cantalope, and beans - all of which were smoked.
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The first course was a Smoked Gouda with Porter honey, fresh beer bread, cornichons.
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I really liked the beer bread but thought they too thick in proportion to the cheese. I loved the porter honey, though. This course was paired with Lil Bo Pils.
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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Thanksgivukkah Dog and Pumpkin Cocktail at Dog Haus

In celebration of the rare holiday overlap that is dubbed Thanksgivukkah, Dog Haus is serving a Thanksgivukkah Dog at all three of their locations until Sunday, December 1st.

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The $6.99 dog is made with a "Thanksgiving Sausage" that contains as many ingredients as a Thanksgiving meal: with turkey, whiskey-soaked cranberries, brown-sugared sweet potatoes, thyme, sage and rosemary. All that was just in the sausage.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Umami Burger, Now Open in Pasadena

Umami Burger has taken over the old Naga Naga Ramen space in Old Town Pasadena and line is already forming out the door for this walk-in only spot. After all, there aren't too many burger joints in Pasadena and Umami is inarguably an upgrade from nearby The Counter.

This location had a very different look than other Umami Burgers I have been to with its all-white interior and decoration and bright lights.
They have all the usual Umami burgers like the truffle burger ($12, pictured above), Port & Stilton, the Hatch burger with green chile, and a vegetarian burger. As an homage to the cooking school a stone's throw away, they have a special burger for this location only named Le Cordon Bleu Burger (created with the help of some people at the school -$13)

Friday, September 21, 2012

Your New Pasadena Lunch: Burger Haven at Haven Gastropub

Burger Haven isn't a pop-up, but a restaurant within a restaurant. During the lunch hours, the back part of Haven Gastropub in Oldtown Pasadena turns into Burger Haven, serving burgers, fries, and milkshakes. There are 6-7 items on the menu including the Haven burger, the lamb burger, a veggie option, and Here's the Kicker topped with habanero, serrano, jalapeno, and pickled ghost chili! I tried a bite of this and was dying from the spiciness, but I know quite a few people who would love it! You can see the full menu here.

For my lunch, I went instead with the Shake and Bake, which is their fried chicken sandwich. It's made with Mary's free range chicken, coated in corn flakes and pan fried, topped with rosemary mashed potatoes, gravy, braised collard greens, and honey mustard on jalapeno-habanero bun ($9)

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It's like your handheld Southern plate. Fried chicken and all the staple Southern sides compacted between two buns. You may have to explain to your boss why you fell asleep after lunch when you eat this, but at least you'll be full until dinner time!

Regardless of how full I was after that fried chicken sandwich, there's always still room for a Nutella shake ($5)!
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How can you say no to milkshake AND Nutella?

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