WHY To celebrate the Central Coast’s most cherished fruit. WHAT Going strong for more than a quarter of a century, this is a fine way to celebrate one of California’s greatest products. Music ranges from the Oxnard High Marching Band to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and there’s a strawberry-focused recipe contest, a strawberry tart toss, [...]
WHY One of the better-value churrascarias in town, at about $27 per person during the week and $35 on weekends, when sassy dancers entertain the crowd (we prefer the quieter weeknights, which are still not quiet). WHAT It’s a tremendously entertaining scene here, with huge family groups, waiters in gaucho pants carving meat off of [...]
WHY Famous for the garlic bread, the Smoke House is best at old-school dinner-house fare like steak Sinatra, prime rib and shrimp Louie. A popular brunch buffet on weekends, early-bird specials and live entertainment in the lounge also draw fans. WHAT Judy Garland is no longer dining at the Smoke House, but the faux-Tudor restaurant [...]
WHY It’s the Spago of Pasadena. WHAT Its California pizzas, organic vegetables, open kitchen and inventive cookery made a big splash in once-stodgy Pasadena when it opened in 1985, and the Parkway Grill remains an appealing destination today. Classic dishes—roasted-beet salad, lobster-filled cocoa crèpes, superb short ribs with parmesan mashed potatoes, seasonal fruit crisps—are the [...]
WHY Because the food is much better than at most Hollywood scene restaurants. Extras are the good bar menu (tater tot fondue!) and the live jazz. WHAT Owner/chef Eric Greenspan may be rumpled, exuberant and sometimes annoyingly loud, but his cooking is elegant. He set out to create a destination restaurant that combines serious food [...]
WHY When nothing will do but oysters Rockefeller, prime rib and a one-man band in a tux singing Bruce Springsteen’sPink Cadillac. WHAT This landmark was founded in 1958, and inside, it remains 1958. The lobster is still being Thermidored, the bananas still flambéed, and the spinach salad still wilted. ‘Ah,’ you might be thinking, ‘that [...]
WHY The menu focuses mainly on updated American classics, and includes a wide selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie for sampling with the wines. WHAT Quality live jazz is at the heart of this candlelit bistro, but the surprise is how good the food is, too. Try the Snake River Farms Kobe beef burger with [...]
The dilemma: you love food truck/street cart fare but your favorite sammie/sopa/sorbet-slinger-on-wheels is always across town when the craving hits. The solution: The LA Street Food Fest “Summer Tasting” Event happening Saturday, July 21st at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Picnic on the grass or relax in white tents and under umbrella-shaded tables as you sample [...]
WHY English-pub warmth mixed with California style, with excellent house-made bangers, crisp pasties, hilariously decadent Scotch eggs and a sherry trifle with fresh sweet cream. WHAT Founded in 1982 by the late British rocker Kim Gardner and his wife, Paula, a fashion retailer, this landmark Sunset pub has been a music- and movie-industry hangout since [...]
WHY Chiles rellenos, lengua en mole and good margaritas, all at low prices. WHAT Manny Lares seems to be the main man at this family restaurant, but then there’s his brother, his two sisters, his niece…. We all cook, we all wash dishes, we all go to the bank, he says. Downstairs is a quiet [...]
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