WHY Hot, hot, hot—just like back in Sichuan province. WHAT This plain little café sizzles with exceptionally fiery dishes. Go for the Sichuan standards: beef hot pots, Chinese bacon with leeks, spareribs with Sichuan peppercorns, fried chicken with hot peppers. A little less spicy but still delicious are the dry-fried soybeans and the fried potato [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Great specials, fantastic hummus, fresh baklava and slightly lower prices for takeout. WHAT This workaday warehouse of Lebanese and Armenian food features a large dining room with banquet-style tables and murals on the wall. It’s open for breakfast, has a bakery and offers great specials off the beaten kebab-and-falafel path, including crunchy fried frogs’ [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY This is the place to get your fill of pupusas and empanada-like meat-filled pepitos. WHAT Plush booths and Central American art and woodwork create a handsome setting for sampling hearty, tasty Salvadoran specialties like savory chicken sautéed with onions and potatoes. 1306 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena, 626.791.7378 L & D daily. MC, V. Type: [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Great lunch buffet. WHAT One of the original Old Town eateries, Mezbaan offers tandoori, benghan bharta, palak paneer and distinctive curries that diners can spice on a sliding scale of one to ten. Hyderabad specialties (like the delicious lamb pasinda) also are served. Live Indian music on Friday and Saturday nights, too. 80 N. [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Monkfish on saffron-shrimp risotto with a lobster sauce. Need we say more? WHAT Upscale style + moderate prices = busy restaurant. This Old Pasadena bistro draws a crowd with all entrées priced at less than $20. And $1 more buys salad or soup (try the carrot-rosemary) with any main course. It’s nothing exciting, but [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Delicious in-house yogurt creations (especially the organic fruit ones in summer, like peach crumble) and a dazzling array of mix-in options to pair with the French vanilla or Valrhona chocolate. WHAT Known for its exuberantly friendly staff and a line that typically stretches outside the door, 21 Choices actually offers untold thousands of possible [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY A huge selection of tea drinks and bobas; we love the lavender infusion. WHAT A happening Taiwanese tea and boba hangout, with a TV blaring by day, music playing by night and very good tea drinks all the time. WHO Young Taiwanese hipsters in animated conversation. 1635 S. San Gabriel Blvd., San Gabriel, 626.569.9768, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY For deep-fried Snickers, of course. Oh, and the good wine tastings (really). WHAT More than a million people attend the County Fair every year, and while some may be coming to go on the rides, hear War in concert or see the pigs, plenty come for the chance to see what new foodstuff is [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Trader Joe’s cooking classes. WHAT This small school has a number of good classes, from knife skills to cooking basics, but what lively and very funny owner Cherie Twohy is best known for are her single-session classes in making the most of Trader Joe’s products. These $55 classes are fun and full of great [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY To get a professional culinary education without having to move to Hyde Park or Paris. WHAT First taking root in a small South Pasadena space, this school has grown faster than it can keep up with—it’s sprawled over Pasadena (you see its uniformed student chefs everywhere) and now has a satellite next to the [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
RSS Feed
Become a Fan
Follow Us
