Mr. Pasadena

Cheeseburger Week in Pasadena January 15 thru 20

Ah yes! The all American Cheeseburger. It was back in 1920 when Lionel Sternberger is reputed to have invented the cheeseburger at the age of 16 when he was working as a fry cook at his father’s Pasadena, California sandwich shop, “The Rite Spot,” and “experimentally dropped a slab of American cheese on a sizzling hamburger.

Next week Pasadena chamber of commerce presents Pasadena Cheeseburger week. So come and celebrate the birth of the Cheeseburger.  Not just burger joints, but a variety of restaurants will be putting their very own spin on the American Classic. That’s right some of Pasadena favorite eateries such as Gales, Crepe Studio, Lebanese kitchen and Toro Sushi Bar will be celebrating by giving you their take on the cheeseburger. 

Personally I am a traditionalist, but hey let’s live a little next week and become adventurous for once.  Here is the list of participating restaurants:

Participating restaurants:
A/K/A Bistro - 41 Hugus Alley
Beckham Grill – 77 W. Walnut
Burger Continental – 535 S. Lake
Clearman’s Galley – 7215 N. Rosemead Blvd.
The Counter – 140 Shoppers Lane
CRÊPEstudio – 99 E. Union St.
The Dog Haus – 104 N. Hill St.
Dog Haus Biergerten – 93 E. Green St.
El Portal – 695 E. Green St.
Gale’s (lunch only) – 452 S. Fair Oaks Ave.
Green Street Restaurant – 146 Shoppers Lane
Jersey Mike’s Subs – 122 S. Lake Ave.
Kings Row Gastropub – 20 E. Colorado Ave., Ste. 120
Lebanese Kitchen – 1383 E. Washington Blvd.
Lovebirds Cafe – 921 E. Colorado Blvd.
M Local Mediterranean Grill – 105 N. Hill Ave.
Magnolia Lounge – 492 S. Lake Ave.
Noir Food & Wine – 40 N. Mentor Ave.
Pie ‘n Burger – 913 E. California Blvd.
POP Champagne & Dessert Bar – 33 E. Union St.
Quadrupel Brasserie – 43 E. Union St.
Red, White + Bluezz – 70 S. Raymond Ave.
Soleil at the Sheraton – 303 Cordova St.
Toro Sushi, Bar, Lounge – 2675 E. Colorado Blvd.
Vertical Wine Bistro – 70 N. Raymond Ave.
Yahaira’s Cafe – 698 E. Colorado Blvd.

For more info, visit the Pasadena Restaurant Week website

” Catch the Holiday Spirit in Old Town”

From STAFF REPORTS
Published: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 10:24 AM  www.PasadenaNow.com

Old Pasadena celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with free, family-friendly, holiday activities throughout the district starting the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 25 from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m.  There will be a magical tree-lighting ceremony, 20 tons of snow, festive live music, Santa’s arrival and much more!

The fun begins at 4:00 p.m. with Old Pasadena’s own winter wonderland located on Holly Street between Raymond and Fair Oaks.  Kids can play in 20 tons of snow, see live reindeer fresh from the North Pole, ride a holiday choo-choo train and enjoy live music in this spectacular children’s winter playground.  Children are also invited to create their own holiday crafts at a free craft area hosted by The Armory Center for the Arts.

Event attendees are invited to then head over to One Colorado at 6:00 p.m. to see Santa arrive to light the gorgeous 35-foot Christmas tree with the regal assistance of the 2012 Rose Queen and her Royal Court.  Throughout the evening, One Colorado will host a special holiday choral performance and sing-a-long.  Everyone is asked to bring an unwrapped toy or book for the Charles Cherniss Tournament of Toys toy drive, which benefits children throughout the San Gabriel Valley. Children and adults who donate an unwrapped toy or book will receive a free photo with Santa at One Colorado from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., on November 25 only.  The joyous evening also includes the arrival of Santa’s own personal mailbox straight from the North Pole.  All season long, children can write their holiday wishes to Santa and he will respond on his personal stationary.

Pasadena’s largest holiday celebration is a free community event presented by Old Pasadena Management and One Colorado.  The Charles Cherniss Tournament of Toys is presented by the Pasadena Star News and the Pasadena Jaycees.

For more information call 626-356-9725 or visit www.oldpasadena.org.

Mr. Pasadena says “Well I guess you can’t say it never snows in Pasadena.  Catching this holiday treat is a must! In a city that really doesn’t see snow and now to be blessed with 20 tons of snow is almost a Christmas miracle. Plus I truly love the appropriateness of the event.  The snow and the tree lighting all takes place the day AFTER Thanksgiving. All too often retailers can drive Chrisitmas décor to be up and on display the day after Halloween. One Colorado and Old Pasadena got it right. Let Thanksgiving be a time for thanks instead of a speed bump on the way to black Friday. So enjoy your turkey and give thanks this Thursday. I’ll see you all Friday in the snow!”

 All the best to you on this holiday season,

Mr. Pasadena

Just in time for your holiday shopping,  OSKA is having their grand opening at One Colorado this Friday (11-11-11).  OSKA is an international clothing collection known for exceptional fabrics, colors, quality and construction.  Pasadena is the first and currently only West coast retail store. This Munich based clothing collection, took their time and looked around for their Los Angeles based location including the Americana in Glendale, but felt much more at home here so I want to make sure that you go out and give them a big DENA welcome. At least go in and say “Hi” to my friends Kelsey and Annie or shop online @ http://www.oska-pasadena.com . 

Of course, now all I see in my head are the Pasadena women falling in love with OSKA and all their husbands, boyfriends and significant others upset with Mr. Pasadena for recommending such a high end shop.  So let me tell you what I am going to do. Some friends of mine are coming from Orange County to open their second gastropub here in Pasadena. Yes, some time later this year they are going to open HAVEN @ 42 Delacey Avenue. All you have to do is leave me a comment about how upset you are about how much your wife/ girlfriend spent and we will schedule a time to meet off line at HAVEN. You bring that outrageous receipt from OSKA and we will run up an equally offensive tab. First round is on me. Payback can be fun as well as fair play!

Today Armando Ramirez celebrates his birthday! In order to pass on the prosperity Armando and the Ramirez family are graciously donating 10% of total sales of their 3 restaurants (El Portal, Yahaira’s and Vanessa’s) to the fight against breast cancer.  That’s right instead of accepting gifts for his birthday he is inviting everyone to stop by enjoy some great food and leave knowing that you helped make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. 

I asked him what was it that made him come to this decision to give back so generously.  Armando said, “My family and I have not been directly been affected by this, but I have friends that have been faced with this disease. Some have fought and won and others were not so lucky… So I asked myself what I can do to help. Knowing this was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the fact that my birthday is in the same month,  I felt this was an opportunity to give back to my friends and to all of our patrons that have fought and that continue to fight this disease.”

Knowing Armando this isn’t a flashy gimmick to get people in the door.  Especially since Dia de los Muertos (A Mexican holiday like Halloween) is so close he could have run specials around that instead. 

My feeling is this; this is the perfect opportunity to help the fight against breast cancer. You don’t have to buy specially marked products, go online and give your credit card number, or walk a 10k. All you have to do today is stop by El Portal, Yahaira’s or Vanessa’s for lunch or dinner and eat some great Mexican food and after you pay the bill you should feel full. Full from the food and full of the great feeling that you get knowing that you contributed to a great cause simply by going out to dinner. 

El Portal … 695 E. Green Street Pasadena, CA. 91101

Yahaira’s …698 E. Colorado Pasadena, CA. 91101

Vanessa’s… 696 E. Colorado Ste 17 Pasadena Ca. 91101

From : Jeannette Bovard @ Pasadena Museum of History

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the underground world of Pasadena Museum of History’s extensive, climate-controlled, stacked-to-the-wall archival storage areas?

 The Collections Quarterly, which debuted this weekend, offers a glimpse into the treasure trove of Pasadena and West San Gabriel Valley memorabilia that has been deemed of sufficient historic value to be housed in the Museum’s exclusive archives/collections.  The premier edition was sent out on October 15 to PMH online subscribers Subsequent issues will go out on January 15, April 15, and July 15 annually.

 Each issue will feature new acquisitions as well as select items from the Archives, art and artifacts collection, and the Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo collections.  The articles are written by the Collections staff at PMH – Director of Collections, Collections Manager, Reading Room Manager, and Project Archivist.  The goal is to make PMH members and the public more aware of the Museum’s holdings, to highlight some of the wonderful artifacts in the collections, and to encourage people to visit the Research Library & Archives. Current email subscribers are automatically subscribed to the Collections Quarterly.  However, they have the option to unsubscribe and receive only the Monthly E-calendar if they prefer (or vise versa).  New subscribers will have the option of signing up for the Monthly E-calendar, the Collections Quarterly, or both.  To sign up, please visit www.pasadenahistory.org.

The Research Library & Archives at Pasadena Museum of History is free and open to the public from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, Thursdays through Sundays.  The Museum is located at the corner of Orange Grove Blvd. and Walnut St. (470 W. Walnut St., Pasadena 91103); free parking is available in the Museum lot and on Walnut St.  For additional information visit www.pasadenahistory.org or call 626.577.1660.

Mr. Pasadena says: I truly believe that we need to know where we have come from before we can envision a future. The Collections Quarterly sounds like it will help any and all take a peek at the past. I look forward to all that is highlighted and all that is essential history to this great city known to all as PASADENA. Thank you ,Jeannette, for allowing all of to relive the past and to celebrate all this is the history of this great city.

As most of you have read I have blogged about my love for food trucks and more specifically Wheel Food Wednesdays at Jones Coffee. Mrs. P on the other hand does not see the joy in the communal gathering, the opportunity to try new foods and a chance to bond with your neighbors. She cannot figure out “why anyone wants to stand in line for hours to eat expensive food served on paper plates with plastic forks in a parking lot.” Please note that aforementioned does not apply to Arturo’s Taco Truck on Fair Oaks since she has been going to the trucks there since high school.

 Social media seems to be more about the food trucks and the latest and greatest restaurants, but let me take a step back and ask, “what about those tried and true institutions that makes Pasadena great?”    Let’s be honest we all have our list of our go to places we have patronized since we were old enough to choose the restaurant. For Mrs. P the old favorites include Green Street, Domenico’s, Beckham Grill, Café Bizou, Marston’s, Burger Continental and of course the late night classic trio Tops, Lucky Boy and The Hat. 

Personally, I think no old school Pasadena list would be complete without Lucky Baldwin’s, Pie’n Burger, Roscoe’s , Russell’s, Stony Point, Gale’s , Steer N’Ale , Hamburger Hamlet, and of course the Mexican trio El Portal,  Ranchero and Mijares.  To that end I am all about good food, good spirits and fun with friends and family in the city of Pasadena. I am completely open to new places to dine, but you can’t look forward without looking back and knowing where you have come from.                

Pasadena has a wealth of established eateries that will continue to thrive by your patronage, it’s a part of what is special about Pasadena and it is on their shoulders that Pasadena is considered a great place to dine.  These old school places have a special place in most all Pasadenian’s hearts.  They are the oldie but goodie, they are the go to place and they are the place where every local has a good story from back in the day. So cheers to the old school! My god am I old enough to be old schoolmyself??

Okay so you tell me, which of your favorites did I miss? Let me know…

We are right in the middle of the first week of dineLA.   

 “dineLA Restaurant Week is a two-week dining event established to introduce diners to the vast array of restaurants in neighborhoods throughout LA County. Local foodies and visitors to LA will have the opportunity to enjoy a selection of specially priced three-course meals from some of LA’s best restaurants during this dining event. “ – from the dineLA website.   

Hopefully you have had the opportunity to enjoy lunch or dinner at one of the 26 Pasadena based restaurants.  If you haven’t let me recommend that you start your dineLA dinner experience at Vertical Wine Bistro.   Chef Laurent Quenioux has put together a delicious 3 course specialty menu for this dineLA occasion. This 3 course menu also allows 3 different options on each course.  That way if you are not into mussels you can also chose the market salad or the smoked salmon to start your first course.   Regardless of your preference I can assure you that your food will be flavorful and cooked to perfection.  In addition to the great food the Vertical Wine Bistro has an incredible selection of over 400 wines, 70 of which are available by the glass.

If you are still on the fence, let me sell you on the fact that Chef Laurent Quenioux has the proud distinction to be one of the chefs chosen to participate in the upcoming season of Top Chef.  That’s right you can catch Pasadena’s own Chef Laurent on the season premiere ofTop Chef season 9: November 2^nd on Bravo. 

So there you have it, great food, great wine AND a soon to be celebrity chef. Buon appetito! And remember to tell them Mr. Pasadena sent you.

From the South Lake Avenue website: 

On Saturday, October 15th from 11:00am – 4:00pm, enjoy mouth-watering offerings from the restaurants of South Lake Avenue and browse showcases from other South Lake Avenue businesses.

This FREE outdoor festival will be held at the Corporate Center Pasadena located at 251 S. Lake Avenue, Pasadena and offers:

• RAFFLE PRIZES
• LIVE MUSIC
• BEER & WINE GARDEN
• FREE ADMISSION

SPECIAL LIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCES BY:

• 12:00pm DUSTBOWL REVIVAL – A rowdy Venice-based roots collective that skillfully mixes New Orleans swing, mountain bluegrass and jug-blues into a lethal Americana cocktail.
• 1:00pm JESSICA FICHOT – A delicious blend of French chanson, gypsy jazz and international folk – which she performs armed with her accordion, toy piano and multilingual vocals, and backed by her fiery band. “Delightful.” – L.A. Weekly
•  2:00pm ORGONE - With a rooted sense of funk, soul, afrobeat, deep rhythms and an intimate understanding of dj culture as well as each others’ individual talents, Orgone seamlessly slides through multiple styles and dynamic performances.
• 2:00pm – 3:00pm - Live cooking demo at Williams-Sonoma – Chef Claud Beltran of Noir Food & Wine.PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS & BUSINESSES INCLUDE:
  • Café 140 South
  • Carmody & Co.
  • Celestino Ristorante & Bar
  • Contessa Italian Home Collection
  • Corner Bakery Café
  • Fresh & Easy
  • Jamba Juice
  • Jersey Mike’s
  • Lemonade
  • Little Kuts
  • Lockheed Federal Credit Union
  • Magnolia Lounge
  • National University
  • Pasasdena Chamber of Commerce
  • Peet’s Coffee & Tea
  • Plaza Cafe
  • Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill
  • SanSai Japanese Grill
  • Sharky’s Woodfired Mexican Grill
  • Souplantation
  • Starbucks
  • The Counter
  • The Strength Shoppe
  • Wahoo’s Fish Tacos
  • Williams-Sonoma
  • Wine Detective 
  • Mr. Pasadena says:  Taste of South Lake will not let you down!  Great music, good food and a LIVE cooking demo by chef Claud Beltran, you can’t wrong!  So mark your calendars and meet me in Pasadena down on South Lake on Oct. 15^thfrom 11am to 4pm. You will be glad you did. 
  • View SLIDESHOW of Taste of South Lake 2010!This year’s Taste of South Lake will be held in conjuntion with Pasadena’s Art Weekend held on October 14, 15, & 16.  For more information regarding Art Weekend, please visit Pasadena Art Weekend.

From the Pasadena Arts Council website: Pasadena has always been a city of art and science, the two intertwined with its identity like the strands of DNA sought by Linus Pauling at Caltech in the 1950s.  There are larger cities in the world, but few if any are better characterized by the impact of art and science or able to replicate Pasadena’s extraordinary blend of institutions engaged in those two explorations.

Since 1999, arts and science institutions in Pasadena have been collaborating on a festival series which celebrates this unique heritage.  Now produced by Pasadena Arts Council, the AxS Festival will bring together some of the area’s most engaging and influential arts, cultural, and research institutions to offer performances, exhibitions, presentations, public conversations, and more to the city of Pasadena for a 16-day celebration of arts and sciences in October 2011, under the unified theme “Fire and Water,” 

With the support, in part, of generous grants from the James Irvine Foundation, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the City of Pasadena and the National Endowment for the Arts, PAC has launched the “Fire and Water” Commissioning Initiative to create and present four new art projects for premiere at AxS 2011. 

All AxS commissions will respond to the 2011 festival theme, “Fire and Water,” and will reflect the distinct identity of Pasadena as a city where art and science enjoy a rare symbiosis.  AxS 2011 will celebrate and showcase this key aspect of Pasadena’s identity, highlighting the breadth and depth of its many arts and cultural institutions, as well as leading science and research institutions.  PAC has chosen the elemental theme of “Fire and Water,” for its great resonance with both art and science, and provocative relevance to the landscape and ecosystem of the Southern California region.

For more information on the 2011 AxS Festival click here.

Let’s forget for a minute that El Portal is one of the best Mexican food restaurants in Pasadena. Instead let’s focus on their annual tequila tasting held each year around the “El Grito” (which is the celebration of Mexico’s independence from Spain). El Portal sets the standard for how to have a tequila tasting. I’ve looked high and low in Southern California but nothing compares to excellence that El Portal has achieved over the many years of hosting this event.

This past September 15^thbecame their best tequila tasting ever.  The event featured 25 tequila vendors each with all grades of their tequila, over 10 different appetizers, 12 raffle prizes and mariachis filled the air with music. The crowd was buzzing with friends meeting up and people making new friends.  The smell of delicious Mexican food filled the air like only El Portal can do.  I was later informed that close to 400 people attended the event (up from the 300 who attended last year).  It always felt like there were a ton of people around, but it never seemed like it was over crowded. 

So let me thank those of you that took time out of your busy schedule and showed up on a Thursday night. It meant a lot to me that you came out in force to support Mr. Pasadena and to support a great event.  I know from the feedback that it will not be too hard to convince you to come again next year.  Abel Ramirez (owner of El Portal), his son Armando (owner of Yahaira’s cafe) , Ramon Arellano (general manager of El Portal)  all wanted me to thank you for making this the best year ever.    I also wanted to thank my photographer Brian Carter.  He came through in clutch and took some amazing photos and an outstanding multi-media slideshow. If you need a professional photographer, he is worth every penny; I suggest you contact him for your next event. He can be reached @ http://pixelthatphotos.com/ . Tell him Mr. Pasadena sent you!

As you saw above, I have attached the slideshow here in the hopes that I can convince all those that didn’t make it that this is one of the top 7 events that you must attend in Pasadena each year. The El Portal tequila tasting event seems to get better each year and to my readers I promise to blog about it and give you a heads up that it’s coming. Ok?  Great!  Cheers to you and Cheers to El Portal on another great tequila tasting!