30 minute read
Best of Pasadena
For our annual Best of Pasadena issue, we looked to the region’s in-the-know leaders for their go-to retail stores, restaurants, co ee shops, hiking trails, and everything in between. Our 2022 lineup of Pasadena’s best o erings covers cherished institutions as well as new, up-and-coming spots. While “best” may be a subjective term, we think you’ll fi nd yourself nodding in agreement with more than a few.
83 Michelle Huneven, Novelist 84 Rick and Elise Wetzel, Founders, Wetzel’s Pretzels and Blaze Pizza 85 Glenn Lawson and Grant Fenning, Co-founders, Lawson Fenning 86 Annaly Bennett Interior Designer 87 Michael Cimarusti, Chef/Owner, Providence 88 Viet Thanh Nguyen, Writer 89 Gerald Freeny, Life Member, Board of Directors, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association 90 Cheryl Liu Mang Vice President, Southern California Children’s Museum 91 Albert Tate Founding and Lead Pastor, Fellowship Church 92 Editors’ Favorites
Steve Schwartz Founder, Art of Tea
Here: Sweetgreen. Top left: Rose Garden Tea Room. Below: Paper Source.
While studying alternative medicine at The Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, Steve Schwartz discovered his passion for the alchemy of blending herbs and botanicals. In 2004, Schwartz founded Art of Tea (artoftea. com), sourcing only highest-quality ingredients to create award-winning artisanal blends. Headquartered in Monterey Park, Art of Tea is now a leading purveyor of organic and specialty teas and has cultivated collaborations with prominent cultural institutions, chefs, and restaurants, including LACMA, The Getty, The Peninsula Hotels, and The Huntington. Recently, Schwartz released his rst book, Art of Tea: A Journey of Ritual, Discovery, and Impact, which delves into his personal backstory and how he transformed the challenges of his upbringing into a life mission to create impact through tea. Here, the master blender spills the tea on his local favorites. —Sara Smola
Steve Schwartz: One of my favorite ways to unwind after work is to visit Sequoia Park. It’s a hidden park above our headquarters in Monterey Park that overlooks the Pasadena mountainside in one direction while facing the ocean on the other side. It’s an incredible vantage point that showcases the breadth of what this region has to offer.
While there are a few places that know how to sling tea very well, the Rose Garden Tea Room at The Huntington Library is a real treat. The feeling and combination of experiencing a perfectly brewed pot of tea in a beautiful setting is truly transformative. I love Copa Vida and Home Brewed Bar. For a quick pick-me-up, Copa Vida has wonderful pastries and well-thought-out craft iced teas on draft. Other favorite standbys include Houston’s and Sweetgreen. I love the various Pasadena hiking trails and exploring the native plants that grow in the area. My favorite trail is Eaton Canyon Trail. It’s an opportunity to do some responsible foraging that can inspire new blends. I always look for wild California sage and wild fennel when it’s in season. I can’t wait for the Enchanted Forest to open back up at Descanso Gardens. It’s such a unique and special place that showcases the creativity within Southern California, as well as the beauty of our giant oak and native horticulture.
One of my favorite shops is Lather in Old Pasadena—it is a great modern apothecary with products such as soaps, candles, and skin care intentionally made with natural ingredients and essential oils. Another favorite shop is Paper Source for staff and customer thank you cards.
Michelle Huneven Novelist
On the east side of Altadena, where aging mansions from the turn of the century share fences with a hodgepodge of bungalows, novelist Michelle Huneven lives at the end of a long driveway in a house that seems to be a feature of its garden as much as a place to live. She has a chicken coop. She has a writing studio that looks like an extra-tall shack. A canopy of citrus envelopes her kitchen. A James Beard Award–winning food critic, Huneven’s fth novel, Search, came out in April.
—Tom Dibblee
Michelle Huneven: The architects Fung & Blatt in Highland Park did our kitchen. We’re still really close friends with them. If you can be close friends with your architect after a job this big, that’s saying something. The kitchen plays with inside and outside in the most spectacular way. Sometimes I write in my studio in my garden, and sometimes I go to The Huntington, where I have library privileges. I put on a lot of clothes because it’s cold in there to preserve the books. There are all those scholars. They’re really concentrating and focusing, and I just vibe off that. It gets me very focused and quiet, and I can work. They don’t even let me take a friend in to show them the room. That’s how sacrosanct it is, which is why the focus is so strong.
I grow a lot of things from seed, but when it comes to plant stores, I like Lincoln Avenue Nursery. I like Ramon. He’s always helpful. Even if you come in with a question and don’t buy anything, he’ll always talk to you. They have a really good selection, and their plants are healthy.
For groceries, I love Super King. Everybody’s there. I sometimes just feel like I’m in the river of life at Super King. I always fall into conversations. I’ll talk to some old Armenian guy about how to cook okra. I got into a conversation with a chef in line because I had 13 pounds of lamb shoulder all cut up in a huge bag, and we started to talk about the food industry.
I do a taco crawl with my food-writing students at UCLA. We start in the Piñata District. The Piñata District on Saturday morning is wild. It’s just a scene of all these street vendors. A guy comes from up north; he makes Oaxacan string cheese and some fresh Mexican cheeses that are just superb. There are all of these people making regional tacos from all over Mexico.
Middle: Lincoln Avenue Nursery. Above: Tacos from the Piñata District. Below: The Huntington Library and Gardens.
Rick and Elise Wetzel
Founders, Wetzel’s Pretzels and Blaze Pizza
Entrepreneurs Rick and Elise Wetzel may have founded Wetzel’s Pretzels (wetzels.com) and Blaze Pizza, each of which has hundreds of locations, but the duo does not consider themselves to be restaurateurs. Having risen through the ranks at the Nestlé USA of ce in Glendale, where they met, the Wetzels primarily consider themselves to be marketers who love creating and building brands. Their newest project, Taco Social, will take an eclectic approach to the taco, with creative spins on the L.A. staple like banh mi, shrimp po’boy, and Nashville hot chicken tacos. The rst Taco/ Social opens this fall in Eagle
Rock. —Tom Dibblee
The Wetzel’s: Pasadena is a tentpole of the San Gabriel Valley. Once you’ve set up shop in Santa Monica, downtown, and West Hollywood, this is the place you’re going to drop a restaurant. Examples are True Food Kitchen, Shake Shack, and Granville, which has a great location on Lake Avenue, with some of
Here: Gus’s BBQ. Left: Taco Social. Below: Agnes.
Pasadena’s best rooftop dining.
All these restaurants in town—Agnes, Entre Nous, Union, Bacchus’ Kitchen, AltaEats—are chef-run restaurants. That’s different than 20 years ago. That chefrun scene was not there back then. Now we have dining options close to home that are as good as the Arts District and Westside.
One concept we wish we’d come up with ourselves is Kitchen United Mix on Madison Avenue. We love what they’re doing over there, especially the new Kitchen United MIX that combines several restaurants under one roof.
Local restaurants with strong brands that could grow beyond the Pasadena area include Gus’s BBQ and Jones Coffee Roasters. Gus’s is such a great blend of really good barbeque served in a family setting, and their cast-iron cornbread with pepper jelly is worth the trip alone. Jones is a third-generation family coffee grower that roasts its own beans and runs great neighborhood cafés, each with its own cozy, eclectic vibe. We love to walk over to the Raymond location and grab a cup with friends.
Pasadena is kind of this Midwestern town plunked down in the middle of the L.A. metropolis. The Rose Bowl was created as a marketing stunt to get people from Michigan and Wisconsin and Ohio to come out here in January and see how nice the weather is. The place where we go to see the Midwestern vibe in action is Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream for sure. We’re still waiting for Culver’s to come to Pasadena!
Glenn Lawson and Grant Fenning
Cofounders, Lawson Fenning
For a decade, Glenn Lawson and Grant Fenning called Pasadena home, living in San Rafael Hills in a 1940s modern home and later a midcentury residence in Altadena designed by architects Kenneth and Robert Gordon that they restored. It’s no doubt that Pasadena’s timelessly compelling architecture sank into their creative minds while they were furniture design students at ArtCenter in the late ’90s. They chose a space in Old Pasadena as their rst studio, from which they launched furnishings and accessories brand Lawson-Fenning (lawsonfenning.com). Now, the brand has grown to occupy a two-story Melrose Avenue agship space for their original pieces and reimagined vintage pieces, and the designers have each chosen to settle in nearby Los Feliz. This season, don’t miss their debut collection with CB2, which celebrates classic California style, as well as their exclusive one-of-a-kind lighting and furniture pieces created with Santa Fe ceramicist Natan Moss. —Samantha Brooks Lawson and Fenning: Pasadena has one of the most varied and best-preserved ranges of 20th-century architecture in the world, so it’s hard to pick a favorite architectural spot, but the Craig Ellwood–designed ArtCenter Hillside Campus’ main building is among the best. The simplicity of a glass bridge over the canyon still inspires awe. A truly important architectural masterpiece.
When we were in school, our go-to hangout spots were Pie ’N Burger, Connal’s, and El Portal. Now when we’re in the area, we love Osawa for great Japanese home cooking and, believe it or not, Houston’s. Despite it being a chain, that dimly lit dining room with a nod to the Arts and Crafts history of the neighborhood always draws us in. The ceramicist Victoria Morris is one of our favorite local artists. She is continuing the legacy of craft that is synonymous with Pasadena. Another favorite ceramicist, Jude Pauli, is pushing the boundaries of ceramics with her amazing sculptural work. When it comes to art shows, ArtCenter Student Gallery and the Armory Center both have great programming and put on well-curated shows. Pasadena Architectural Salvage is really one of the best design stores in the U.S. It is a trove of 20th-century architectural pieces. Also, Mik Hollis has taken the institution to The Lawson Fenning showroom; Osawa; Pasadena Architectural the next level with a beautifully Salvage; Victoria Morris Pottery; curated selection of pieces at HolLawson and Fenning at CB2. lis Pasadena. When it comes to vintage, The Huntington Collection is one of our all-time favorites, and Revival Antiques is great for hard-to- nd and unique pieces. We like the scale and ease of the Pasadena City College Flea Market over Rose Bowl’s. It’s easy to shop and always has some good nds. For museums, Norton Simon is perfectly sized, and its permanent collection is just fantastic, particularly with 20th-century American sculptors like Peter Voulkos, DeWain Valentine, and Donald Judd.
Clockwise: Pasadena Civic Auditorium; Old Pasadena; The Huntington Library cactus garden; a Bullock’s Wilshire ad; Maude Woods.
Annaly Bennett Interior Designer
Pasadena art and architecture are in Annaly Bennett’s blood. Her grandfather, Cyril Bennett, designed a number of buildings around town, including the Pasadena Playhouse, Raymond Theatre, and Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Her father became an architect as well, and Bennett herself is a residential interior designer (annalybennett.com). Outside her design practice, Bennett serves on the board of Pasadena Heritage, which preserves historic properties, and as acting president of Pasadena Art Alliance, which raises money to support visual contemporary arts organizations in Pasadena and greater Southern California. —Tom Dibblee
Annaly Bennett: Old Pasadena is a favorite place to spend time. Pasadena Heritage was instrumental in preserving the buildings along Colorado Blvd, which were threatened to be demolished in the ’80s. We’re so lucky that we have this vibrant, historic commercial center.
The Pasadena Civic Auditorium is my grandfather’s most prominent building. His architectural rm, Bennett and Haskell, won a design competition for that building in 1929, which was the nal component of the city’s beaux arts urban plan, along with the spectacular Main Library building and City Hall.
I love the old Bullock’s building on Lake, which is now Macy’s. It still has a lot of its original character. There are some beautiful old tapestries, woodwork, and cabinetry in the building that give it a very grand feel. It’s nice to see these interior details and spaces be preserved for the future.
Pasadena is also incredibly fortunate to have a parkland, the Arroyo Seco, on its western edge—a physical link to downtown Los Angeles and the place where the Tongva people settled in this area.
A hidden gem at The Huntington Library is the cactus garden. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved coming here and looking at all the different shapes and forms. It’s thrilling. Every time of year, there’s always something different to see. The specimens are huge and dwarf the human form. It’s like walking under the sea; you feel like you’re in an exotic landscape. My favorite Pasadena design source is Maude Woods on Holly Street. The store has an eclectic array of furnishings, from very traditional to very contemporary. The owner has an incredible eye. Maude Woods is elegant, fun, and interesting, and a great place to nd something special, whatever your taste is.
Michael Cimarusti Chef/Owner, Providence
Chef-owner Michael Cimarusti— of two-Michelin-starred, James Beard Award–winning restaurant Providence in Hollywood and the more casual seafood staple Connie & Ted’s in West Hollywood—has lived in South Pasadena for over a decade with his wife, Crisi Echiverri, a former pastry chef and currently operations manager for their restaurant group. Cimarusti was ahead of the curve with his on-site rooftop garden at Providence, where he grows a bounty of veggies, herbs, and edible owers, and practices sustainability measures from zero-waste chocolate to cocktail programs. He made Providence into one of the most enduring sustainable seafood destinations in the
country. —Carole Dixon
Michael Cimarusti : My favorite neighborhood go-to spot is Gus’s BBQ. It’s simple and they have a great cobb salad and good sandwiches.
The Neapolitan-style pizza at Settebello in Old Pasadena is one of my favorite local dishes. Or I just order a white pie and when it comes out of the oven, they put prosciutto on top and a heaping pile of arugula. I also like Union in Pasadena and I’ll go to Triple Beam [by Nancy Silverton] in Highland Park anytime for pizza and Hippo next door for dinner.
For takeout we head to Golden Deli in Alhambra or Chang’s Garden in Arcadia.
For the best breakfast, we’ve been going to El Huarache Azteca in Highland Park for 15 years. It’s close to home, consistent, and delicious. I get the Super Huarache served with two sauces, green and red, that are fairly spicy. If I go in the morning, I get a fried egg on top and it’s the perfect breakfast.
The new restaurant I’m looking forward to going to is Piccolo. They are from the Westside but just opened in South Pasadena. Also, Agnes—my wife loves it and has been there several times. Unfortunately, they are closed on Sunday and Monday [chef’s days off] so I may never get to eat there!
For a classic establishment, I’d go to the Arroyo Chop House or one of the sister restaurants, the Parkway Grill, and order a grilled steak or a chop. We don’t have many cocktail bars in Pasadena, but in Highland Park, Café Birdie and Otoño are great.
The best restaurant interiors are at The Langham Hotel and lounge, and I also like The Royce for a good steak.
For the freshest produce, I go to the South Pasadena Farmers Market on Thursdays or Bristol Farms in my neighborhood. They have great produce
Here: The dining room at The Royce. Above left: Agnes.
and meat, plus it’s well maintained and friendly. But the best produce is at Cookbook in Highland Park, and I go every week for my favorite bread—the seeded baguette from Gjusta in Venice.
For meat and fish, Howie’s in San Marino is awesome. They have everything from lamb to A5 Wagyu beef. It’s like going to Harris Ranch at The Original Farmers Market—old school, great butchers, and very high quality.
For brunch on Sunday, I go to Nicole’s in South Pasadena. They have excellent cheeses. I pick up a bunch of stuff and bring it back to the house. They have a wholesale wing called Gourmet Imports and we buy a lot from them like chocolates, specialty salts, oils, and vinegars.
For wine, Mission Wine and Spirits has an excellent selection. The owner, Chris Meeske, is a master sommelier who used to work at Patina. You’re not going to nd a better selection or more knowledgeable staff.
Clockwise: Milkcow; Bone Kettle; Blaze Pizza; Vroman’s Bookstore; nostalgic comics.
Viet Thanh Nguyen Writer
Author Viet Thanh Nguyen moved to Pasadena in 2018 after initially favoring Silver Lake, “where a police helicopter once came, hovered over me, and spoke to me on its bullhorn as I weeded my hillside.” When not teaching English at USC, he writes in a room with a view of his garden. “Why would I write anywhere else?” says the father of Ellison, 8 (named for Ralph Ellison) and Simone, 2 (named for Simone de Beauvoir, Nina Simone, Simone Weil, and Simone Signoret). On the wall hangs a framed certi cate recognizing his 2016 Pulitzer Prize for ction, awarded for his best-selling debut novel, The Sympathizer, which is now being adapted into an HBO series starring Robert Downey Jr. —Lynda Lin Grigsby
Viet Thanh Nguyen: For a good bookstore, I’ve only been to Vroman’s. My son loves it there and always walks out with a stack of books. There’s a great children’s section on the second oor. Pasadena’s lucky to have a bookshop the size and scale of Vroman’s. When Ellison and I published our children’s book together—Chicken of the Sea, about bored chickens who become pirates—we did our book launch at Vroman’s. I regret that I haven’t yet made use of the wine bar.
For good pizza, Ellison’s No. 1 is Blaze Pizza. He loves the pepperoni; I love the spicy special. We used to go to Mi Piace with him because its booths are family friendly, but since we added Simone, our options are a little more limited. She can’t sit still for too long, so Stoney Point, a very homey, family Italian restaurant next to Little Flower, is our go-to family dining option. We can sit outside, the kids can run around as needed, and the parents can steadily consume cocktails. For adult guests, I like to take them to Bone Kettle, where the bone broth and nasi goreng are delicious. The bone broth soups recall the greatest soup ever invented, phở, which I grew up eating every Sunday after church. If you’re a comics lover, as Ellison is, go to the Comics Factory, and follow that with a visit to the nearby Milkcow Cafe for ice cream or boba tea.
Gerald Freeny Board of Directors, Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association
Gerald Freeny rst got involved with the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association—which puts on Pasadena’s Rose Bowl and Rose Parade—as a volunteer on the parade route at age 28. His grandmother instilled in him the value of service, and he thought this would be a way to give back to the community and meet new people. Volunteering for the association became a centerpiece of Freeny’s life. While making his career in law enforcement, he rose through the association’s ranks, rst becoming a member then serving on a variety of committees before becoming its rst Black president in 2018. Freeny is now a life member of the Tournament of Roses Association’s board of directors. —Tom Dibblee
Gerald Freeny: There’s nothing like being at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. You’re part of America’s New Year’s celebration, and you’re going to the greatest collegiate football game in the nation, the granddaddy of them all. The Rose Bowl is just awesome. I’ve had the opportunity to be everywhere in the Rose Bowl, from the press box to the seats to the eld, and no matter where you are, you’re going to have a great seat and a great time.
Watching the Rose Parade in person is not the same as on TV. Depending on the weather, sometimes you can smell the roses. I can remember being young and camping out there to save myself a place to watch the parade. That’s just fun. It’s just fun to be out there.
The Tournament House is in the Wrigley Mansion. That’s our headquarters. In there, you can see the history of Pasadena—the participants that have been in the parade, the football room where you can see all the helmets from the Pac-12 and Big Ten. There’s information on every game that’s been played at the Rose Bowl. The Tournament of Roses is a family, so it’s just about being a part of the family and being there in the house.
My grandmother was a strong believer in giving back to the community. She always taught us to make sure you volunteer and give back. When I joined the tournament in 1988 as a volunteer, I was just looking forward to meeting new people. I never dreamed that I would be president one day.
COURTESY OF PASADENA TOURNAMENT OF ROSES
Gerald Freeny participating in the Rose Parade. Above: Wrigley Mansion.
Cheryl Liu Mang
Anative of Hong Kong and Vancouver, Cheryl Liu Mang is living her best Los Angeles life. Exploring Pasadena through the eyes of her two young daughters (ages 3 and 6) informs the programming and collaborations she brings to the Southern California Children’s Museum (socalkids. org). Mang discovered the space while searching for age-appropriate activities for her then 1-year-old. Years later, her girls have basically grown up at the museum, riding surfboards and sliding through the Wild California exhibit on playdates, dancing at bilingual circle times, taking Sensory Play classes, and having birthday parties there. When the Mang family isn’t at the museum, you’ll likely run into them at one of the fol-
lowing locales. —Jennifer Ashton Ryan
Cheryl Liu Mang: After the museum, we’ll often pick up Venezuelan empanadas and eat them in the park together. They have a different texture than empanadas from Mexican restaurants because they are made with corn dough and fried. We love the family-owned shop Chamo Venezuelan Cuisine on Colorado near Lake.
Brookside Park behind the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center is hands down our favorite park for kids because it’s tucked back away from any cars or roads. There’s a big open eld for the kids to run in and the Pirate Park Playground lends itself to pretend play.
Clockwise from here: Lost Books; Carrisa Potter’s Pasadena map at Homage; Brookside Park.
Our favorite local attraction is the Children’s Garden at The Huntington Library. We can beat the heat there in the summer with all of the water play available, and the kids never want to leave the magnetic sandpit. We always pay a visit to Ms. Pixie the Elf in the rose garden (look for the tiny door and sign in one of the trees).
When I’m out shopping with the kids, we’ll go to Montrose to wander the maze of shelves at Lost Books. We can nd used books stocked among the new selections in the children’s section to keep down the cost of our frequent visits. I love the gift shop Homage on Fair Oaks when I’m shopping alone. They carry the most delightful Pasadena Map by artist Carissa Potter.
If we’re out for breakfast, we’ll stop at Lunasia Dim Sum House across from The Paseo. Growing up in Hong Kong and subsequently Vancouver, I would go to dim sum with extended family every Sunday. Lunasia serves my favorites, including har-gaw, pan-fried spicy noodles, and egg-custard tarts, all day. Little Flower Candy Co. is our favorite for lunch, especially if we order ahead for pickup and then eat down the street at the small neighborhoody San Rafael Park.
For pizza we grab Mamma’s Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta on Fair Oaks in South Pas. It’s New York–style pie and we appreciate the vegan options for my daughter’s dairy allergy. And then we’ll do dessert at Wanderlust Creamery in Old Pasadena. Our family favorite is the sticky rice and mango (another dairyfree option), but it’s hard to choose since their avors are inspired by travel and many (like kinder bueno and ube) are nostalgic for me.
Albert Tate
Founding and lead pastor of Fellowship Church
Albert Tate moved to Pasadena 17 years ago to attend Fuller Seminary and start a job at Lake Avenue Church. After ve years, he launched the gospel-centered, multiethnic, intergenerational community Fellowship Church in Monrovia. Now, through his new book, How We Love Matters, he is leading a call to face the racism that exists in the church and teach readers how they can start to practice relentless racial reconciliation. Here, Tate shares his favorite local places to start that work of meeting face to face and building relationship over meals and shared interests. — Jennifer Ashton Ryan
Albert Tate: I have four children, two boys and two girls, and the best place to catch up with them is The Huntington Library because it is just breathtaking to watch on a walk. If I’m meeting someone new, and this is obviously a special person because this is a very special place, we go to Arroyo Chop House. If I’m taking my wife out on a date, we go to the Great Maple because she loves desserts and they’ve got a doughnut
Clockwise from top: Albert Tate’s book-signing; Fellowship Church; In-N-Out; chicken and wa es; BJ’s trio Pizookies; the Rose Bowl.
with a maple bacon glaze that’s just amazing.
If I’m meeting friends, we’ll go to the Rose Bowl because it’s a fun place to watch some football. My favorite venue for live music is Lake Avenue Church, the Christmas Eve service. It’s some of the most majestic music you’ll hear. The best ticketed event in town is the Rose Parade. The best view in America is right here in Pasadena.
For exercise, I go to the Rose Bowl. I prepared for a half marathon walking the 3-mile track. To shop for clothing, it’s Nordstrom at the Santa Anita mall. If I need to buy a gift, I’ll get a gift certi cate to Parkway Grill.
For family breakfast it’s got to be The Peach Cafe in Monrovia because they’ve got a waf e with bacon in it. For brunch though, it’s Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waf es. For a late-night snack, In-N-Out. Dessert? BJ’s Pizookie.
Editor’s Favorites
Our Pasadena Magazine team shares their Pasadena picks from the last year…
Samantha Brooks, Editor in Chief
The Pasadena Showcase House debuted the week after our May/ June design issue shipped, and I couldn’t wait to see the nal product. So many great spaces, but the Young Gentleman’s Quarters by Hermogeno Designs, the Pool House by The Art of Room Design, and of course the kitchen by Jeanne Chung especially spoke to me.
When I was working on last year’s holiday gift guide, I couldn’t resist doing a little shopping myself. I bought a rustic wooden bowl at Hollis for our kitchen countertop, and it looks just as good empty as it does cradling lemons and limes.
We are truly blessed with an array of amazing dining options, but if it were my last day on Earth, there’s no way I’d be able to pass up the cheeseburger at Houston’s.
“Borderlands,” the new permanent collection installation at The Huntington, is a fresh way to refocus the eye on some important pieces as well as interweave in new works.
I try to abstain from sweets as much as I can, but I will de nitely get weak in the knees for SusieCakes’ Celebration Cake. Birthdays just feel incomplete without it.
Sara Smola, Managing Editor
North Pas coffee spot Lavender & Honey is single-handedly responsible for my afternoon pick-me-up—and the extra 5 pounds on my waistline—thanks to its carb-laden pastries and tartines.
While working from home has been nothing new to me, being con ned to a single space for over a year was highly motivating for me to step up my bedding game. I know I’m not supposed to work where I sleep, but Parachute’s cozy linen set makes it near impossible to get out of bed.
After living in sweatpants for so long, I’m nally adding some new pieces to my wardrobe. San Marino boutique Serafi na carries ready-to-wear dresses from my favorite labels, like Ulla Johnson, Cara Cara, and Mille, that are perfect for the upcoming weddings and vacations on my calendar.
Altadena Beverage & Market has become my go-to for locally made provisions and hostess gifts. On a recent visit, I picked up bagels and a bottle of S¯adhan¯a by Cellador Ales.
Viewing Norton Simon’s virtual exhibit “Representing Women: Gender and Portraiture in 17th-Century Europe” was inspirational in seeing how far my gender has progressed—while also serving as a reminder of how much further we still need to go.
Clockwise: Parachute, Sādhanā, Tatsu Ramen, Epic Tomatoes from Descanso Gardens bookstore, Jones Coffee Roasters, Robeks, SusieCakes, Stained Glass from Pasadena Architectural Salvage
Dora Dalton, Copy Editor
A former Pasadena resident, I now live in North County San Diego. When I get back up to see family, I enjoy visiting old favorites and discovering new ones. When you no longer have access to Vroman’s, you realize what a rarity a truly great bookstore is. I could spend hours here browsing—and the children’s section is unbeatable.
Norton Simon remains one of my favorite museums ever. The best place for a meditative afternoon, starting with Rodin’s moving The Burghers of Calais.
I was excited on a recent visit to see that San Francisco superstar Tartine had opened a small outpost on Green Street. I daydream about the Morning Buns.
Another new nd, seriously good strip mall ramen at Tatsu Ramen on Arroyo Parkway.
Finally, Eaton Canyon, where I learned to love hiking. I once made the perilous climb to the backside of the waterfall, where my daredevil boyfriend picked up a rattlesnake with his bare hands. Not recommended but memorable!
Jennifer Ashton Ryan, Editor/Writer, Family
I’m renovating a 1912 craftsman, so Pasadena Architectural Salvage is on my weekly rounds for nding hardware, lighting, and old doors.
My daughter has taken a few acro classes at The Vault Dance Studio on Palmetto, and I’ve been very impressed with owner Christina Bircher, both her expertise and the positive effect she has on her students.
For a takeout option that doesn’t spike my blood sugar, I’ve been ordering the Berry Blast from Robeks.
I go to Jones Coffee Roasters on Raymond when I have an hour with my laptop because I can always nd an open seat in its large open-air area.
Tacos Poncitlan nally opened on Allen and the Tacos Dorados plate has my number. The dish comes with three hard-shell potato tacos topped with carnitas, salsa, and purple cabbage.
Carole Dixon, Writer/Editor, Food
Ironically, there is always something new to see in Old Pasadena and fun nds walking through all the small side streets. I really like Agnes for trying new cheese and stocking up on wine and artisan chocolates.
When I’m back in the car, I like taking Colorado Blvd. all the way to Glendale and Eagle Rock or Highland Park without getting on the freeway. It’s much more scenic and I always discover a cool shop or café along the way.
One of those is Mini Kabob for a grilled chicken skewer on a bed of rice and veggies. It’s in a small house on a residential street, so you need to know where to look, but it’s the best food you will ever eat in your car—plus it’s owned by the nicest family who are all there working every day.
Also family owned, when researching a mole story last fall, I was surprised to nd a sublime (off-the-menu) version at Mijares using banana peel in the chocolate recipe passed down through many generations. I also discovered (past the sprawling interiors) that it has a quiet back patio perfect for a casual Friday long lunch.
When I have writer’s block, a wander around Descanso Gardens is always inspiring. I found a great gardening book in the gift shop last time, Epic Tomatoes, which I bought for my brother who plants the best ones every year.
