Food Culture

HOME TO MORE THAN 600 RESTAURANTS, A VIBRANT NIGHTLIFE, AND LOTS OF SWEET SUMMER TREATS

Pasadena is a foodie town filled with exhilarating flavors. That’s a lot of ground to cover, so we asked Pasadena resident and editor of Eater LA Farley Elliot to share his expertise on the local culinary scene.

To get a sense of the culinary heritage, Farley recommends Pasadena staples like Pie ‘N Burger, touting it as “one of the first places in America to truly codify the California burger sensibility,” as well as Mijares, “the former boarding house turned cozy patio destination for big margaritas that is, shockingly, 102 years old,” and The Royce, for “pure luxury inside the 1907-era Langham hotel, with its lush grounds and hidden-away appeal.”

“Locals get to enjoy a yearround bounty of rustic patios, beer bars, inexpensive date night spots, and under-theradar Indian and Japanese gems that make this city an ideal mix of quiet comfort and continued discovery,” Farley says. “The beating heart of this city’s dining scene is still comfortable neighborhood dining, where anyone can pop in for a bite or a glass of wine, and feel like they belong.

AT AGNES, GATHERING WITH LOVED ONES FOR AN EXCELLENT MEAL IS CELEBRATED — AND SO IS THE CHEESE.

BY RAMONA SAVISS

Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery is not your average eatery. Set in a former horse stable built in 1922 for Pasadena’s fire department, the restaurant features an indoor dining room and a sprawling outdoor patio. Here, chefs/owners Vanessa Tilaka and Thomas Kalb combine 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry to create a a culinary juxtaposition of old and new.

Named after his maternal grandmother, Kalb’s goal for Agnes was to combine warm Midwest hospitality with a modern and elevated twist on Americana comfort food through re-imagining family dishes. “Vanessa and I met while working in the Bay, fell in love, and decided to open our own restaurant and cheesery right here,” Kalb says. “Pasadena constantly finds itself being compared to L.A. or the Westside, but it’s in a league of its own. Our patrons care about us and each other….about who the staff are and what they are interested in.”

Tilaka’s family has been in the food business for several generations. Her grandparents owned a restaurant in Thailand, and her father and uncles opened L.A.’s first Thai market. Tilaka is also the shop’s cheesemonger. “I discovered my love for cheese after taking a cheese education class in San Francisco, and the rest is history,” she says. In addition to elevated comfort food, the restaurant’s marketplace offers 50 to 65 different cutto-order cheeses and cured meats, a midday takeaway