Sadly, it's nothing more than a very noncreative way to promote Pasadena businesses. I mean, there aren't even any contests and just a handful of discounts. But I suppose it's not a bad excuse to eat more cheeseburger...
So noticed there was some serious work going on out on the street today. Went to investigate and found city sewer workers out in full force trying to correct a major infrastructure problem. Seems Pasadena hired some bozo contractors who put gas pipes straight through sewer pipes. I really hope these contractors are going to go to jail for criminal negligence but I'm sure they'll just get another contract from Pasadena.
We tried to take pictures for the blog but the workers wouldn't let us. Not that we're surprised.
After talking about it for ages, we finally went to the House of Basturma in Pasadena and had a basturma sandwich!
So what's a basturma? Basturma is an Armenian cured meat that reminded me a lot of Spanish cured hams, except that it's intensely flavored with spices like paprika, garlic, salt, and fenugreek. Doing some research, I found out that basturma is found all over what used to be the Ottoman Empire and can also be called pastirma. Apparently pastirma has the same etymological roots as pastrami but the two meats are worlds apart, since pastirmas are not cooked. Armenians make basturmas out of beef or lamb, but it can also be made from goat or camel. I liked it, but a little goes a long way.
The House of Basturma's sandwich is very simple, but really good. Wonderful toasted Armenian bread, flavorama meat, two slices of tomato and voilà. The House also has lulukebabs, shawermas, koftas, soujouks, and other Middle Eastern/Armenian specialties.
I really liked the House. Clean, spacious, with super nice, relaxed owners.
House of Basturma 2487 E. Washington Blvd. Pasadena CA 91104 626 345-9090
I accidentally walked into the new Church of Scientology building in Old Town Pasadena. This is easy to do because, for all intents and purposes, the building and its lobby looks like a swank hotel. I felt really tricked. Now I'm started to get flyers from them with "I.Q" tests. Looking at all the questions, it's clear to me that the test is really for their benefit, a way of identifying to most vulnerable and lonely people to indoctrinate. Scary.
Yeah! Intelligentsia finally opened in Old Pasadena this morning! Went exactly at 10 to find there was already a good hustle and bustle inside. Pretty impressive as they'd only announced the opening yesterday afternoon.
The place looks great. The decor is reminiscent of their Venice Beach branch, but with more seating; the staff was very friendly, and for Intelligentsia, strangely chatty. The guy at the cash register went on and on about their strained opening and how they had the wrong cables for their cash register and blah, blah, blah. The Pasadena branch offers the usual coffee and tea selection. In addition, they're offering individual siphon coffee makers. AND they're going to start making real food, like grilled cheese sandwiches and lasagna. Probably why they have all that lovely seating. Just what Old Pasadena needed.
I also noted that Intelligentsia was right opposite Baskin-Robbins, which means that you can order an espresso from Intelligentsia and then fly over to Baskin-Robbins for a scoop of vanilla so you can make an affogato!
More excitement as we drove home: just as we drove out of the parking garage, we got stopped at the intersection by a cop on a motorcycle. WTF, we asked? Turned out there was a police escort for two large parade floats. Can this town get anymore exciting?
They were doing tests and whoops! One of the gas turbines caught fire. But luckily, it all got put out very quickly.
So...how many of us knew Pasadena had its own power plant?
Anyway, bad news for people living in Pasadena. The cost of the damage was $20 million. Does that mean the cost gets passed on to the folks of Pasadena? For more info:
Last weekend was the 21st Annual Bungalow Heaven Home Tour in Pasadena. It's an interesting tour because Bungalow Heaven is a neighborhood with a collection of over 800 historic homes, built from the 1900s to the 1930s. Many of these bungalows were prefab — you could order a kit for around $650! The homeowners here take their heritage pretty seriously. Bungalow Heaven was the first neighborhood in Pasadena to be granted the Landmark District designation, and in 2008, was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The tickets were a little pricey, so we just walked around, which turned out to be pretty interesting. Many of the homes weren't open to the public, but had these green signs on their lawns that told you when they were built and when they were last opened to the public. I liked that so many of the enterprising neighborhood children decided to open up old-fashioned lemonade stalls — one stall had its very own chamber orchestra! All very cute.
The Pasadena Intelligentsia is going to serve food! At least according to LA Eater. I think that's a great idea! Of course, only if the food is going to be good. The pastry stuff they serve at the Silver Lake Intelligentsia is pretty blah. And often stale.
Talking about Intelligentsia, I finally got to try their Venice Beach location. Having been a regular at the Silver Lake location, the VB location seemed very strange. Totally different feel and decor, which was all wood and high, exposed pipes ceiling aesthetics. The pastry counter was also much bigger and the pastries looked really good (didn't get a chance to try any :( ). The crowd was very different too. No Hipsters. Couldn't identify any writers. Very dressed up in that 90210 way. And every fifth person seemed to have those bulky SLR pro cameras around their neck (girls too). Was it Bring Your Camera To Work Day? The only thing the two locations had in common was their bathrooms — totally out of paper towels. Who had the better cappuccino? I'm going to have to say Venice Beach. I think that was the best cappuccino I've ever had.
So is Julia Child's hometown finally becoming as hip as Julia? I mean Pasadena of course. Using restaurant openings as a gauge, things definitely do seem to be chillin'. Last year, The Counter opened up on Lake. Super cool hot dog place, The Slaw Dogs, opened a few months ago. Then I heard that Urth is going to open up. And, as if things couldn't get better, Intelligentsia decided to head on over. Oh, and get this — supposedly Intelligentsia will be serving alcohol!
You know what else Pasadena needs? A really hip hair salon. And better broadband. Internet connection choices here suck (even Sierra Madre has FiOS). What's with that? Pasadena is the home of Cal Tech and JPL!!! The good news is that Pasadena is participating in Google's Fiber for Communities program (Google is going to give a few lucky communities super fast internet connection). But I'm not seeing any plans for Pasadena to change its name to Google. Is Pasadena so much better than Topeka that it can't beg? Hell, Pasadena should change its name to Larry Page. Megalomanics like that.
I was in Old Pasadena yesterday afternoon and couldn't help but notice the three ABC7 News vans parked outside the Apple store. iPad fever, of course. Local news was covering the iPad launch the way network news used to cover war campaigns. Well, I suppose it is a war of sorts. The thing is, I've been noticing that ABC7 News is always reporting from Old Pasadena now. Need the Common Man's opinion about the weather? Grab someone walking through Old Pasadena. Need the Common Man's opinion on lettuce? Old Pasadena — just over brimming with Common Man*. ABC7 News used to hang out at Studio City, on the intersection of Ventura and Laurel Canyon Blvd. I used to live near Studio City. Now I live near Old Pasadena. Is there a connection? Is ABC7 News stalking me?
Anyway, if appearing on the local news is part of your Bucket List, head on over to Old Pasadena.
*Here I'm using the Old English meaning of man, a term that was not gender specific and meant person (I'm thinking we need to revive that great old meaning).
At the moment, hot dogs are really hot in LA. Wiener specialists are opening up all over the place, introducing Angelenos to things like rippers and Chicago dogs. Not that hot dogs were unheard of in LA before this new trend: Pink's is a legend, and so is Carney's. Roughly in the same Hollywood area, Skooby's has a die-hard following. But now you have genuine altars to the dog like Fab Hot Dogs (Reseda), Vicious Dogs (N Hollywood), and, the latest darling of every LA food blog, The Slaw Dogs (Pasadena). Oh, and there's Let's Be Frank Dogs (Culver City), a gourmet hot dog stand which I guess would be a portable altar. And to remind you that we should thank the Germans for the humble dog, there are Brats Brothers (Studio City) and Wurstkuche (Downtown). No signs that the trend is slowing either — heard that Big City Dogs, which is based in Michigan, will soon be opening up a branch in Old Pasadena.
Which altars are my favorite places to worship the silly dog? Well, I can't claim I've eaten at even 10% of the hot dog joints in this town, but here goes anyway.
Pink's (709 N. La Brea Blvd)
Only if you're a tourist. The average wait seems to be around 45 minutes, but Pink's is legendary, having started out sometime during the Great Depression. And all the Hollywood stars seem to love getting their hit here — usually they'll send a flunky with a limo, but, hey, you might see someone worthy.
Fab Hot Dogs (6747 Tampa Ave, Reseda)
I really hate that they're all the way in Reseda. And that seating is so small. And that you can't get in ever since Guy featured it on a Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives episode. What they're really known for is their rippers — a dog that's been deep fried. Amazingly good. And so are their tater tots — why don't more places do tater tots?
The Slaw Dogs (720 N Lake Ave, Pasadena)
They still have their new car smell, but they're already very popular. Great relaxing room with plenty of space (unless it's lunch time or Saturday night). Their menu of toppings is crazy huge, from the humble sauerkraut to kimchi, jalapenos to truffle oil. Slaw's philosophy is definitely "Pile It On!" and they always look at me strange because I'm a purist and like my dog modestly dressed — just sauerkraut and dark mustard. Probably one of the only hot dog places that do salads (which are really good). Going back to the dogs, I'd really suggest you get the natural casing dog and have it rippered. OMG. And the chili dog — Slaw probably has the best chili in LA (the secret is the Newcastle beer). Certainly in Pasadena. The nicest thing about Slaw (besides the really good food)? They treat you like good friends.
So, does LA have a dog of its own? Actually, yes. It's called the Street Dog because it came from the streets: Mexican hot dog vendors liked to wrap a bacon around a dog. Because of health regulations, you can't legally get an authentic Street Dog from a vendor anymore. Luckily, Fab does one. In any case, the story of the Street Dog is fascinating, and this LA Weekly article does a pretty good job telling it.
One last thing: what happened to the corn dog? Is it considered sacrilege for a hot dog joint to serve up a good corn dog? Because I love corn dogs.
Living in Pasadena, one simply does not expect to be under siege from military-style helicopters. Night and day, they roam overhead, searchlights at maximum intensity, avidly patrolling the deadly streets of Pasadena. It would seem more reasonable to think we were all part of a big movie set. Or a video game. But, no, these helicopters are for real, used by the Pasadena police as a legitimate tool to enforce and deter crime. Yes, to deter crime. And I'm not kidding when I call it the Pasadena Air Force. The police are using actual military planes from the Vietnam War era, which they got for free from a military surplus program. Okay, they no longer have gun turrets or armor plating, but I still feel like Robert Duvall is going to pop out and napalm me. (I will give the Pasadena council points for knowing how to get free stuff.)
There are more details in "Trouble Above", a very interesting article in the Pasadena Weekly.
Is LA a Chinese tea mecca? I'm beginning to think so. It certainly benefits from the large, discerning Chinese population. To my delight, more and more sophisticated tea shops are starting to open and here are some of my favorites.
Bird Pick Tea: In the center of Old Pasadena, this is a wonderful place to shop, browse, and drink tea. They have a nice selection of very good quality Chinese teas and very elegant teaware. But more interestingly, along the side window, there are huge glass containers of things like dried lotus flowers, roses, longan, etc. — simply steep in hot water for a healthy, delicious tisane.
The tea is served at a bar where there's a limited menu, from pots of hot tea to iced tea lattes. What I really liked was that you can order a selection of snacks, which includes delicious dried plums. With a large pot of tea, a selection of three is only $2 more.
Bird Pick is actually a chi chi tea outlet of Wing Hop Fung, aimed for the Caucasians. Even the fixtures in the bathroom are ultra chic. One big plus of Bird Pick is that they let you buy as little as an ounce, which is great if you want to try a new tea (or if you haven't been paid in awhile).
Chado Tea Room: In Pasadena and the Fairfax District of LA, Chado is a tea room where you can buy tea. They have an extensive selection of excellent teas at fair prices, but the staff isn't really the friendliest.
Haven't tried the tea room, although the Fairfax room is always tempting.
Ten Ren Tea & Tea Station: I haven't quite figured out Ten Ren. It seems to be the retail tea part of Tea Station, a tea parlor and restaurant. Fantastic teas, but a limited selection. I usually go to the San Gabriel store for a refill of Jasmine tea. Ten Ren has about 9 different kinds, ranging from ~$12.60/lb to ~$100/lb. My favorite is the one for ~$37. Unfortunately, like so many places, the smallest amount you can buy is 4 ounces. Ten Ren also has something called King's tea, a proprietary blend of oolong and ginseng. Can't say I'm that big of a fan of that one.
Tea Station itself is always fun, buzzing with a good crowd of young and old. Great tea shakes and strange concoctions. Who knew tea could be so fun!
Aloha Boba Tea House: Located in a big retail complex in Monrovia, it's one of my favorite places to relax. Order an iced milk tea, sit outside, marvel at the great view of the mountains. You can also buy loose tea, tea sets, sandwiches and ice cream. Great staff.
Well, actually, it's more like "some of my favorite places" in the greater LA area.
Tozai Plaza (15460-15500 S. Western Ave and 1741-1751 W. Redondo Beach Blvd ): This is a small strip mall in Gardena. I love it because it's like a crazy bit of everywhere. The actual structure is neo Asian, but the businesses range from a Japanese udon house (Kotohira [they make their own noodles, which they sometimes replace with packaged if they run out]) to Marie Callender's. Don't feel like udon? How about the Korean soft tofu house at the corner or the pho house next door? The strip mall seems to be particularly popular with the local police during lunch hours.
Marukai Pacific Market (1620 W Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena): A Japanese-Hawaiian market that's for club members only. Luckily, you can get a day pass. They have great produce and meat, including beef from Harris Ranch (cut to Japanese tastes) and Kurobuta pork (amazingly good). As a bonus, there's a branch of the MamMoth Bakery inside. They have the best sandwich bread! And pretty good curry donuts. (How ironic that the only bakeries that have really good sandwich bread these days are Asian! Usually Japanese or Korean.)
BTW, Tea Station has a large branch next door: explore Marukai, buy some bread, and then relax with nice cold iced milk tea!
Regency Academy Cinema (1003 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena): This is one of those theaters that show second-run films. That sounds like you'll be watching movies from the 90s, but that's not the case at all. The movies are only a couple of months old. And if you go in the afternoon, tickets are only $2! Just saw Moon there and it was great! (Was it so enjoyable because I only paid $2?)
Of course, the Regency is not the Landmark (my favorite theater); there's definitely a whiff of a college film club here (without the obsessive love and care—the staff didn't even bother to frame the film correctly, so a portion was in the curtains and the credits were above the screen). But hey, $2!
Nicole's Gourmet Foods (921 Meridian Ave, South Pasadena): This is a French deli. They don't carry a huge amount of stuff (like at Monsieur Marcel), but what they do carry is fantastic, especially their selection of chocolates and dried beans. They also have frozen croissants (the kind you have to bake when you get home) and wonderful terrines and mini quiches and cheeses, and all else wonderfully French. Nicole's is so French, I found myself wanting to say "une tranche de pate"! Who would have thought you'd find a piece of France in South Pasadena!
(Stats from someone obsessed with the preponderance of helicopters in the Greater LA area:
LA:
Population: 3,849,378 Helicopters: 17* People per helicopter: 226,434
Pasadena:
Population: 146,518 Helicopters: 4* People per helicopter: 36,629
As you can see, Pasadena has many more helicopters in ratio to people than LA: so what gives, Pasadena? (We've taken to calling the helicopters the Pasadena Air Force.)
*Helicopters owned by the police. (I bet the figure doubles if you include helicopters used by the media.)
