Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
149
1250 S. Fair Oaks Ave. (at Columbia St.), Pasadena.
&
626/441-3136.
www.theraymond.com. Reservations
required. Main courses dinner $16-$36, lunch $9-$24. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Tues-Fri 11:30am-2:30pm and
5:30-10pm; Sat 10am-2:30pm and 5:30-10pm; Sun 10am-2:30pm and 5-9pm. F ree parking.
MODERATE
Café Santorini
GREEK Located at ground zero of Pasadena's crowded Old Town
shopping mecca, this second-stor y gem has a secluded M editerranean ambience, due in
part to its historic brick building with patio tables o verlooking, but insulated fr om, the
plaza belo w. I n the ev ening, lighting is subdued and r omantic, but ambience is casual;
many diners are coming from or going to an adjacent mo vie-theater complex. The food is
terrific and affordable, featuring grilled meats and kabobs, pizzas, fresh and tangy hummus,
plenty of warm pita, and other staples of Greek cuisine. The menu includes regional flavors
such as lamb, feta cheese, spinach, and Armenian sausage; the v egetarian baked butternut
squash is filled with fluffy rice and smoky r oasted vegetables.
64 W. Union St. (main entrance at the shopping plaza at the corner of Fair Oaks Ave. and Colorado Blvd.),
Pasadena.
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626/564-4201.
www.cafesantorini.com. Reservations recommended on weekends. Main
courses $9-$29. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs 11:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-midnight; Sun 11am-
10pm. Valet or self-parking $7.
Yujean Kang's Gourmet Chinese C uisine
CHINESE Many Chinese r es-
taurants put the word
gourmet
in their name, but fe w really mean it—or deserve it. Not
so at Yujean Kang's, where Chinese cuisine is taken to an entir ely new level. A master of
fusion cuisine, the eponymous chef/o wner snatches bits of techniques and flav ors from
both China and the West, merging them in an entir ely fresh way. Can y ou resist such
provocative dishes as “Ants on Tree” (beef sautéed with glass noodles in chili and black
sesame seeds), lobster with caviar and fav a beans, or Chilean sea bass in passion-fr uit
sauce? Kang is also a wine aficionado and has assembled a magnificent cellar of Califor-
nia, French, and G erman wines. Try pairing a G erman Spätlese with tea-smoked duck
salad. The red-wrapped dining room is less subtle than the food, but just as elegant.
67 N. R aymond Ave. (btw. Walnut St. and C olorado Blvd.), Pasadena.
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626/585-0855.
Reservations
recommended. M ain c ourses $8-$19. AE, MC, V. Sun-Thurs 11:30am-2:30pm and 5-9:30pm; F ri-Sat
11:30am-2:30pm and 5-10pm. Valet, metered street parking, or public lots nearby.
INEXPENSIVE
Euro Pane
Finds
BAKERY/CAFE This tiny little baker y and cafe is off the O ld
Town beaten path, but close to the burgeoning Lake A venue shopping district. Any day
of the w eek, you'll see locals, office wor kers, and Cal Tech students and pr ofessors all
vying for Sumi Chang's fresh-baked pastries, cookies, and sandwiches. Chang has a way
with croissants—hers are some of the butteriest, flakiest in to wn—and breads. A small
menu of sandwiches is av ailable, including the y ogurt chicken salad laced with dill and
lemon (get it on r osemary-currant bread), roasted vegetables and goat cheese (ex cellent
on olive bread), and the dynamite egg salad. P eople come fr om all o ver town for the
warm, chopped, slightly runny, open-faced sandwich, and the salted caramel macar oons
will make you swoon. There isn't much to the decor, but at certain times of day it's quiet
enough to snag a seat, catch y our breath, and read one of the free papers laying about.
950 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.
&
626/577-1828.
Main courses $7-$10. MC, V. Mon-Sat 7am-5:30pm;
Sun 7am-3pm. Free street parking.
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