La Grande Orange Café-Closed

La Grande Orange Café
260 S Raymond Ave
Pasadena
626-356-4444

Is there a restaurant that has been on your "to try" list that you drive by often, but never actually stop in for meal? La Grande Orange Café is one of the restaurants for me. It's been on my list of restaurants to try, and I'm in or drive by Pasadena quite often.

Recently a friend and I were talking, and she raved about La Grande Orange Café. So, we decided to have dinner there recently. She goes to La Grande Orange Café often and has tried many items on their menu.

She told me La Grande Orange Café, is housed in the old Pasadena train station. In keeping with the a back to the future them, LGO is next to the Del Mar Gold Line Station. If you're like other people in Los Angeles, there is a parking garage that offers two hours free parking with validation.

I got the grilled ahi tuna tacos, $20, with pico de gallo, gaucamole, and shredded kale slaw.

WOW, was the awesome. Everything was so fresh and tasty!! The ahi was grilled rare, and was among the best ahi tuna I've ever had. I've paid more for ahi at sushi restaurants that wasn't even close to this ahi. The ingredients for pico de gallo and gaucamole must have been on the farm that morning, because I've haven't had such fresh pico de gallo and gaucamole, ever!! The tortillas were freshly made. Everything combined made great tacos.

But, what blew me away was the kale slaw. Now, understand, I hate kale. But, it was on the menu and I figured, I would try a little bit of it, and if I didn't like it, no big deal. Well, I took a small bite and I was blown away by the flavor and freshness of this kale slaw. I find the texture and bitterness of kale to be off putting. But, that wasn't an issue here. The kale was tender, mixed with some garlic, red peppers, and some black beans. I think they offer this as a side, but next time I go, I'm going to order a couple of them to make an entree salad.

Service was ok. Our server was nice, but didn't came around that often. I felt as though he was just going through the motions. I don't want a robot as a server!

I'm not sure why I haven't gone to La Grande Orange Café earlier. But, I'm coming back soon.

Big City Hot Dogs-Closed

Big City Hot Dogs
39 N Arroyo Pkwy
Pasadena
626-793-7203

Big City was my second stop on my hot dog tour of Pasadena, after going to Dog Haus. which is next just a couple miles west. Slaw Dogs is about two miles away.

Big City has hot dogs named after; big cities such as; New York, Chicago, LA, Atlanta, and Detroit.



I didn't see any plain hot dog options, so I got the New York City hot dog, $4.12, with sauerkraut and red onion sauce. The hot dogs here are 1/2lb dogs that are steamed. First bite and I wasn't impressed. No snap, but worse of all, the hot dog was mushy, bland and just plain bad. Whatever mixture of seasonings and meat they use, it's not working. The hot dog tastes the same as some supermarket brand hot dogs. Very disappointing.

The sauerkraut, was very good. Served warm, was tangy, and they used good quality cabbage. The red onion sauce was basically onions in some tomato sauce, not flavorful at all.

Service was good. The kid working was nice and friendly.

I would not go back to Big City Dog Hause. Costco is a better and cheaper option.

Dog Haus

Dog Haus

105 N Hill Ave Ste 104

Pasadena

626-577-4287

  I've never thought of Pasadena as a hot dog location. But there are now, three hot dog places within miles of Lake and the 210 freeway, that have opened in 2010. Dog Haus, Big City Hot Dogs, and Slaw Dogs. I decided to try both, Dog Haus and Big City, since both are within two miles of each other. I got a regular hot dog, with snap, with yellow mustard and raw onions, $2.74. I want to judge the taste of the hot dog and see how it rates before piling on all the toppings. I prefer a hot dog in natural casing, I love that snap and burst of flavor from a hot dog. This hot dog is pretty damn good, with a very good snap, well mixtures of seasonings and good meat. The hot dogs are steamed and served warm. I would prefer the hot dog to be served hot. I would also prefer my hot dogs on a bun, not on a Hawaiian bread roll. I like Hawaiian bread but not on a hot dog, these sweetness of the bread, doesn't work well with a hot dog. Service is good. Nice friendly people. There are very nice on the phone too. When I first found out about Dog Haus, I looked on that stupid review site and they had the wrong phone number listed. I called two days in a row, Sunday and Monday, with no answer. I thought maybe they closed. But then I found their website and I got the correct phone number. I called, they answered, and I told them about the error on their Yelp page. The guy said "Sorry" well it wasn't his fault, and I didn't call to complain, I called to see if they were opened and to let him know about the STUPID yelp, error. He knew about the error, but he thanked me for letting them know about the error. I would go back to Dog Haus, because the hot dog is very good, but I'm not sold on the Hawaiian bread.

Luigi Ortega's-Closed

Luigi Ortega's 1655 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena 626-396-9669 Luigi Ortega's is across the the street for Pasadena City College, where the great Jackie Robinson, attended before breaking the color line in baseball with the BROOKLYN Dodgers. Luigi Ortega's is an interesting combination of Italian and Mexican food. But what I heard they were known for, is their Philly cheesesteaks and hoagies. Later on, I realized the irony of two Philly staples, cheesesteaks and hoagies, near the school Jackie Robinson attended. Philadelphia is a scumbag racist city. When Jackie Robinson broke the color line in baseball, by far, the city who treated him the worst was Philly. In 1997, when Major League Baseball honored 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson, breaking the color line, the Philadelphia Phillies apologized to the Robinson family, for the way jerkoffs on the Phillies treated Jackie Robinson. Philly fans maybe less racist but they are still a bunch of scumbags in Philly. From the jerkoff who ran onto the field during a Phillies game and was tasered; which they should do at any moron who runs onto the field, to the idiot who threw up on a father and daughter at a Phillies game, Philly has nothing but no class loser sports fans. Philly cheesesteak, $6.25, with provolone cheese on an Amorosa roll. Amorosa rolls are a must for any cheesesteak. The rolls have the perfect texture, chewy crust with a soft inside. But, a good ratio of cheese to meat, is also important!! On this cheesesteak, there was a decent amount of beef, though I doubt it was ribeye, but there wasn't much provolone cheese. The beef was more like top round or sirlion. It had a good flavor but not bursting with flavor. I asked for the Italian hoagie, $6.99, coppacola, mortadella, Genoa Salami, prosciutto and provolone Cheese on a Amorosa roll, to go. This hoagie had only mayo, lettuce and tomatoes, added. I hate Italian dressing and vinegar on my sandwiches. I don't want something that is too tangy or will make the sandwich soggy. The meats were pretty good but there just wasn't enough of it. I could go to Eastside Italian Market and get a sandwich with the same meats, ok, without the prosciutto, but with much more meat. I'm not saying this hoagie wasn't good, it was, I just don't think it is worth the price. Service is below average. The lady who took my order, had either just started working or is brand new. She was so unsure about how to write my order etc. I asked if they could put the Sunday night baseball game on TV, they were showing stupid X Games, and some other crap on TV. She said sure. But she didn't get to it until taking two orders, then until my cheesesteak was ready. Another lady brought me the cheesesteak and said I don't think we can change the channel. About 2-3 minutes later the channel was finally changed and I got to watch baseball, a real sport, not some bastardized sport made for TV. Of course, I had just about finished my cheesesteak by that time. There is no reason for me to go back to Luigi Ortega's, for anything. Ok, great they use Amorosa rolls but the meats for the cheesesteaks aren't anything great and there isn't enough meat on the hoagies.

Golden Palace Mongolian BBQ

Golden Palace Mongolian BBQ
3681 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena
626-796-1832

I like Mongolian BBQ because you can choose what meats, veggies and oils, you want in your dish. I haven't had Mongolian BBQ for a long time, so I decided to try Golden Palace Mongolian BBQ in Pasadena.

Golden Palace offers an all you can eat dinner, for $11.95, that includes soup, rice, and the pocket bread. The buffet had a large variety of meats; pork, chicken, beef, turkey, and lamb, which are all sliced thin and frozen, and veggies. All the veggies were nice and fresh. Everything on the buffet table was clean, always important in a buffet, and always stocked.



I combined beef and chicken with noodles, onions, celery, and carrots, with their hoi sin sauce. Remember to fill your bowl, it's best to grab two bowls, as much as possible, because everything shrinks down to half it's size.

But this was good. Again, all the veggies were fresh, the meats are sliced thin and frozen but they cook up quickly.



For my second dish, I only put veggies and meat and mix it with white rice. I used pork and turkey for the meats, carrots, onions and bean sprouts, garlic, and sesame oil. I liked this dish a lot too.

It's hard to review a Mongolian BBQ restaurant, because so much of it, is your personal choice. What I look for in a Mongolian BBQ restaurant, is a clean buffet table that is maintained throughout my entire time there, fresh and a good selections of veggies, good meats. I got that here at Golden Palace.

Service is very good. The owner was very nice and helpful. They did overcharge our table by a soda, which we brought to their attention, and they took it off their menu. Which is nice. I realize mistakes happen and it's how restaurants handle those mistakes, that shows a restaurant true colors.

I would go back to Golden Palace, if I was in the area.

Pasadena Sandwich Company

Pasadena Sandwich Company
259 Sierra Madre Villa Ave
Pasadena
626-578-1616

I wanted to review Pasadena Sandwich Company, so I can mention Top Chef, DC. Now I think all celebrity chefs are douchebags. Their food is average at best and they are living off their celebrity status. Big deal, they are on Bravo or Food Network!! Doesn't mean their food is any good. Now, I know the chefs on Top Chefs, aren't celebrity chefs, just yet. But most are such douchebags, I can't stand them.

Anyways the second episode of Top Chef DC, had the chefs making a school lunch for middle school kids. The guest judge told the chefs the issue of school lunches are; too much processed crap, too much sugar, lack of flavor, and a lack of veggies.

So in this episode, four chefs formed a team and cooked school lunch; that should include an entree, dessert, and veggies. Remember, they are trying to make school lunches, healthy and tasty so kids will eat it.

It's clear that this season, Angelo and Kenny are the top two chefs. Two chefs had immunity; Angelo and Tracy, because they won some stupid contest, that starts the every show. Angelo picked Kenny on his team and proceeded to throw this competition. Douchebag Angelo made a peanut butter and celery dish, for the kids. Their team also had a sweet potato mouse, a nasty looking chicken burger, and other crap. This was a terrible meal, that nobody on the team, gave a damn about. But the DOUCHEBAG Angelo, was the worst. His goal, wasn't to serve a great meal to kids, but to get his main competition, Kenny, eliminated. At judge's table, DOUCHEBAG Angelo, was asked, "Would you have made that dish, if you didn't have immunity?" DOUCHEBAG's answer? I can't answer that right now. Ok, I know that a lot of editing has been done, so there is a chance, that wasn't his true answer. But anybody is a damn DOUCHEBAG, if they throw a competition, that is servings meals to KIDS!!!

Another team had this crazy bitch chef, Amanda, who kept insisting on using cooking sherry for KIDS and another chef, Jacqueline, who is just too stupid to listen.

Even a damn alcoholic would know, not to use cooking sherry when serving kids a meal!!! There are so many other choices!! You're a damn chef, you crazy bitch, Amanda, use your skills. Now, I'll admit Amanda is easy on the eyes but I can't get over how stubborn and stupid she was, using sherry to cook a meal for kids.

Each team had $130 to shop for items. The stupid chef, Jacqueline, thought each member of the team had $130. I saw her bio and I now understand, why she is so stupid, she is from Boston, an idiot Red Sox fan. So when they went shopping, only $10 of the budget went toward her dessert.

The crazy bitch chef, Amanda, was startled to learn at judge's table, her choice of cooking sherry was a stupid idea. HELLO. Why would you be so stupid and insist on using sherry for kids?? She works in LA, which means, I'm never going to any restaurant where she is the chef. Though I wouldn't mind seeing her at the beach.

But the real stupid chef, Jacqueline said to the judges, she used two pounds of sugar in her banana dessert. It's like she didn't hear the guest judge, saying that school lunches had TOO MUCH SUGAR. Hell, she would have been better off making a banana and strawberry salad or smoothie. The stupid chef was sent packing. But Top Chef, should have also sent, that DOUCHBAG, Angelo, home too. I mean, really, throwing a contest, that benefits kids? DOUCHEBAG.

Anyways, for me lunch has always been about sandwiches. I love sandwiches, everything, except liverwurst. From peanut butter and jelly to pastrami, I love sandwiches. I heard good things about Pasadena Sandwich Company and decided to have lunch there.




I go the Chicago sandwich, $7.95, corned beef, pastrami, swiss cheese, Russian dressing, on rye bread, with cole slaw on the side. Yes, the sandwich was piled high, but there was so much fat, it wasn't even funny. I had to cut out so much fat, I would bet, it added up to about a quarter of the meat. Both the pastrami and corned beef was fatty, chewy, tough, and lacked flavor. The swiss cheese, rye bread and Russian dressing was fine. But who cares, if the meats are terrible. This had to be among the worst sandwiches, I've had. Ok, the portions are huge but who cares, if they use a poor quality meat!!!!

Service was good. Nice and friendly servers. But there they need to clear up which area is for to go orders. When you walk in, there are two windows, one area listed as To Go Pick up, but the other area isn't marked, so I figured that was where to place your order. Anyways, the area where it says; To Go Pick up, is where to place your order.

I would not go back to Pasadena Sandwich Company, again. Terrible, fatty sandwiches.

Brits Fish & Chips-Closed

Brits Fish & Chips
1770 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena
626-720-3778

My favorite fish and chips restaurant in the LA area is, England Fish and Chips, nobody comes close to the great prices, great pieces of fried cod, and service.

I heard about Brits a few months back but I didn't really make an effort in trying Britt's. Why? I saw Brits menu and price for fish and chips and the last time I paid that much, I had terrible fish and chips at Henry's Hat, not to mention bad service.

Anyways, I was back in the Pasadena area and decided what the hell, and tried Brits.




The fish and chips, $10.95, comes with peas and a side salad. I didn't take a picture of the salad. It was your regular salad from a bag; iceberg lettuce, carrots, etc. The salad was fresh.

The fish was actually pretty good. I had heard they use haddock, a lower quality fish than cod. But the menu said cod, I asked the bartender if it was cod, and got a yes. When I broke the piece in two, I could tell it was cod. So Britts gets some points there.

The batter was a lighter batter than I'm used. It wasn't super crunchy, more crispy. It was also a bit saltier than I like it.

But the cod itself was pretty good. Nice and firm fish, I'm guessing they use fresh, not frozen cod. A good example of what fish and chips should be.

The fries are steak fries that are nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Pretty good. But when I order fish and chips, I don't care about the fries.

An extra piece of fish is $4.95. I think I would pass on an extra piece at that price. The fish is good but nothing will beat the price and value of the fish at England Fish and Chips.

But with that said, the $10.95 price at Brits is not only a good value but the fish is good too.

Service was good. There are two parts to Brits, the bar area and a dining area. I walked into the dining area but I wanted my order to go. The bartender greeted me, when he saw me. He could have asked if I needed a menu but no biggie since I already knew what I wanted. I walked over to the bar and placed my order.

I would go back to Brits for the fish and chips.

Numero Uno Pizza Pasta & More-Closed

Numero Uno Pizza Pasta & More
3562 E Foothill Blvd
Pasadena
626-577-1723

Update June 3, 2010. Thanks to a reader JH's comment, I got Numero Uno confused with Pizzeria Uno. Pizzeria Uno is a Chicago legend. Many claim Pizzeria Uno has the best deep dish pizza. Numero Uno Pizza is a different company.

Across Foothill Blvd, from Panera Bakery, is Numero Uno Pizza. I know it's a chain but I wanted to try it. When I reviewed Panera Bakery, I also didn't realize it was also a chain. I really do hate feeding the chains. But I wanted to try Numero Uno for a long time.

I printed out a coupon for a large one topping, pepperoni, "deep dish" pizza and chicken wings, $16.41. The coupon is good for delivery or take out, only.



Eight spicy wings came in an order. The wings were baked, they are not deep fried. Pretty spicy but nothing overwhelming. But there was a lot of batter on the wings but very little meat on the bones. The meat was pretty moist and tender. But I didn't like the texture of the skins. They need to be deep fried.



I always thought Numero Uno pizza was a Chicago style deep dish pizza place but this isn't anything close to real deep dish pizza. This pizza is really a pizza cooked in a pan and passed off as deep dish. There wasn't much sauce on the pizza, making it dry because of the crust. Now I did like the crust, which had a sweet flavor and a nice crisp texture. But it was so dry. There was a good amount of pepperoni and just tons of cheese. It just needed more sauce.

For what it is, a pan pizza, it's not that bad. But I wouldn't go back to Numero Uno.

Service was very good. Nice friendly people. The first person who saw me standing at the counter, greeted me and said "I'll be right with you." About a minute later somebody else helped me and he was nice.

While the pizza or the wings aren't for me, I came away with a positive feeling about this Numero Uno. A simple greeting, something that doesn't happen, can got a long way. Just say "Hi" to a customer, it does wonders!!

Bonnie B's Smokin BBQ

Bonnie B's Smokin
1280 N. Lake Ave
Pasadena
626-794-0132

Bonnie B's Smokin BBQ is the newest BBQ restaurant in Pasadena. Bonnie B's has been opened for about six months. I think it is more of a soul food restaurant, than BBQ. I would say Pasadena is an average BBQ city. Most BBQ restaurants are average at best. I like Robin's BBQ but they are inconsistent. Some other pretenders in Pasadena include Big Mama's, and Perdues BBQ.

I got the value portion of the spare ribs, $10.92, with mac and cheese and a green salad.



The garden salad was fresh iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese. The salad was standard, nothing special. But fresh and crispy.



I got four spare ribs with the value order. The spare ribs are smoked with oak wood. There is a slight hint of a bark, but it's nothing outstanding. The ribs were pretty tender and had a nice smoked flavor. But they were pretty fatty and not the best quality ribs.

The mac and cheese, I liked. The macaroni was welled cooked and the cheese was blended well together.

Service was great!!! I called because I didn't see the restaurant from Lake Ave. and the person on the phone was very nice and helpful. It just happened that the person also took my order, she continued to be nice and friendly. The owner or manager also came out to make sure everything was fine. You can tell they care about customer service.

The BBQ at Bonnie B's isn't the best but it's not bad. I wouldn't rush to go back or make a special trip, but I would go back if I'm in the area.

Zankou Chicken- Pasadena

Zankou Chicken
1296 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena
626-405-1502

The first time I tried Zankou in Montebello, I did not know about the infighting between the owners of Zankou. A LA Times story gave a brief history about the infighting. I'm not going to bore everybody with the story. But, the Montebello location was opened by a family member who is bickering with another family member. It is not listed on Zankou's website.

So I decided I wanted to try a Zankou, that is listed on their website. So I visited the Pasadena location. I went on Sunday, April 25th. This Zankou still had a sign on their door, informing customers they would be closed on Sat, April 24th, to remember the Armenian Genocide.

While I knew how important, April 24th is to Armenians, others may not. So Zankou should have put something on their website about closing on April 24th. I did not see any mention of them closing on April 24th, on their website, and I checked on Fri April 23rd.



I got the combination kebobs, tri tip beef and chicken, $10.96, that came with basmati rice, pickled turnips, hummus and pita bread.

The tri tip was pretty flavorful, the spices were different than the spices used at the Montebello location. The Montebello location also didn't use tri tip, which is a sirloin cut.

The chicken was a combination of white and dark meat. The dark meat was tender,flavorful and moist. But the white meat was dry. But a nice idea putting both white and dark meat. I liked the spices in the chicken. There are the same spices as the Montebello location.

I like the hummus, very mild flavor, smooth, and fresh. I'm not a fan of tangy, sour hummus.

But the rice was too watery. They either put to much water in the rice or they took the rice out of the pit before it was fully cooked.

I finally found out what those purple veggies are; pickled turnips. I hate turnips, so I didn't touch them, but I never knew what kind of veggies they were until today.

Service is pretty good. They have two cashiers, one for all transactions and another one, just cash only. Some people have said Zankou is cash only, they just misunderstood the sign.

Overall there are only minor differences between the Zankou in Pasadena, which is a part of the Zankou company, and the Montebello location, which is owner by another family member.

I would come back to this Zankou location to try their roasted chicken.

I saw David Allen, just as I was leaving. We got a chance to talk for a little bit.

Choza Mama-Closed

Choza Mama 96 E Colorado Blvd. Pasadena 626-432-4692 Is Pasadena moving up in the world? Out with the Hooters and in with a Peruvian restaurant. Or did Hot Wings Cafe drive Hooters out of business? Either way a nice addition to the Old Town Pasadena scene. I've never had Peruvian food before and was excited to try it. I heard that Peruvian food is a fusion of flavors from Latin America and even China. I got the Caufa De Mariscos, $15. A Peruvian version of seafood fried rice with shrimp, fish, calamari, mussels and octupus. Out came a huge bowl with what looked like curry. The sauce was full of spices or too salty, I'm leaning towards too salty. Most of the seafood was a bit overcooked, a few less minutes on the stove would have made this great dish. There was plenty of seafood, you got your moneys worth but the shrimp, calamari, and mussels were overcooked, chewy, and tough. Service by the server was bad. We got seated and it took about forever to be greeted. The busboy was a very nice and hard working person. He got us water and kept refilling them, all night. But the server was terrible. She finally came and said sorry I had a table of eight. Ok, not a problem. But we rarely saw her. We order two drinks and they didn't come until right before our meals came. She never bothered to ask how everything was. We had a tough time tracking her down. We saw another server more than our server. Either Choza Mama needs to have a better table rotation for their servers or need to train their servers better. I understand it is a Saturday night and restaurants are busy. But we shouldn't have had such bad service. I would go back to Choza Mama because a lot of other dishes, especially the Jalea; deep fried seafood on top of a whole sole fish, looked great.

The Slaw Dogs-Closed

The Slaw Dogs
720 N Lake Ave, #8
Pasadena
626-808-9777

Even with all this rain, I've been waiting for baseball season to start. So what goes better with baseball? You got it, a hot dog. I found The Slaw Dogs whiling driving around Pasadena. I had to check and see what they had.

At The Slaw Dogs, the hot dogs are served steamed but you can get them charbroiled or rippered, if you ask. Then you can top your hot dog with three standard toppings for free, .39 cents for each additional topping after three. You can also get custom toppings like bacon, fried egg, and many others for $1 per topping.



I decided to stick with the basics, getting a Vienna all beef dog, $3.49. I wanted the jumbo all beef, $4.49, but they were sold out. I got regular mustard, raw onions, and sauerkraut as my three toppings.

The hot dog itself was great. Nice flavor and spices, though it lacked a snap. The toppings were fresh and good but they put too much sauerkraut, which made the bun soggy.

But overall a very good hot dog.




So then I decided to try the natural casing dog, rippered, $3.99, with regular mustard and raw onions. WOW, this was great. The hot dog had a nice fried texture, a bit different than the ripper I got from Fab's, but still good. The spices and flavor were great. Again the toppings were great too.

Service is great. A mother and son run The Slaw Dogs and they are nice and friendly and helpful.

What a relief, I don't have to drive all the way into the Valley for a great hot dog, I can just go to Pasadena. A very welcomed addition and one I will be back very soon.

Bob's Big Boy-Pasadena-Closed

Bob's Big Boy-Pasadena
899 E Del Mar Blvd
Pasadena
626-793-2627

This Bob's Big Boy is owned by the same owners as the Bob's in Burbank, and this location used to be a Baja Fresh. This is the smallest Bob's I've ever been in. But this does have a more classic dining area, much like Bob's Broiler in Downey, without the car hop service.

While there are many Bob's opening up, the newer locations like the Bob's in West Covina, just do not have that old time feel. When eating there, you feel as though you're eating at any chain restaurant.

But thankfully, the Bob's in Pasadena gives you that old time feel. I got the Big Boy combo $8.29, with ranch dressing on the salad. The salad was your normal everyday salad, iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage and crutons. Fresh, served chilled but could use more dressing.

The Big Boy was a served luke warm. I don't know what it is about Bob's and serving the Big Boy, lukewarm. There is a piece of unmelted cheese, isn't that burger patty hot? Shouldn't it melt the cheese? Oh well, the burger was very good dispite not being served hot. I love that red relish they top the Big Boy with, better than than no so special sauce on a Big Mac.

Service was GREAT. My server's name was Amy and was among the best servers I've ever had. Nice, friendly, helpful, attentive, and really cared about providing a good dining experience. I was never lacking for anything, though another server refilled my drink, she came back to my table at least five times to ask how things were going. I also ordered the chili spaghetti to go, and she was great about putting in the order, later, so that it would be warm and not sitting under heat lamps, while I was eating.

This is the classic example of how servers should act, even if the restaurant isn't that busy. I would say there were about 20 people at Bob's and there were about six servers. When restaurants aren't busy, this doesn't mean it is gossip times for servers. It means that people in the restaurant should get very good service. Amy, gave me great service. I couldn't have asked for better service.

I'm a big fan of Bob's Big Boy. I think the Big Boy is better than a Big Mac. I wish Bob's would improve the way the Big Boy is cooked and served, so it comes to the table hot. I like this Pasadena location because the dining area has an old time feel to it. At the new location they have a corporate feel. This Bob's has the feel of the older Bob's Big Boy. I hope this Bob's does so well, they have to expand. I know if your server is Amy, you will get great service.

Russell's

Russell's
30 N Fair Oaks Ave
Pasadena
626-578-1404

The sign at Russell's says since 1930. I know that Russell's used to be in Long Beach during the 1980's but now this Pasadena location is the only Russell's left. I heard that Russell's is known for their burgers so I decided to give Russell's a try since I was back in the Pasadena area.

I got the Russell cheeseburger, $8.95, with lettuce, and pickles. You have to request tomato and onions, so I asked for a slice of tomato. The burgers came with your choice sides, I got the salad.

Let me tell you this is among the best appetizer salad I have ever had. The salad came with fresh iceberg lettuce, spinach, shredded carrots, cucumbers, garbonzo beans, and rye bread crutons. This seemed like a regular dinner salad, not an appetizer size. A great great salad.

The burger was cooked well done, was juicy, and flavorful. It was good but nothing outstanding. I was thinking I could get the same burger at any fast food place for about $2 less.

Service was outstanding. I was greeted promptly when I walked in. Both the server and host helped me while I was having dinner. I wasn't lacking for anything and both were very nice. The host even told me that there is free validated parking, for 90 minutes, in the parking structure just behind Russell's.

I didn't think the burgers were anything special at Russell's but the salad and the service was great. I may go back and try other things on Russell's menu but I wouldn't go back for their burgers.

Original Tops- Pasadena

Original Tops
3838 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA
626-449-4412

I first heard about The Original Tops when I went to Gus's BBQ. I believe the owners of Tops bought Gus's BBQ. Tops has been in Pasadena since 1952. This is the original location. There are other places called Tops, even in pretentious jerk Orange County, but they have nothing to do with this location. I have a feeling the original owners were from Chicago, since they have a Maxwell Street Polish Dog and a Chicago hot dog, though they do not use Vienna hot dogs, they use Hebrew National.

I decided to give Tops a try and wanted to go to Pasadena before it is invaded by T-sips and hicks for the National Championship game. This is a no frills diner style burger place. The burgers are charbroiled on a grill and prices are a bit higher than other comparable places. So I get the Kobe Bistro Burger, $6.79, with half pound of American Kobe beef, smoked mozzarella, caramelized onions, tomato, mixed greens, herb mayo on a ciabatta bun. The first thing I noticed about this burger was the size, huge!! I asked them if they could cut it in half, they did, and I was impressed at the size of both pieces.

What was interesting was the taste of each half. One half the Kobe beef was cooked well done, I would have prefered it medium rare, but the other half had burnt pieces, which isn't good.

I like everything they put on the burger, the fresh mixed greens were a nice touch and a welcomed changed from iceberg lettuce. The mozzarella was melted and didn't overpower the taste of the meat as some other cheeses tend to do. The caramelized onions and herb mayo was a good combination. I loved the ciabatta bun, lots of texture, soft and chewy. Good stuff.

Service was pretty good. Nice friendly people. But my burger took a little longer, ther were people behind me who got their burger orders before me. Either they forgot my order or it takes longer to cook the Kobe burger. Either way, not that big of a deal since the burger was hot and fresh off the grill.

I saw people order the onion rings, fries, and zucchini sticks and they looked great. I would go back to Tops to try their hot dog or Polish dog, other sandwiches and burgers but I don't think I would go back for the Kobe Bistro burger.

Update Dec 17, 2009




I was back in the Pasadena area and decided to go back to Tops for the onion rings, $2.89, and polish dog, $3.89.

The onion rings are among the best onion rings I have ever had. Super light and crispy, outside with some pepper in the seasoning. Not greasy at all. Inside a wonderful sweet onion, not greasy.

The polish dog came with grilled onions and mustard. The onions were just piled onto the polish, too much for my tastes. The onions made for a soggy, messy bun, which wasn't grilled or anything. The polish dog was grilled but was pretty salty. It had a nice snap but I couldn't get over the saltiness of the polish dog. The polish sausage at Costco for $1.50 is bigger and better. I wouldn't order this again.

I wish I got better service though. I got terrible service. The young girl who took my order had a lot of attitude and quite simply, she was a bitch. From the moment I asked what comes on the polish dog, she was a bitch. Why she copped an attitude because I asked what comes on a polish dog, is beyond me. When my order was ready, she never even said thank you. Terrible service and Tops needs to do something about it.

As I said before, Tops is a higher priced burger place. I didn't think the polish sausage was any good and the Kobe burger was underwhelming. After the terrible service, I won't return anytime soon.

King Taco- Pasadena

King Taco
45 N Arroyo Pkwy
Pasadena
626-792-0405

I have already reviewed the King Taco in East LA. I went to the King Taco in Pasadena before but didn't review it. Friday night I went back, so now here is my review.

I haven't had a sopes before and I was willing to give it a try. So I got a carne asada sope, $2.84. The sope was topped with refried beans, cabbage, cheese, and their green salsa on the side. The sope was a small round shaped piece of maize that has a tough chewy texture. Again I'm no expert about sope but I did like this. I would say a sope is like a Mexican pizza.

The carne asada is always good at King Taco and the other toppings were fresh. I was impressed with the large amount of toppings on the sope.

Service was pretty good. They can get busy because all the party people go there before or after a night of drinking, but the line moved pretty fast when I was there. The people were friendly and nice.

I would go back to this King Taco before the East LA King Taco.

Perdue's Barbeque-Closed

Perdue's Barbeque
456 E Orange Grove Ave
Pasadena
626-229-0742

History Lesson: August 9, 1945, the US drops a nuclear bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, which would lead to the ending WWII. The US did the right thing using the nuclear bombs since many more lives would have been taken, if the US had to invade Japan.

But what the US did to Japanese-Americans during this time, sending them to concentration camps, is disgraceful. When you consider that the 442nd Infantry Regiment was made up entirely of all Japanese-Americans-who's families were in the concentration camps and was one of the most decorated units of WW II, it really showed how much of an idiot, john dewitt, really was for issuing Executive Order, 9066.

The smell of BBQ coming from a new mixed used development on Orange Grove in Pasadena? No it can't be another competitor, to Robin's for BBQ in Pasadena? But it is a BBQ place, Perdue's Barbeque. Perdue's Barbeque used to be in LA but moved to Pasadena. They are on the first floor of a condo complex. If this BBQ was great, I would buy a condo in this complex.

I got the pork spare ribs, $10.95, with mac and cheese and potato salad. After a 45 minute wait, no kidding, four small, dry ribs are set in front of me. The ribs had a sweet bark to them, I prefer a spicer bark. A decent smoke flavor. But they were small, not much meat, dry and pretty flavorless. I wasn't impressed.

The mac and cheese was bland and the potato salad was mustard based. I barely took 2-3 bites from each of the sides.

Service. Very friendly, nice people working there/own the restaurant. BUT even though the sign, as you enter says This isn't fast food. Your wait maybe 15-20 minutes or longer. I waited 45 minutes for my food. Not impressed. I can live with 25-30 minute service but 45!!!! And it was hot in there, turn on the air conditioner!!!

I rarely talk about the decor of a restaurant but I loved the decor at Perdue's. They had pictures of the Negro Leagues and pictures of Hall of Famers like Rube Foster, Cool Papa Bell, Josh Gibson, and Satchel Paige. Such great baseball players that many in America didn't see because of the color of their skin.

I would not go back to Perdue's again. Nice people but the BBQ is not worth the wait.