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pasadena

Mercado

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Mercado

This post is long overdue. I work in Pasadena and we've all been anticipating Mercado to open. Amazing art work like bullet skulls as you walk in from the commons. By them being here, it's definitely brought a lot of life to lake avenue. I'm not even kidding when I say I've been here multiple times within a week. I can honestly say the food is that good.

Here are some food from my first visit (Full menu here for Pasadena):

Mexican Coke - Cane sugar for the win.

Guacamole - hass avocado, serranos, cilantro, red onions, Yxta salsa brava, spicy pepitas, and fresh chips. There dip duo is also highly recommended. It's basically guac and their choriqueso - melted cotija, parmesan, oaxaca cheese, white wine, house chorizo, poblanos, and mushrooms.

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Enchiladas de pollo en mole oaxaqueno - pulled Mary’s free-range chicken, oaxacan mole, queso fresco, crema fresca, red onions, sesame seeds, mexican rice, and chile piquín black beans. The mole wasn't too sweet, velvety and luxurious. Probably one of the best Oaxacan moles I've had.

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ELOTE - grilled sweet corn, caramelized onions, chile piquín butter, topped with queso cotija.

Tostaditas de ceviche - citrus-marinated white fish and shrimp, mango, corn, cherry tomatoes, serranos, fresno chilies, avocado, chile de árbol aioli. This is probably the best ceviche I've had in a while. Fresh, citrusy with a good balance of sweet and heat from the mango, corn, fresnos and chile de arbol aioli. This is a must order if you're here.

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COLIFLOR AL PASTOR - roasted cauliflower, chile morita marinade, pineapple, cilantro. A great side dish if you're doing low carb and want tons of delicious flavors. GM Justin loves to eat this with tortillas. Man was he right.

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Camarones al ajillo - mexican sweet shrimp, chile de árbol garlic butter, market vegetables. You will never find a dish that's executed like they do it here. I've had this many times and didn't know how it should taste until I had it here. The flavor is to die for. Another highly recommended dish.

Spicy Cucumber Margarita with Mezcal. Mez always gets me.

Spicy Cucumber Margarita with Mezcal. Mez always gets me.

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FLAN. 

Other items I recommend not shown:

Carnitas. Anything carnitas but I love their tacos. From their happy hour menu, order their jicama shrimp tacos. 

Cucumber salad with skirt steak (trust me it's delicious).

Tamales - I ordered their special tamale of the day. It was carnitas, but I know it changes from time to time.

tres leches - YES

Heard the fried chicken torta is a must. Stay tuned for that!

140 S. Lake Avenue #101, Pasadena, California 91101 626.345.5778 www.cocinasycalaveras.com

 

 

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Kings Row - Tandoori Nights

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Kings Row - Tandoori Nights

Chef Sundeep does it again. I've been going to Kings Row for a couple of years now and have always enjoyed their monthly roast pig feast that's hosted on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Chef Sundeep, their executive chef, does not play around when curating a menu for their monthly food haul. This time around, Chef Sundeep had planned for and contemplated for this moment to tie his culture into the food he creates.

Giant kebabs grilled outdoors on their patio grill. The varieties come with the choice of Tandoori, Garlic, Chili, or Shawarma Chicken, served on a fresh naan wrap with lettuce, onion, and tomato. Choice of Raita, chutney, or hot sauce.

Each naan is rolled out my hand. Chefs Sundeep's house recipe.

Margarita Slushies

Ridiculously refreshing. 

Chef Sundeep hosts a special food event once a month on every 3rd Thursday. Stay tuned to see what he has in store for this month. I wonder.

 

 

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Happy Hour at Roy's Restaurant - Pasadena

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Happy Hour at Roy's Restaurant - Pasadena

I know a lot of people that like to go straight home after work. I believe the best coworkers are the ones you can consider your friend, and one you are willing to spend time with even after 9 hours of being together. But nothing unites us more than Happy Hour. Eyes light up. Chatters are spread and next thing you know, it's as if we were channeling each other throughout the agent with telepathic communication.

There's a lot of restaurants that serve happy hour near our office. We have a few that are walking distance. Roy's was brought up a few times so after having a glance at their menu, it was finalized. In no time 5 o'clock hit and we were out the door. Maybe a few of us took a short lunch to get the happy started early.

They have $7 cocktails/wine/sake, to $5 well drinks, to $3 selected drafts.

These French Fries were a BIG hit. After the first order, there were multiple to follow. The fries were coated with Parmesan, Togarashi, Parsley, Sea Salt and a Housemade Mango sauce. Portions were great for $5 and perfect with drinks.

All other Happy Hours bites were $7. Some things we ordered showed above are Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls served on top of a Citrus Black Bean Dragon Sauce, Szechuan Spiced Pork Ribs Smoked and Glazed in Roy's Original Mongolian Sauce, Lobster Potstickers served on a Spicy Togarashi Miso Butter Sauce, and Tempura-Crusted Ahi Roll with Spicy Togarashi Miso Butter Sauce. Some other items the table ordered were their Kalua Pork Sliders Crispy Onions – Lilikoi Slaw.

Happy Hour starts at 4 and ends at 7. We already planned our next venture next week!

Check it out yourself. Any happy hour recommendations in Pasadena are always welcomed.

 

 

 

 

 

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Amara Chocolate - Old Town Pasadena

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Amara Chocolate - Old Town Pasadena

I've been to Amaras a while ago before they started to serve food. Just located conveniently off the Fair Oaks parking structure on Green Street and Raymond, you really don't need to travel far after parking. It's not everyday you find a cafe that serves Venezuelan food. The menu has a lot of exciting unique offerings like Arepas and Cachapas.

I started with one of their signature lattes, the Cacao. This was 61% dark chocolate, served over ice but you can just imagine how thick and creamy this was. Extremely rich in flavor and mellows throughout your meal as the ice melts. They also carry lemonades which they sweetened with agave syrup.

Passion Fruit lemonade

Pabellon Arepas

The Pabellon includes shredded beef, white cheese, black beans and sweet plantains. Salsa verde of the side served with mixed greens. The arepas is grilled white corn flatbread cut open and stuffed. Really tasty and filling from the beans and plantains. I loved how crispy the arepa was even after soaking up the salsa verde.

Cachapas Mediterranea

Grilled housemade yellow corn crepes with basil pesto sauce, Italian Burrata, Spanish Chorizo, roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, salame and olive oil. The cachapas had little corn kernels running through the batter. Loved the burrata and the different types of cured meats.

Lunch was ended with some Spanish churros. These Spanish churros were eggs and dairy free. We received the Ice Cream Churros which comes with 6 ribbon shaped churros topped with a chocolate chip vanilla ice cream with a side of chocolate sauce. What's not to love about indulging in delicious sweets?

Make sure to check them out when you are in the area:

55 S Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105

 

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Kings Row - New Menu - Old Town Pasadena

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Kings Row - New Menu - Old Town Pasadena

I've been to Kings Row multiple times the past few years. I am pretty excited to share a few of the new items that Kings will start to serve. To keep this review brief, you can find Kings Row on 20 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105. You can also stumble through the back which I prefer on Mercantile Pl. Keep in mind it's first come first serve. All food and drinks are to be ordered at the bar.

As always, don't forget about their pig roast every 3rd Thursday of the month.

New cocktails launched

There actually wasn't a drink I didn't like. I recommend going with a group of friends and try a bunch of these together. My favorite was their American Gods Old Fashioned. Made with citrus sugar, you really taste the orange peels that they used to create the distinct flavors.

Food:

Great place for food, drinks, and hanging out. They also have live music from time to time. Kings Row is a solid place to go to if you want to hang out in Pasadena. I'll probably be back twice in August. Maybe I'll run into a few of you.

 

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