Archive for the 'Pasadena' Category

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House of Basturma – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on February 14, 2011 in Armenian, Lebanese, Los Angeles, Middle Eastern, Pasadena, Restaurant Review and Turkish. 16 Comments

It’s a well known fact that cured meats make my heart go pitter-patter, so when a fellow Pasadena-based food blogger alerted me that a basturma specialist recently opened up shop down the street from my home, I made my way there at my earliest convenience.

House of Basturma was completely empty when The Astronomer, Danny, and I arrived last Tuesday night. However, as soon as we walked in, the mom and pop who run the place unglued their eyes from the local news and assisted us in navigating the Armenian-Lebanese-Turkish menu. I kind of got the sense that the older couple was a little baffled as to why two Asian kids and a white dude were stopping in for dinner, but they were hospitable and friendly nevertheless.

We ordered a chikofte platter ($5.99) to start. Traditionally served as an appetizer, chikofte is a mixture of bulgur wheat and finely ground raw beef. We were informed by the proprietress that only Middle Eastern palates appreciate this dish, but we went ahead and ordered it anyway because I heart raw meat as much as the cured stuff.

The chikofte was topped with lightly dressed fresh tomatoes and served with warm pita bread. The first few bites of the chikofte along with the pita and veggies were very lovely, but after bite number five, it started tasting monotonous. Had the portion not been so generous, we would’ve left things off on a high note!

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Carmela Ice Cream – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on February 2, 2011 in Dessert, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 14 Comments

It was slightly disorienting to be driving toward the foothills of Altadena for dessert and not be heading to Bulgarini. Instead, my friend Laurie and I were destined for Carmela Ice Cream, a farmers market favorite that recently opened a proper brick and mortar. The shop is named after founder Jessica Mortarotti’s grandmother, who inspired her in the kitchen at a young age.

The store was bathed in an abundance of sunshine when we walked in on a weekend afternoon. There were a few customers ahead of Laurie and me in line, which gave us a few free moments to contemplate the small but adequate flavor selection—five ice creams and three sorbets. In addition to ice cream and sorbet, the shop also sells sweets made by Valerie Confections, Sugarbird Sweets, and Blue Cupcake.

After selecting and purchasing our goods, we headed outside to enjoy them since there sadly weren’t any tables or seating areas reserved for customers inside the shop. It’s a good thing it was warm and sunny out.

All of Carmela’s ice creams are made with Clover Organic Dairy and are inspired by herbs, spices, flowers, and seasonal fruit. Laurie was a little bummed that the lemon verbena vanilla bean was no longer available, and she ended up choosing a scoop each of salted caramel and brown sugar vanilla bean ($4.50).

Laurie was smiley and smitten with the salted caramel flavor. She excitedly proclaimed more than once how much she loved its distinctly salty notes. Her reaction to the brown sugar vanilla bean was positive as well, but compared to the salted caramel, the flavor paled in comparison. Don’t tell the neighbors, but Laurie discarded her scoop of vanilla in a bush because it “wasn’t worth the calories.”

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Love Thy Neighbor: Making Dosas with Renuka

Published by Gastronomer on January 4, 2011 in Indian, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Potpourri and Vegetarian. 14 Comments

Last spring, a wonderful woman named Renuka moved into the apartment across from mine. She and her husband arrived from Madras, India to spend six months with their son Raga, a graduate student at Caltech. The moment Renuka stepped into her temporary home on East Del Mar Boulevard, she whipped out the pots, pans, and spices that she had carried with her from India, fired up the stove, and began cooking non-stop. Raga had been without proper home cooked meals for over a year, and as his coddling mother, she felt compelled to remedy the situation immediately.

Before I met Renuka face to face, I was seduced by the smells emanating from her kitchen. Whenever I stepped into the hallway that our apartments shared, I was smacked in the face by an intoxicating blend of chilies and spices. It was torturous to say the least.

I remember the first time I met Renuka vividly. It was early afternoon and I was preparing to grill a pork tenderloin. As I was carrying the meat from my apartment to the barbecue set up in the back lot, I noticed Renuka peeking her head out from her kitchen. I said hello and explained to her that I was working on a pork-intensive food photography project. She made a bit of a funny face and told me she was vegetarian. While holding the bloody hunk of pork in my hands, I tried my best to convince her that my regular diet was mostly meat-free. I’m not sure she believed me.

From that day forward, we spent time together on a regular basis. At first it was just hellos and how are yous, but it eventually evolved into a solid friendship—I’d never had such a lovely neighbor.

The first time Renuka invited me into her kitchen, she prepared one of her specialties. Dosa, a typical dish in South Indian cuisine, is a thin and crispy fermented crepe made from rice flour and lentils. I was hoping to witness the entire process from start to finish, but Renuka had already prepared the batter and the accompanying chutney by the time I arrived. All that was left to do was a little frying on the stove.
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Happy New Year, Y’all!

Published by Gastronomer on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena and Postcard. 5 Comments

Mezbaan Indian Cuisine – Pasadena

Published by Gastronomer on December 1, 2010 in All U Can Eat, Indian, Los Angeles, Pasadena and Restaurant Review. 15 Comments

When the Indian kids studying at Caltech are hungry for a taste of home, they head to Mezbaan Indian Cuisine in Old Pasadena. It’s hardly the closest Indian restaurant to campus, but the quality makes up for the longer trek, according to our friend Raga, a computer science grad student from Madras.

Raga introduced The Astronomer and me to his favorite spot a few Sundays ago. We came for the all-you-can-eat buffet, which is priced at $10.95 and includes champagne. The fun starts at noon and runs until 3 PM. Mezbaan also has a weekday buffet for $8.99 from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. For grad students living on a stipend, these buffets offer a lot of bang for very little buck. Ordering a la carte will come once PhDs are in hand. Or maybe not…

While we were filling up our plates at the steam tables, our really nice and attentive waiter dropped off a basket of warm and pliable naan. This was the first of two baskets we plowed through during our meal.

On our visit, Mezbaan offered three different condiments—mint chutney, tamarind chutney, and raita, a cooling yogurt sauce. Raga had a soft spot for the minty one, while I favored the sticky sweet tamarind one.

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