24
Sep
2011
22
Sep
2011
There are two types of women in this world—those who squeal with delight at the site of macarons and those who simply don’t. While I started off in the former camp due to the novelty of it all, I’ve moved on to the latter after coming to the conclusion that macarons are overpriced sandwich cookies.
Still, when my friend Laurie asked if I wanted to scope out the newest branch of ‘Lette Macarons in Old Pasadena, I was totally game. Sometimes, reason doesn’t stand a chance against curiosity.
‘Lette Macarons is a joint collaboration between Paulette Koumetz, a macaron enthusiast, and Christophe Michalak, a French pastry chef. They opened their first shop in Beverly Hills in 2007 and added another outlet in Pasadena this past July.
All of ‘Lette’s macarons are hand-made daily in the Beverly Hills bakery. There are twelve classic flavors and a few seasonal specialties available everyday.
I bit the rational bullet and purchased a box of six macarons ($10.50). From the classic flavors available, I chose the salted caramel, coconut, lemon, Madagascar vanilla, and violet cassis. I selected passion fruit from the seasonal specialties.
19
Sep
2011
With a trio of gourmet wiener shops opening within the span of a year, Pasadena has become a hotbed for hotdogs. The first restaurant to come on the scene was The Slaw Dogs on North Lake. While the toppings here were fun, I haven’t been back since my initial visit due to a yet-to-be-remedied bun situation. The next spot to open was Big City Hot Dogs in Old Town Pasadena, which was then followed by Dog Haus across the way from Pasadena City College.
While I haven’t heard much buzz about the former, the latter has been receiving rave reviews since it opened. Along with my friend and fellow Pasadenian Laurie, I visited Dog Haus for a weeknight dinner. We were both in the mood for something awesomely gut busting.
In addition to their signature hotdogs, Dog Haus also serves sausages, burgers, and a handful of sides. Both Laurie and I stuck to the hotdog offerings this evening. I was hoping for a side of onion rings as well, but retracted my order after learning that they weren’t made in-house.
All of Dog Haus’ dogs weigh in at a hefty quarter pound and can be had with or without casing. Alternative diets are satisfied with veggie and turkey varieties.
Every table is outfitted with a big ‘ol box of napkins and squeeze bottles filled with yellow mustard and ketchup. For those interested in zestier toppings, there’s an extensive condiment bar toward the front of the restaurant with several types of mustard, curry ketchup, hot sauce, relish, peppercinis, and more.