Panda Express is everywhere nowadays and their success owes to simple choices and quick service. This is still fast-food so don’t expect authentic or true Chinese food but if you’re looking for a quick bite to eat with good sized portions, you can’t go wrong with Panda Express.

The simplest way to order is to get a 2- or 3-item combo and choose from the many options. With any combo, you get to choose from Fried Rice, Noodles, White Rice, or Vegetables. This option does not count against your 2-/3-items so you can choose 2-/3- side items. The most popular item seems to be the Orange Chicken. Irregardless of the choices, try to get the items that were just recently cooked because like all fast-food, if it’s been sitting there a while, it just isn’t appetizing.

This Panda Express is easy to get to. They are located on the East side of Lake and there is plenty of parking in the back. To get to the parking, enter from either Cordova or Del Mar. You’ll find Panda Express about midway down the parking lot. You can park on Lake if you want as well but parking is a little harder to find on Lake.

This particular location is clean and large. There are lots of seats inside and a few tables outside. Lunch hours during the work week can be quite busy as the people who work in the area rush Panda Express but thankfully, they work fast so you don’t have to wait too long.

A trip to the Hat is always a treat, even if it means immense food coma afterwards. Do NOT go here if you are committed to the healthy trends. If you feel like throwing health caution to the wind, go to the Hat, order a Pastrami Dip and add something like their Chili Fries. Watch them slide your order down the string and then pick up your order minutes later at the other end of the counter. Your stomach will thank you for it!

You’ll find this Hat just north of the 210 on the West side of the street. This particular location is one of the cleaner and larger Hat properties. It is easily accessible and has plenty of seating inside.

This is a fast-food style, franchised Mexican restaurant that brings Mexican food with an up-to-date flair. They are proud to proclaim foods to be organic, hand-made-to-order, and healthy. I didn’t expect it to be spectacular but that doesn’t mean the food disappoints. The food was definitely good. Some of the twists were unexpected, such as a nachos with the option of adding tofu! In this case, as long as you don’t mind tofu, it wasn’t too bad but it’s just not what one expects to be an ingredient in nachos.

This particular location is big with plenty of indoor seating and limited outdoor seating. It’s a new location and quite clean. As part of the Sharky’s experience, you can try different kinds of salsa sauces of varying spiciness at a self-service bar across from the fountain drinks.

Overall, give the place a try. You’ll enjoy the food.

Excellent atmosphere and excellent food, what else? This is an excellent place to go for a nice lunch, good snack, light dinner, or some dessert. Located right on Lake Ave and easily accessible, this cafe has a nice vibe to it. With plenty of seating, and some outside, you can comfortably enjoy a good conversation.

I’ve seen quite a few Red Brick Pizza’s around but never actually tried their food so I finally got a chance to try their food. I tried a pizza and was pleasantly surprised. They prepare the pizza practically in front of you with a wide open kitchen. I don’t know how fresh the ingredients were but they were quite good.

This particular Pasadena location is clean. It is located inside the complex of this small mall. You’ll find it upstairs right next to and across from Trader Joe’s. It’s hard to see from Lake though because it’s up above and recessed inside.

Seating is available both inside and outside. The location has free wireless Internet and have quite a number of TV’s powered by DirectTV. I think I counted 6 booths that had their own LCD TV and remote so each booth can watch their own show.

I’d definitely recommend a visit.

Maybe it was just the day and time (Sat lunch) but the service was really slow and the waiter kept getting our food confused. However, once I got the food, it wasn’t too bad.

This place works almost like a fast food joint. You order at the counter, they give you a numbered placard, you fill up your drink at the fountain, you sit down, and then wait for the food. This location has seating both inside and outside. There is limited street parking or you could park in the mall.

Go ahead and try this place. I’d recommend avoiding busy times if possible but it’s not too bad.

Ruth’s Chris is a famous steakhouse and their steaks don’t disappoint. This particular location is right across the street from Paseo Colorado so Ruth’s Chris is a great place to finish off a day of shopping. Valet parking is available but if you arrive late in the evening or on weekends, just park on the street somewhere out back. It’s a nice short walk and saves you on being “gently encouraged” to use valet parking.

The interior is well-designed. It is darkly illuminated and generously, but simply, appointed. There’s plenty of seating but even then, reservations are strongly suggested to ensure you get a seat when you want to eat.

Once you’re seated, your very capable waiter/waitress will ask if this is your first visit. If so, they go into a very short spiel of how Ruth’s Chris works. The fact that most people remember is that the steaks are served on a very HOT (400 degrees they claim!) plate. The spiel is quickly followed by their specials of the day.

The day I went, the special was Kobe steak and I was surprised that they only charged ~$35. I’m not a steak connoisseur but I think the size of the Kobe steak that I got should’ve run in excess of $100. Since the $35 was about the same price as a filet, I decided to try it. I don’t know if that’s what Kobe is supposed to taste like but it sure tasted good. Cooked to a fine medium, the steak was juicy and flavorful. The hot plate kept it warm while I worked through the sides that I had ordered. Being a steakhouse, I wasn’t too keen on sides so I ordered only some broccoli, which was simply steamed.

Overall, Ruth’s Chris is well worth going if you have a chance but it’s too expensive for regular dining.

If you want fresh seafood in San Marino, this is the place to go. This is an unexpected location to find fresh seafood but this small restaurant gets daily shipments. You can either eat in, take out, or buy some fish to cook yourself. Admittingly, the prices overall are on the high side but it’s hard to beat fresh food and the good service. The owner and the servers are all very friendly, considerate, and fast. For those in the area, it’s a very convenient place to pickup some fresh fish every day without having to live near the water.

This is just like other In-N-Out’s… always busy and always yummy. The quality of food and cleanliness here is no different from other In-N-Out’s. This location does provide for indoor and outdoor seating with more indoor seating. The layout of the location requires a little comment as it isn’t the best of locations. In order to get to the restaurant, the best way is to drive north on Atlantic. You cannot (should not) turn left into In-N-Out when you drive south on Atlantic. If you are driving south on Atlantic, it is best to turn left onto Huntington and then right at the first street, Stoneman.