In-N-Out Burger
1210 N Atlantic Blvd
Alhambra, CA
(800) 786-1000
Cuisine:
American, Hamburgers, Fast Food
June 1, 2007
Another Yummy In-N-Out
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.
Dishes I tried:
Panda Inn
3488 E Foothill Blvd
Pasadena, CA
(626) 793-7300
Cuisine:
Chinese, Asian, Casual dining
In-N-Out Burger
2114 E Foothill Blvd
Pasadena, CA
(800) 786-1000
Cuisine:
Hamburgers, Fast Food
Fresh Gourmet
2004 Huntington Dr
San Marino, CA
(626) 308-1720
Cuisine:
Californian
Panda Express
218 S Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA
(626) 796-7710
Cuisine:
Chinese, Fast Food
June 10, 2007
Quick, Easy, Reliable Chinese Food
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.
Dishes I tried:
The Hat
491 N Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA
(626) 449-1844
Cuisine:
Deli, Hamburgers, Fast Food
June 10, 2007
Heart-stopping Pastrami
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.
Dishes I tried:
Pastrami Sandwich
This is a very large sandwich, stuffed with plenty of Pastrami and topped with their sauce, pepper, and pickles. If you’re hungry, it’s definitely filling but if you’re not hungry, better split it or be prepared to keep half of it in the brown bag that they give you with the sandwich.
Chili Fries
This is one large order so be sure you have plenty of help because just like any other fries, it’s not good once it’s not hot. The fries are the thick kind and they just pile on the chili and cheese. When you first get the order, the cheese is still pretty cold so get started on your Pastrami sandwich and a few minutes later, you’ll have a perfectly melted chili fries.
Sharky's Woodfired Mexican Grill
841 Cordova St
Pasadena, CA
(626) 568-3500
Cuisine:
Mexican
June 8, 2007
Blending Traditional and Chic Mexican Food
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.
Dishes I tried:
3 Taco Combo
This was the fastest way to try different kinds of tacos at once. I tried the “Original” taco, the California Chicken taco, and the Tempura Battered Mahi Mahi taco. I’m not too keen on the fact that they charged extra for the special tacos but I didn’t mind just to try it once so the California Chicken taco was an extra $0.30 and the Mahi Mahi (fish) taco was an extra $0.50.
My favorite was the Mahi Mahi taco but the other two tacos were definitely still good.
Wheatberry Bakery Cafe
165 S Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA
(626) 795-7175
Cuisine:
Sandwiches, Coffee, Bakeries
June 8, 2007
Delicious Sandwiches
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.
Dishes I tried:
Pesto Chicken Sandwich
All the full-sized sandwiches come with a choice of salad or soup. This particular sandwich is made panino style and has some chicken, cheese, and pesto in it. It’s not a very large sandwich but it’s still quite filling. The Caesar salad wasn’t anything spectacular but it was a nice complement. Definitely give this sandwich a try.
Red Brick Pizza
345 S Lake Ave Ste 205
Pasadena, CA
(626) 585-1600
Cuisine:
Pizza, Ice Cream
June 6, 2007
Good Pizza
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.
Dishes I tried:
Gourmet Works Pizza with Sun Dried Tomato Basil Crust (Small)
I decided to splurge a bit and pay the extra $0.50 for the Premium crust made of Dried Tomato Basil. That crust was well worth it. The works was a little busy for my taste so I didn’t rate it any higher but it was still a tasty pizza. As a bonus, the pizza isn’t excessively oily either so for those oil-napkin dabbers, you won’t have much work to do.
The pizza has red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, italian-style sausage, black olives, red onions, green bell peppers, and bacon.
Corner Bakery Cafe
345 S Lake Ave Ste 107
Pasadena, CA
(626) 578-1281
Cuisine:
Sandwiches, Bakery Cafe, Cafe
June 1, 2007
Slow Service, OK Food
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.
Dishes I tried:
Chicken Pomodori
Not too bad, tasty.

BlueBaron6
06/10/2007The one in Claremont is equally greasy and good.