California Crisp - Pasadena

California Crisp
300 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 396-9992
Type: sandwiches / salads / pasta
Website
Map

Spent a little time in Pasadena a while back (in March to be exact). When I think of Pasadena, or any other city I think about, I wonder how their food culture is. Pasadena seems like a decent town for eats. So what do I do? I settle for the mall and find something there to quiet my stomach. Me being me, I at least made an attempt to skip the places I got at home (Subway and other places found everywhere). The mall is called Paseo Colorado and we end up on the second floor across the way from the movie theaters and a sushi restaurant to some spot in the corner called California Crisp.

This place didn't have exactly what I was craving for, but this particular meal was meant as a snack so we could save our appetites for something better at night. This place had sandwiches, salads, pastas, and I forgot what else. It's a healthier food place that I'm guessing caters to the yuppier crowds in Yuppiedena. Since it's a healthy spot, you know you gotta pay a little extra for those fresh ingredients. The well-to-do can afford to stay healthy, while I and many many others have to settle for heart disease, high cholesterol, and carpooling.

There was a good amount of people inside cuz I think it was lunch time for the working bunch. I remember I had a little trouble deciding what to get. Not much seemed that appetizing to me. I settled for the half veggie sandwich with one side ($6.59). I picked the pesto pasta for the side. The sandwich was cool. I don't remember much. I just know that their ingredients were fresh. Their pastas are served cold.

yuppie snack


My girl ordered the grilled chicken breast panini and 1 side ($7.29). She said it was okay as well. I don't know where the picture is but there's nothing special about it.

This place is just okay for us. I mean if you're on the healthy tip and lived in the neighborhood, you'd probably frequent this place if you could afford it-- and you're a yuppie. Just playing. I won't go here again cuz it's just not my style. It's not nasty though. So if you need to shed some pounds, this might be a good place to start. Fatty.

Mi Piace - Pasadena

Mi Piace
25 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-3131
Type: Italian food / dining / bakery
Website
Map



It was getting a little late at night one day in Pasadena. When I say late here, I don't mean 12 midnight or later. I mean 9 something or 10. My girl and I were having trouble finding a place to eat besides Wokcano. I hadn't updated Club N' Grub for the Pasadena area that much, so we had to drive up and down Colorado Blvd. We passed Mi Piace, but I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, so we considered it a backup if we didn't find anything else. We didn't find anything else.

Fug it. Mi Piace it is. I don't know why I don't like Italian food that much. It's cool, but I never crave it. For me it's sushi, Peruvian, Indian, Caribbean, or Mexican. This place is a little pricey for me-- but I make shit paychecks. It's a trendy spot with outside dining for yuppies. Actually that whole area of Pasadena is largely made of yuppies. Maybe even the whole city itself is. But who am I to judge? My girlfriend's a yuppie. j/k. Inside you'll listen to some dance music while you look at the modern-ish design.

I don't remember much about the menu. Just that if you don't know Italian you better read the descriptions or ask. Oh, if you're hungry and you want something to eat right away, you can order free bread. Free bread is always good when you're hungry or if you don't wanna eat a lot from the menu.

the good things in life are free


For the appetizer we got the torre di tonno ($14.95) which is an ahi tuna tower made with wonton chips and other stuff. I don't know. It was good but I've had similar at other places.

tuna tower


My notes say I ordered the gnocchi di spinaci e ricotta salata. I don't think that was it. I just know I had some juicy salmon with steamed broccoli. The broccoli was good. I think it was cooked with some kind of sauce. Although it was good, I had better salmon at Alpenrose and The Terrace Pointe Cafe at the Wynn. I think it was expensive too.



My girlfriend got the pappardelle con scamponi e gamberi ($19.50). It's a pasta dish with flat, wide noodles with prawns and two large shrimps. Also some celery and carrot slices were included in the mix. The cream sauce was a little sweet for her taste, but I think it was cool with me. It looks small but it could get you full. She said she wouldn't get it again.

pappardelle con scamponi e gamberi. look it up son.


For Italian food lovers, you'll probably like this place if the cost doesn't matter too much. It's not super duper expensive, but like I said, I don't like Italian food that much. It was cool (my homie Marlon hates when I say that) but I would prefer anything else that's cheaper than this place. I would eat sushi that's more expensive than this any day-- when I can afford it.

Tani, Pasadena

Tani
58 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 578-9493
Type: Japanese food / Sushi
www.tanirestaurant.com
Map



I went to Tani to celebrate my anniversary with my girlfriend. We were about to go to Wokcano, but we read their menu and just weren't feeling it. They didn't seem to have enough of the special rolls that I like. So we walked down Colorado and saw some little Japanese restaurant with a sample of one of their appetizers in front. It looked really good. We looked at the menu and got kind of excited. Although the prices were pretty high, the selection of appetizers and special rolls were just to my taste.

I don't remember much of the names of the things we got, but I can tell you that every single one of them were good. I think we ordered a regular shrimp tempura or crunchy roll-- and that was still good. I think the Crab Dynamite or something was really good. That was what arrived at the table first, and that was what we saved for the last few bites. I always have to have a great bite for my last bite.

Crab Dynamite?


Crunch or shrimp tempura roll


Some more bombness


I think the Pasadena roll (2 different rolls in 1 order)


The service was good here and the food was really good. I'd say it's for surely in the top 3 places that I've tried. I still think Sushi of Naples edges it out just a little because of the price and they have the Mardi Gras roll! We spent about $80 with tip included at Tani so we can't come here too often. Maybe every few months-- although I'd love to come back whenever I want.