If you haven’t been on a FOODIE FIELD TRIP you definitely must go. My friend Lawren and I took part in the Pasadena Foodie Tour. We walked from café to restaurant to bakery to gastropub while getting in a bit of Pasadena history from our tour guide, Sandra. The tour was a walking tour I saw so many businesses that I didn’t even know were there because I’m usually driving by. Walking the streets really allowed us to get a glimpse of Pasadena not to mention walk off the yummy food. My only tip : don’t go on the hottest day of the year.
We started the tour with dessert and ended the tour with dessert.
[singlepic id=137 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=138 w=300 h=220 float=left]
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pappa Rich-The Father of all buns
They have a signature bun that is crispy on the outside and extremely buttery on the inside. It’s like eating a high-end piece of melted hot buttery toast.
Pappa Rich is a popular chain of Korean bakery’s and the Pasadena location is the only one in the US. They also serve coffee and different juices. Oh and they have wifi!
[singlepic id=140 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=142 w=300 h=220 float=left]
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chado Tea Room
After what seemed like the longest walk ever we finally made it to Chado Tea Room.
I have never seen so much tea in my life. We sampled different varieties and tried their signature shortcake with fresh fruit and cream. I really don’t know that much about teas but did learn that all tea comes from one plant. The different varietals are created in the drying process. There’s white tea, which is the least processed. Japanese green tea, which is steamed. Oolong, which is in between white and green and oxidized and Puerh, which is the only tea that gets better with age. There were many many more varietals but I think I stopped writing when the shortcake came out.
[singlepic id=143 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=144 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=145 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=146 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=147 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=148 w=300 h=220 float=left]
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Choza Mama
All I can say is YUM YUM YUM and I’m definitely going back! I had no idea Peruvian food tasted so good. There were so many different dishes to sample.
Chicken in cilantro and beer stew
Pork in a red wine sauce
Veggies in a creamy white sauce…the list goes on.
Choza Mama is family owned and there are two locations; one in Pasadena and a Choza Mama Express in Burbank, CA.
[singlepic id=149 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=150 w=300 h=220 float=left]
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1810 Argentina
And here comes the wine! We sampled white and red wines, fresh sliced bread with their parsley olive oil mixture, spinach empanadas and a small plate of skirt steak with a dollop of green/red pepper garnish.
I really liked the atmosphere in 1810. The tables were dark, the walls were brick and the ceiling had exposed piping. I would highly recommend this place during Happy Hour after work with friends.
[singlepic id=151 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=152 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=153 w=300 h=220 float=left]
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Haven Gastopub
Gastro pub non Brit. a British term for a public house that specializes in serving high quality food.
The Gastropub had a super fun atmosphere. They are known for their homemade ketchup and aioli sauce. I’m so used to prepackaged ketchup (aka McDonalds) that the sweet savory flavor of ketchup from scratch is going to take some getting used to. We sampled their homemade beer; Gross National Happiness. I’m not a huge beer drinker so the shot glass was the perfect size for a sample.
[singlepic id=154 w=300 h=220 float=left] [singlepic id=155 w=300 h=220 float=left]
Violet Cakes
Martha Stewart named Violet Cakes 1 of 10 best cupcakeries in the country. You might also remember Violet Cakes from Cupcake Wars the Girl Scout Birthday episode.
The front of the bakery is pretty small but the most important thing…THE CASE was filled with super yummy looking desserts. We all got to choose one mini cupcake and believe me, it was not an easy decision. Lawren picked the vanilla vanilla and I had the strawberry shortcake cupcake.
[singlepic id=156 w=300 h=220 float=]
EAT. DRINK. DISCOVER
Los Angeles Food Tours
www.foodyfieldtrips.com
818-86-FOODY