Results tagged “oldtown”

On the edge of Los Angeles at the Calabasas city line is the Sagebrush Cantina. It's the last place you can smoke in public before getting a ticket within a few steps, it's a place where margaritas are flowing and where bikers are hollerin'. Even if it is officially in Los Angeles (by 20 feet), come on, it's really Old Town Calabasas.

7 pm // Santa Monica Bar and Grille // 3321 Pico Blvd., Los Angeles // $40 at the door.

We are not all drivers, we are not all cyclists, we are not all transit riders, but we are all pedestrians. Every trip we take starts and ends with a walking trip. And no matter what part of the Los Angeles area you're in, walking can be, well, no walk in the park. There's always something: a bad sidewalk, ditzy drivers, driveways, the lack of a sidewalk, zero street activity and endless sights of shadeless boulevards.

Forget the pageantry and regal demeanor of the Rose Parade, the 31st Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade is the ultimate antidote. Billed as being the loud and irreverent twister sister of the aforementioned annual march down Colorado Boulevard, the parade promises to "send up a woolly range of mischiefs, grounded superheroes, political pundits, homegrown satirists, art car inventors, and other bohemian frolickers."

Yesterday, as shoppers lined the streets of Old Town Pasadena, four shots rang out on Colorado Blvd. A 23-year old man, the intended victim, was hit once in the back. He's in stable condition at a nearby hospital. It is, the LA Times reports, the area's first shooting. Channel 9 happened to be there.

We leaf through various calendars so you don't have to.

A listing of LAist picks for music in Los Angeles tonight. Includes Of Montreal, Poncho Sanchez, The Walkmen, Coheed & Cambria and more...

I've lived in the U.S.A. for more than half my life now, but I still grapple with the issue of cultural identity and a sense of national heritage. This is further complicated by the fact that my people and my motherland suffer from what I see as a lack of culture beyond a handful of longstanding stereotypes that I feel oftentimes at a loss to counter or defend, unless I am taking exception to...

Every Friday, LAist is taking you on a trip down to Orange County to uncover the unique dining experiences that await adventurous eaters willing to explore beyond the county line. I’ll just say it simply: LA rocks Mexican food. With the largest population of Mexicans outside of Mexico City based in the City of Angels, we are blessed with a preponderance of high-quality, authentic grub (at least based on my uneducated Chinese taste buds)....

Brisk weather seems to beg for warm soothing beverages, the company of good friends, and tasty treats. This is why we recently culled together all three of those components at Pasadena's cozy Chado Tea Room for an afternoon of eats and drinks. Before we began our tea adventure, we'd done a little bit of online digging. We found ourselves on TeaMap.com, a site that, well, obviously, maps out tea houses in the U.S. We realized that while we talk about teatime an awful lot, we don't actually have it; our last local tea outing must have been years ago at the Rose Tree Cottage , although we've happily sipped a cuppa or two at the famed Empress Hotel in Victoria among other spots. But, oh, dear! The TeaMappers loathe the Rose Tree, and we had to factor in economy, so we opted for Chado.

We had a chance to stop by the farmer's market at Wilshire Boulevard and Mariposa Avenue on Friday morning. The little market bustled with workers from the nearby office towers and people who live in the neighborhood. The first spring produce was already available. We picked up some slim spears of new asparagus. The strawberries smelled nice, too, though we didn't buy any this time. Also, we haven't had great luck buying bread at farmer's markets in the past, finding it too often dry and dull, but we picked up a loaf of whole wheat and honey bread from the stand run by the Old Town Baking Company of Fontana, and it was excellent -- simultaneously hearty and light, and, according to the vendor and the label, 100% whole grain. It's great when the healthiest foods are also the most delicious.

We'd heard a lot of good things about Marston's some time ago; apparently some chow-minded folks swear by it, although there are some who swear at it. LAist had more of the good stuff in mind when we planned a breakfast get-together there recently. Marston's is located in Pasadena, just far enough away from Old Town and not too close to the Paseo's looming retail eyes. The restaurant is in a little blue and off-white house, and the quarters are a little close inside. So close, in fact, that despite there being some empty but just needing a wipe-down tables on one side of the room, our server wanted to seat our party at a table that was joined to another, where a family with screaming children were having their morning meal. LAist has never worked as a server, so we don't claim to know their rationale, but as a patron this choice was pretty unappealing, so we asked if we could hold out for a slightly less hectic table. The young lady didn't seem pleased with our question, and she told us in a bit of a huff that we'd "just have to wait over there" by the door. Which we happily did, and before things got too tense we sat down and studied the menu. Seating is definitely a high area for concern at Marston's--those who swear at it have experienced long waits at peak hours, and many have had poor service; those who swear by it say its worth it. We were willing to find out.

American restaurants, for the most part, favor the ample portion. Giant salads, sandwiches the size of your head, mounds of mashed potatoes holding up something big and meaty. Sometimes a person doesn't want to eat that much--maybe it's late at night, maybe you had something super-sized for lunch and only want a small dinner. But a taste of something...now that would hit the spot! Enter tapas, the Spanish version of bar hopping and snacking that allows for the sharing of small portions of savory foods. One late night after the theatre we settled down at Pasadena's Bar Celona for some tapas, and had a lovely time.

We've got two spots we've recently hit up in Pasadena that let you feast on fantastic fare for less than $25 a person. Today's spot is sushi, at a little spot on Colorado in Old Town called Ari-ya.

Here it is again... the weekend. Will it cool down? It's all relative, we suppose. Just remember, whatever you do, keep your cool! There are plenty of things to do around town that are indoors, or outdoors, to suit your mood and temperment, in addition to the other events we're talking about.

Stepping inside Sushi Roku's dim interior is like stepping into a cavelike haven from the brightness and bustle of the streets outside. The staff is enthusiastic and friendly, shouting traditional greetings, and, in our case, seating us promptly at the long, elegant sushi bar. There we could drink in the restaurant's cool and soothing stonework; we remarked that it felt as though we'd somehow been transported to a sushi bar in some beautiful Tokyo hotel. Beneath the glass of the bar we saw the piles of colorful, fresh fish and shellfish, awaiting the masterful touch of the lightening fast sushi chefs. We placed our initial order: Salmon, Tuna, and Mackerel (Aji) sushi, Canadian Rock Shrimp and Asparagus Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, and Spicy Scallop Roll. Soon the chef was presenting our dish over the rim of the bar, pausing to point out each item on the plate. The sushi pieces were gorgeous cuts--flavorful and fresh. The rolls were simple, well made, and not so packed with bells and whistles as to overwhelm the palate. We ate slowly, enjoying the ambiance and the food, and, with a nod of agreement from our dining companion, ordered just a little more: Halibut sushi and the Albacore and Garlic Roll. A bit of whitefish is a nice alternative in flavor in texture to the thicker, standard pieces of tuna or salmon, and the Albacore Garlic roll was phenomenal, with its tangy burst of garlic. Our dining companion cited the last roll her favorite, calling it "A fancy sushi version of a tuna sandwich." No matter what you call it, Sushi Roku is a moderately-priced, pleasant, and delicious haven in the chaos of Old Town Pasadena. Domo Arigato, Sushi Roku!

Congratulations, LAists. Another week successfully past and a new weekend just beginning! Because of the sheer volume of events over the next two-and-a-half days, this post will only cover Friday's events. Look for another post later today with all the juicy details for entertainment on Saturday and Sunday.