Ración in pasadena for some sweet lovin'

dating can be an exhilarating experience for some and just plain awkward for others. i mean seriously, trying to decode the signs given by the opposite sex and their level of interest in you without a manual can be difficult...unless you're one of those panty droppers of course and dating is as simple to you as breathing fresh air.

but if you're anything like 99% of the population, dating brings about butterflies and lots of questions. will we hit it off? what should i wear? too much or not enough boobage? and if you're the dude, you definitely want to conceal that beer gut and manscape a little just in case you get lucky. with all the questions and worries swirling around your noggin as you get ready for your date, here's one worry you can eliminate if you schedule your date at Ración in pasadena...the eats are solid and the ambiance is sexy. there. go make reservations now.

their basque inspired menu is divided into four sections: pintxos (served on bread), manos (bar snacks), tenedor (tapas), and cuchillo (larger entrees). everything is shareable of course and when you're on a date, it is best to share and let's face it, you're trying to create an intimate moment here over a tiny table sans ripping off each other's clothes.

to set the mood for your date, don't forget the libations. the sangria had a nice sweetness to it but won't get you buzzed at all so if you want liquid courage, order something else.

the meal started out with a complimentary amuse bouche. shhhh...it kinda tasted like crispy wanton skins to me :0

house-made bread with dots of raisins. a perfect platform to swipe up juices from various plates coming your way.

the escabeche ($9) marinated mussels, shrimp, and calamari with peppers was a zingy tangy bite. soft in the right places, chewy in others. i'm soooooo not talking about your date right now.

soldaditos de pavia ($6) salt cod fritters with lemon cream. quite a hit these balls were with our group (hopefully a theme that will extend to the rest of your date). the light batter encrusting a savory soft fish flesh is a must order.

lengua on bread ($7) braised beef tongue, pickled spring onions, and honey aioli. you can never go wrong with some good tongue action and this was some good action.

calamar a la plancha ($7) caramelized calamari, melted onions, and lemon aioli. really tender pieces of calamari on bread. messy to eat as the calamari starts flopping all over the place, but the flavors are strong and savory.

arroz con gambas ($18) crispy whole prawns, lobster rice, bouillabaisse was hands down MY FAVORITE bite of the night. great flavors, prawns were cooked well, but the over the top detail for me was the crispy, crusty rice scattered intermittently in the dish reminding me of the hard, crusty rice you find adhered to the bottom of old school rice cookers. get this.

fideua negra ($9) spanish pasta, mussels, poached quail egg.

calamares rellenos ($15) duck sausage stuffed squid with brava sauce. let me tell ya, one step short of being a dainty version of a turducken. all kidding aside, it's very, very tasty and another favorite of the night.

almejas con chorizo ($10) littleneck clams, green garlic, and vino blanco.

pulpo a la gallega ($10) beer-braised octopus, fingerling potatoes, pimenton.

cochinillo ($16) the daily pork prep which turned out to be dry as hell. not the best savory dish to end the night, but the other fine dishes more than made up for it. lesson to self: pork should not always have an automatic green light.

sweet cubes of marshmallows to round out the night.

so there you have it. zone in on a potential date, make reservations at Ración, eat lots, drink lots, and have yourself a jolly good time. dating can sometimes be awkward and uncomfortable but if you find the right match...boy is it worth it. and if you're a great husband who's planning out a date for his lovely wife to celebrate a special occasion, i suggest Ración for dinner and then a short walk over to tiffany & co....which reminds me i have to send the link to this blog post to my darling husband. :P

Ración
119 W. Green Street
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 396-3090
http://racionrestaurant.com/

price: $$$
verdict: tasty, try it!

carmela ice cream cools down pasadena one spoonful at a time

perhaps you cool down by diving into a pool, but for fatties like me, i just eat ice cream...and lots of it....wearing my shorts....with my sandals on so i can get that thong strap tan on my feet that i sooooo love to top off my summer look. so naturally, when delicious sounding ice cream joints pop up on my radar such as cathy's post about carmela ice cream in pasadena, i was totally hooked in to try. i.want.that.salted.caramel.dangit.

the flavors they have are rather extensive and they do allow you to have a taste of their various offerings, but after the 3rd tiny spoonful, my asian guilt settled in and i stopped myself from tasting all eleven flavors. i also recommend that you go earlier rather than later because as you can see, the last thing you want is a bold mean line running across the flavor you craved. sucka.

they do sell other goodies...cake pops, ice cream sandwiches, and other cakey sweets....

but the real deal, the cold calling that lead me to pasadena was their handmade, organic dairy ice cream. i decided to get one scoop which they then allowed me to split into two flavors and got the salted caramel on the bottom and the brown sugar vanilla bean on top. and to take this sweet deal to the next level, they make this crazy delicious waffle cone/waffle in a cup that gives you a most buttery crunch when you bite it.

i really enjoyed spooning my ice cream from the bottom up, mixing the two flavors together. but the best bite of all was a piece of sweet waffle slightly softened by the melted ice cream with a bit of blended salted caramel and brown sugar vanilla bean still clinging to it. but i warn you, eat this delicious yet rich ice cream in moderation lest you want some engorged fat cells clinging to your chunky thighs as well. that is all.

Carmela Ice Cream
2495 E. Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 797-1405

www.carmelaicecream.com

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

yujean kang's in pasadena packs a surprising punch

when i think of pasadena, i don't think of eats. i think of robin's egg blue boxes, apples, and old ladies thinking they will be forever 21. but an invitation from diana brought danny and my belly out to pasadena for a media tasting at yujean kang's gourmet chinese cuisine which promptly changed my mind about what i can eat in pasadena...and how much food my belly can actually hold...oh dear!

first off, i can eat yujean kang's crispy tofu rolls with chicken and mustard greens. the tofu skins had a slight chew to them when fried and are not similar in texture to fried egg rolls. in my heart of hearts, i wanted to believe they were healthier because of the tofu skin. yes?

the shrimp and garlic chives dumplings wrapped in traditional wheat starch skin. the dumplings looked like little doves nestled in their bamboo nest and will perch nicely on your pair of chopsticks before taking flight into your mouth.

the four season dumplings was another yummy appetizer. each pocket was filled with a different ingredient; chopped celery, tomato, wood ear mushrooms, and egg which offered a distinctly different taste based on the orientation of your bite. fun.

yujean kang's hot and sour fish chowder was absolutely AMAZING. this version was tangy, tart, and chunkalicious with fish sans the neon brown look that most hot and sour soups are known for. THIS is the perfect soup to nurse a cold or to accompany any meal. i want to go back for more!

we also nibbled on their braised black cod with soy, garlic, and scallion with baby bok choy.

and chomped on their sauteed jumbo prawns with smoked diced black cod. this dish was well seasoned and the smoked diced black cod was an addictive addition. i used my expert chopstick skills to pluck each and every piece of diced cod before inhaling my prawns.

another stellar dish was their slow cooked pork belly with tofu knots and dark mustard greens. the unctuous nature of the belly and the sweet notes from its caramelization brought just enough savory/sweet decadence to my scoop of fluffy jasmine rice. delicious and a must order!

their spicy scallops with glazed walnuts (normally prepared with prawns), was delightful to eat. each piece of glazed walnut from this dish was like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae because of the delightful burst of sweetness.

mei gan which is a dried, spongy veggie. an interesting texture for the mouth and a definite first for me.

then we partook in a hot cup of tea, asian style with the cup cap and all to keep the contents hot. the best thing about eating at chinese restaurants is the soothing cup of tea to wash all the food down.

and before i knew it, i indulged in their delicious dessert plate; mandarin orange cheesecake with passion fruit sauce and red bean pancake with coconut sauce. each bite had the perfect balance of sweetness and was a wonderful way to end our meal.

yujean kang's chef/owner kept true to traditional chinese flavors but was thoughtful in tweaking certain aspects of his dishes to make even someone like me who grew up on home cooked chinese meals rather interested in coming back. and with a huge wine list, i'm DEFINITELY coming back.

Yujean Kang's Gourmet Chinese Cuisine
67 N. Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 585-0855

www.yujeankangs.com

verdict: tasty, try it!

pappaRich has super buttery buns!

destructive behavior means willingly engaging oneself in bad-for-you activities. for instance, like eating candy right before your dentist appointment or smoking crack. if you find yourself in the presence of this man, he will surely enable you in every single destructive way possible. don't let that happy smile fool ya. bad man.

he guards the entrance to his lair of badness....a lair known for especially entrapping people with muffin tops and those that swear that they won't eat badly anymore but end up DOING THE EXACT OPPOSITE. oh man, i confess...i'm one of THOSE. how the heck did i end up with greasy, buttery lips when i promised i wouldn't overindulge on random fats anymore? fail.

for $5.25, this combo snack did me in. their fragrant english tea washed down the buttery evidence left from their signature papparich bun.

and their bun. dear lord. this korean style bun has a layer of mocha cream paste on top which gets melted on the bun during the baking process. the resulting effect is a sweet, somewhat crunchy exterior. once you break into the bun, you reveal soft, pillowy bread innards AND an alarming pat of butter in the center that barely melted through. "holy crap, i just bought bigger pants yesterday!" i exclaimed once i took my initial bite. the sopping buttery middle was a little bit too much for me to enjoy so i ate around it like a beaver gnawing on tasty driftwood. although papparich has oodles of die hard fans, for once, the fatty in me actually thought it was too buttery and just.too.much. go figure.

i will probably give these buttery buns another try and only if they are piping hot. not to mention all the coffee choices that i did not partake in which warrants a second visit. till then, i give papparich a lukewarm high five.

PappaRich
100 W. Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 440-0009

www.papparichusa.com

price: $
verdict: it's aight

so cheap it's good at the tibet nepal house

you have to admit that $10 won't get you much to eat these days, and if it does, then you're probably visiting the golden arches WAY too many times. ok fine, you might be able to find some hole in the wall places in the sgv that serves up some delicious grub, BUT can you get a light buzz on top of those cheap eats?! oh friends, i've got the place for you!

my friend had her annual birthday brunch at tibet nepal house in pasadena. when i found out it was their $9.99 "champagne brunch" which means unlimited cheap champagne AND nepalese foods, i immediately clicked "yes." i just don't say no to that kind of stuff....

since the birthday girl went early, she nabbed a good, spacious area for us to sit. the ambience was rather chill and i loved the big cutout footprints that adorned the ceiling. as a big buddha statue watched your every move, you can have a sip of their cheap champagne and get a refill or two if you want. nice!

cheap champagne x 2.

the buffet was rather limited but you still get an array of eats to choose from. on my plate, i managed to nab myself a piece of tadoori-esque chicken, some mushrooms and peas curry, green beans, and a potato curry (i appreciated the number of vegetarian options available even though i eat dead animals on a daily basis). i also got myself a little bowl of their lentil soup which was rather salty. overall, i thought nepalese food tasted very similar to indian food, but the spice level is way low, if any. i would have gone back for a second helping of everything, but a bus dropped off a LOAD of folks from i don't know where and the buffet was cleaned out in seconds. this is what egypt must have looked like after the locusts swept through.

i managed to nab myself a bowl of their rice pudding which was delicate with strong cinnamon notes. the birthday girl liked this A LOT as well and might have had as many helpings as i had champagne.

so a happy birthday girl, a plate of good food, and THREE glasses of champagne later and methinks the $9.99 was well spent here. please don't come here thinking you'll get AMAZING food though, cuz after all folks, it's only $9.99. for me, it's good enough and a few drinks later, it was pretty rad.

Tibet Nepal House
36 E Holly St
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 585-0955
www.tibetnepalhouse.com

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

a sexy valentine

as you make plans for valentine's day (possibly a romantic dinner or a sweet surprise for your burning love), i ask that you consider throwing these candy thongs/candy bras into your plans as well. nothing says love me sweetly on a day devoted to love than candy covered private parts. red roses? meh? hard candy on penis? yes?

if you're wondering WHERE you must go to get these sexy candy undergarments, it may be of no surprise to you that they are located in the sex capital of the world, pasadena, california, in a little candy shop called temptations chocolate factory.

here in this candy shop, the temptations can be wholesome, like candied apples buried under mounds of chocolate, marshmellows, and other confections. i personally enjoy putting my mouth around the almond caramel apple. oh so mcdreamy in the pie hole.

for the record, the almond caramel apple is the only good tasting product in this shop! i find most of their candies to be old and stale or cheaply made, possibly just a step up from drugstore candy goods that are a few days old. their apples, on the other hand, are usually fresh and tart with just the right amount of sweetness from the thick layer of caramel. the crushed almonds provide a wonderful nuttiness to your hearty apple bite.

but if you are not tempted by apples, then there are other temptations (though not as tasty in my opinion), that harken to the chocolate whore in you such as blocks and blocks of fudge flavored with all kinds of decadence. i'm personally not much of a fudge fanatic so i can't vouch for these, but they are pretty to look at.

or you may be tempted by all things square-like, like these endless candy choices in "bar" forms like the m & m bar, the oreo bar, the mint bar, the almond bar, etc....nestled amongst all types of sugary sweetness made into balls and clusters.

of course for the kid in you, you might be tempted by old school candy of yore that can be bought in bulk. jelly beans, salt water taffy, sour gummies and the like. i wouldn't recommend getting those here though since they look kind of old and neglected and a bit faded from the sun.

or perhaps unconventional confections such as lollipops with worms and petite scorpions in the middle tempt you the most? well lucky you, there's a ton to be found here, though i've never tried them nor do i have plans to try any in the future.

or you can just settle for something naughty, like this frozen banana shlong. sadly, this frozen banana was the worse i've ever tasted. not only was it way too brown from being frozen for decades, the chocolate also tasted plasticky. bleh!

all in all, not the best place to pick up fancy chocolates, BUT, if you are ready to step outside of the box this valentine's day to pick up some candy undergarments for your loved one, then do drive over to temptation chocolate factory in pasadena. seriously, WHO can possibly say NO to you if you're wearing a candy thong?! happy bowchickabowwow to you.

Temptations Chocolate Factory
40 W Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 440-9149

price: $
verdict: it's aight