The bright red, Spanish-style exterior of Margaritas Mexican Restaurant is probably a familiar sight to some, especially since it first opened in Pasadena 42 years ago, in 1977. One of a dying breed of restaurants, it remains firmly within family hands: owner Ruby Bugarin took over Margaritas in 2006 with her brother as partner when…
By Brianna Chu Before you start: I know it’s a dumb pun. I am indeed aware, as I was the idiot who came up with it. So…hi! I’m Brianna, an early twenty-something, recent university graduate who was born and raised in Pasadena. As you might have guessed, I love food! I’ve been lucky to grow…
By Brianna Chu Soh Grill opened its doors to Raymond Avenue a year and a half ago. When its owner, Tamara Kim, moved to Pasadena about three years ago, she noticed a lack of Korean food options and decided to open the restaurant in charming Old Town Pasadena. While Soh Grill is Kim’s first restaurant,…
One of the garden’s most popular events, the Pasadena Festival of Tea will be held again this year at the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden on March 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. With spring in full bloom in the garden, the festival will delight tea lovers and garden lovers alike. Local tea vendors will…
By Brianna Chu Last year, May and I were invited to a PR mixer at the Bone Kettle, a Southeast Asian restaurant and bar in Old Pasadena, and the food was, as hoped for, simply amazing. I loved it so much that I revisited the restaurant last week with my family for lunch to try…
The beginning of a new year marks the annual pledge many of us make for healthier eating habits after the long gluttonous run from Halloween thru New Year’s Day. With the heft of the holidays weighing in both body and mind comes the desire for clean, simple, lighter eating. Cue popcorn. Popcorn is a simple…
Restaurants honor Lionel Sternberger’s invention of the cheeseburger in Pasadena in 1924 During Cheeseburger Week from Jan. 6 to Jan. 11, Pasadena honors Lionel Sternberger’s genius in being the first to put cheese on a hamburger and serve it at the Rite Spot in Pasadena in 1924. Forty of Pasadena’s favorite restaurants, lounges and burger joints…
The fourth annual Masters of Taste 2019, a luxury food and beverage festival, is set to take place on Sunday, April 7, 2019 from 3 to 7 p.m. on the field of the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Chef Michael Hung, 2017 and 2018 Masters of Taste culinary master, will be the event’s first-time host chef. Hung’s illustrious career credentials include time spent with Traci Des Jardins’ James Beard Award-winning…