kings row gastropub

recently groupon had a deal at one of old town pasadena's latest foodie destinations.  "perfect!", i thought to myself, "i've been wanting to try kings row gastropub".

although i must admit, the recent restaurant trend to develop a decent beer selection, make well-crafted pub food, and charge a hugely inflated price, has made me a bit frustrated.  looking at their online menu confirmed that they had a good beer selection, and (sadly) the prices were on the high side for a pub, but the groupon deal persuaded me that i would take the plunge anyway.

fortunately, the food here was really excellent, and the atmosphere was really cool.  there is a nice little patio that backs on to one of old town's many alleyways, and the service was friendly and pretty smooth.  i'm not sure we will return and pay full price, but perhaps a return during their happy hour time slot will happen in the future.

umami burger

i'm a little behind on this one.  umami burger has been around for a little while with a few locations.  they've been rated extremely well by the press - both locally and nationally.  just do a google search.  you'll learn plenty about this la-based burger destination.

and i gotta say, it lived up to the hype.  sure, the prices were high - but i've grown to expect that in los angeles county.  there are other great places around - a few of my favorites: lucky devil's, father's office, oinkster, and even chains like tommy's, in-n-out, and fatburger - but umami's flavor is really special, and stands out in a crowded burger town.  the unique toppings were delicious, the patty was incredibly juicy, and the homemade buns were the icing on the cake.

fatburger pasadena - open!

 first off, congrats to mr. earl's san francisco giants - 2010 world series champs.  i haven't been a dodger fan long enough to find this news totally disheartening, and actually kind of took pleasure in seeing the underdog team take home the trophy.

speaking of exciting times - did you hear that fatburger is open in pasadena after a several year hiatus from our lovely city?  we stopped by yesterday and enjoyed their delicious burgers, crispy steak fries, and hamburger stand vibe.

it was crowded but the service was fast when we arrived in late afternoon, while some friends who passed the restaurant around noon said that the line spilled out on to the sidewalk.

father's office with friends

while their food and drink may be slightly overpriced, father's office has one of the tastiest burgers and best beer selections in l.a. county. and i do love burgers and beer...

highlights from our northwest trip: burger from brunchbox

this amazing cuisine from one of portland's many food carts is born as a normal hamburger and transformed by substituting two grilled cheese sandwiches for the bun. AMAZING. if you are ever in portland, go visit brunchbox.

a few photos from our weekend bbq

we had a feast of grilled burgers, sweet corn, hot dogs, and plenty of other good things. the weather was perfect for the long weekend, and we were able to get out on a couple of bike rides as well. here tim enjoys his perfect burger creation.