Not at all familiar w/ this place. Is it known for being bad-tasting?
i don’t expect QPR to be high. the bahn mi che cali nearby is managing to survive selling mediocre banh mi at $5 a pop.
I don’t think they have any existing stores.
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correct; incorporated about a year ago, owner benny j wong aka zhuokang huang, who also runs tasty factory corp. incorporated march 2013, which apparently mass produces asian food products. i imagine they’ll be the source/supplier for bun bun bao.
the internet is a dangerous thing.
lincoln in altadena is being replaced by a branch of homestate, probably best known for their breakfast tacos. the plan is to open this spring, starting with takeout/delivery only.
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Per @js76wisco, citing Eater, citing What Now LA, Chef Tony’s has closed and Beard Papa is moving in.
I seem to recall a Beard Papa on Lake, south of Del Mar, west side of the street - no idea if still there.
Per me, the building that used to house Mamma’s Brick Oven Pizza on Fair Oaks in South Pasadena, is slated to become a Krispy Kreme:
Edited to add: More on Mamma’s
And, apparently they moved further south on Fair Oaks, now south of Mission on west side of the street.
Oh, and the relocated Twohey’s is open (with curbside carhop service and smaller menu) in the building that used to be Carmine’s.
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el matador which replaced the branch of mijares at washington and allen now has outdoor dining: a few tables on the side, and two cabana sized enclosures with what looks like mosquito netting.
EDIT:
stopped by late last month as a friend from out of town wanted mexican and wanted to eat indoors - those cabana type structures in the parking lot are actually seating for the shawerma masters in the same mall.
ordered a drenched lengua burrito (forgot to take a pic), it was OK as burritos go, but nothing i’d go out of my way for.
a tostada mixta. i admit i have been spoiled by the tostada mixta at my taco in highland park.
which was a bargain at seven years ago at $8 but still a good deal today at $12 compared to the $7 version offered by el matador.
this may not be news to some, but apparently there’s now a wendy’s in the playhouse district on madison south of colorado blvd. while i personally consider it an odd choice of location, perhaps the star-news will give it all the business it needs to stay afloat; IIRC there’s limited parking around there which suggests the location is going to have to rely a lot on foot traffic.
i haven’t had a frosty in ages.
and since i’m on the topic of fast food, i tried the fish sandwich over at carl’s jr by pcc. the protein may have been fish once upon a time, but what i’d conjecture to be serious freezer burn altered the texture to that of a bad chicken patty. pass!
more of a public service announcement: there was a shooting this week in the parking lot of the la estrella at the intersection of foothill and altadena. there was also a robbery at gunpoint near sierra madre and del mar in the last couple of weeks. it’s kinda shocking to me to have this kind of crime going on in that part of pasadena. you kinda expect it west of lake and north of the 210.
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Wolfing down some papas con chorizo tacos from Guisado’s. So good.
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I noticed the other day that Sushi Ichi is closed; there’s a new sushi bar in its place, Sushi Karen (relocated from Culver City). Has anyone been? Also, it looks like Sushi Kimagure is closed as well. Are there any decent sushi bars in the Pasadena area? I love that there are so many options for high-quality sushi in DTLA and nearby, but sometimes I just want a casual, good-enough neighborhood sushi bar.
Sugarfish is the best one I know of if Kimagure is closed.
Yikes. That’s not saying much.
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RIP Kimagure. I used to be a regular at Sushi Ike when Ike San was the owner and then a semi regular at Kimagure. Enjoy your retirement Ike San!
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If you want cheap so-so sushi, there’s Oji on Colorado and Aikan on Green Street.
Depending on what part of Pasadena you’re in, there’s an argument to be made for Ichijiku in Highland Park. At least in the casual/affordable/good QPR genre.
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Oh, if I want cheap, so-so sushi, I have a LOT of local options, LOL!
Thanks for the reminder; I haven’t gotten around to trying it yet. Do you know if/when they’re opening up for indoor counter service? I’m so over take-out sushi, even if I go no further than the outdoor patio there.
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That’s a good question! Haven’t heard about them re-opening indoors, though they are doing a pretty booming patio business.
I think before we get down to Sugarfish, there is Osawa. But they’re only doing limited-menu patio dining at the moment. Battera and other specialties not available.