Restaurant Review #245: The Counter, Pasadena

Veggie burger

I've been hearing about The Counter for years. It was the favorite joint of a hamburger-obsessed colleague of mine, and everyone seems to rave about it. But I was really underwhelmed. There was nothing special about the flavor of the meat. I could have made a comparable, if not better, burger at home.


Beef burger

The concept behind The Counter is to build your own burger using a cute clipboard checklist. You can choose your own meat (beef, turkey, chicken, veggie), the size (1/3, 2/3, 1 lb), and your bun (regular, multigrain, English muffin, onion bun). The restaurant offers several dozen interesting toppings. Some of the more unusual options include horseradish cheddar, herb goat cheese spread, grilled pineapple, roasted green chiles, fried egg, apricot sauce, and peanut sauce. If all the options are too overwhelming, you can choose one of their predesigned signature burgers.

Maybe I didn't choose the right toppings, but for me, it was just an overpriced burger.


Parmesan fries

We also tried a side of parmesan fries. Ever since the truffle fries we had at Josie a few years ago, we've been searching for something else that measured up. The Counter's fries looked delicious but weren't very memorable.

We went to the Pasadena restaurant, but there are quite a few  locations, including Hermosa Beach, Miracle Mile, Sunset Blvd., Santa Monica, Studio City, and others.

The Counter

140 Shoppers Lane
Pasadena, CA 91101-2618
626.440.1008

Hours: Mon-Thu,Sun 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
The Counter website

The Counter menu

Restaurant Review #241, Roscoe's House of Chicken'n Waffles, Pasadena

Carol C. Special, $8.50

The Pasadena location of Roscoe's is situated in an old Pizza Hut that has been painted white but retains its unmistakable architecture. Inside, Roscoe's also appears to have retained Pizza Hut's decor of exposed brick and wooden curlicue chairs. Directly next door is a relatively new KFC. The smells from the dueling fried chicken establishments intermingle outside, and the two buildings are separated only by their cramped parking lots and a low masonry wall. Yes, Roscoe's has its own, free parking lot! Since it's not in trendy Old Town, patrons don't have to worry about parking garages or street parking.

Mac and cheese, $4.50

The main draw, of course, is the food, not the ambiance. Roscoe's serves fried chicken and waffles--a combination that originated in Harlem--and a variety of Southern side dishes, including mac and cheese, collard greens, cornbread, and red beans and rice. Everything can be ordered a la carte, but each side costs around $3 or $4, so you can rack up a bill pretty quickly ordering this way. You can also order a variety of preselected combinations of chicken, waffles, and side dishes from the main menu.

The delectable waffles are made fresh from a house batter and served with a generous dollop of whipped butter. The fried chicken breast was crispy and perfectly good, but not so amazing that I would need to eat it again (be aware that the breast is neither boneless nor skinless). It wasn't dry, but it wasn't juicy, either. I confess that the thrill of eating fried chicken and waffles together seems to be lost on me, except that it creates a great excuse to dip salty chicken into sweet maple syrup. If I went back, I might try a wing or a thigh and/or the gravy-smothered chicken.

Collard greens, $4.40

Collard greens are one of my favorite vegetables, but Scoe's greens were disappointing. For the price, I expected more than a watery, overly stewed, small bowl of plain greens. They were a little more interesting after adding hot sauce, but nothing like the collard greens at the Gumbo Pot at the LA Farmer's Market, or even like the ones I make myself. The cornbread was similarly lackluster. The baked mac and cheese was pleasantly tangy and salty and tasted like it was made from at least two different cheeses. The off-white plastic plates and bowls reminded me of those old-school cafeteria-style restaurants like Picadilly and Luby's that are scattered across the South.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal, especially my waffle, though I felt that my meal cost a few more dollars than it probably should have. Even average quality comfort food is still comforting. I would gladly eat at Roscoe's again, but I would probably not specifically seek it out unless I had a waffle craving. If I had a particular craving for Southern food, I would go somewhere else.

Roscoe's House of Chicken'n Waffles
830 N Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91104
(626) 791-4890
Roscoe's website
Roscoe's menu

Restaurant Review #227: Bar Celona, Pasadena

Poblano pepper and bean dip with crispy flatbread

Bar Celona has been in Old Town Pasadena for years, but Chef Josef Centeno of Echo Park's Lot 1 helped re-do the menu recently. Though I hadn't been to Bar Celona before, I did remember looking at the menu and thinking that it didn't seem very interesting. This time, there were more things I wanted to order than I could afford (or eat).


Bar

We went on a Tuesday night because we wanted to hear the live flamenco music. Every Tuesday night, local flamenco band Cale plays in the bar area. They mostly played Gypsy Kings, which I enjoyed and is certainly crowd-pleasing, though I would have liked to hear more variety. You don't have to sit in the bar area to hear the music, as they play it through the restaurant's speaker system. Unfortunately, we were sitting right underneath a speaker and it was very loud. I also had to watch some drunk birthday girl twirling around in front of the band, trying to get attention all night. I guess what I'm saying is that the music is great, but you might want to sit in the dining room instead of the bar area. You'll still be able to hear the music.

We started with a non-Spanish hummus-like appetizer. The flavor was good, but it had that fermented tang to it, like it had been sitting around a day too long. So you may want to skip the poblano pepper dip.

But don't worry, it gets better.


Piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese, lightly breaded and fried

I have loved piquillo peppers ever since I had them at Jose Andres's Jaleo in D.C. I savored every bite of this dish, eating it entirely too slowly so that the fried breading got soggy. I also love chile rellenos, but I'm not sure that deep frying peppers is the greatest idea--they're so moist that you're lucky if the coating is still crispy when the dish arrives at your table. Eat this one as soon as you get it.


Flatbread with three sausages

The flatbread with three sausages sounded so boring, and $9 for what is essentially a mini-pizza is pretty egregious. (You're right--I didn't order it.) But the Spanish chorizos and the unique, tangy sauce were outstanding. The dish had a very rustic, homemade feel and was big enough that you could share it without feeling deprived of a decent portion.


Potato and pulled pork shoulder croquettes

I love croquettes, but they are almost never done right. Usually, croquettes are dry, and these were no exception. Pulled pork could have been a very flavorful filling (think carnitas), but in this case it wasn't. I think I'm just going to have to learn to make my own croquettes, because the only good ones I've had since Spain were in Puerto Rico. I wouldn't order this dish again.


Sweet potato and butter empanadas

I couldn't get enough of the sweet potato empanadas. The deep-fried pastry was light and flaky on the outside and gooey on the inside. The sweet potato filling was sweet and creamy and thankfully did not remind me of Thanksgiving. I'm not sure I ever saw an empanada while I lived in Spain, but authenticity be damned. The empanadas were delicious.


Chicken kebab

As I'm sure you can tell from the photo, the only bad dish of the bunch was the chicken kebab, which was overcooked and dessicated. It didn't seem like it would have had much flavor even if it had been cooked for the correct amount of time. Marinade, anyone?


Sauteed oyster and crimini mushrooms

The sauteed mixed mushrooms were very flavorful and took me right back to Spain. The name of the dish was slightly misleading, as there were plenty of (cheap) button mushrooms in the dish as well, but it was still more mushrooms than I wanted to eat in one sitting. This is a good dish to share, or, if you don't mind snooty looks from the waitress, take home the leftovers.

Plates range from $6 to $25, so the tab adds up fast--I could have gone out for sushi for the same price and about the same level of fullness. Though I didn't love the prices (especially for the sangria--$8 for one glass with ice in it, really?), they are customary for a tapas restaurant (I'm sure they're also necessary to pay Colorado Blvd. rent!). You can save a few bucks if you go during happy hour, though.

I also didn't like our waitress's snobby attitude, but I can't say that it was representative of the overall service at the restaurant (or even of her--could have been a bad night). I really enjoyed the food, the sleek decor with glowing red panels and warm yellow ochres, and the live music. I would definitely like to go back the next time I feel like splurging.

Bar Celona
46 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
626.405.1000
Bar Celona website
Bar Celona menu

Restaurant Review #214: Mijares Mexican Restaurant, Pasadena

Albondigas

It may not always seem like it from my reviews, but I genuinely want to like every restaurant I try. I think there's a common misconception that food critics like to, well, criticize. Maybe some life-hating critics go out in pursuit of a bad meal so they can rip a chef to shreds, but I think most of us are foodies trying to have as many fantastic culinary experiences as possible and share them with others.

So I really wanted to like Mijares. I went on a Sunday night and there was live mariachi music. The guitars and trumpets brought me back to the restaurant I always had Mexican food at with my family as a child. Back then, I was terrified of all strangers (actually, that hasn't changed a whole lot) and would hide under the table if the mariachi men got anywhere near us. This despite one of the main things I remember about them being what warm smiles they had. But as an adult, I think there are few better surprises than good, live music when I go out to eat.

In addition to live music some nights, Mijares has the chaotic, plate-clanking, tequila-fueled hustle and bustle and din generally found in American Mexican restaurants (or Chili's) along with plenty of screaming children. At least the music and the Cuervo drown them out somewhat.

The albondigas, a simple soup of meatballs in a yellowy-clear broth, was quite good. If I went back to Mijares, I would order this again. I love the richly flavored soup and the loose texture of the meatballs--they look sort of like the Vietnamese meatballs you'd find in a bowl of pho, but instead of being packed so tightly I think they would bounce off if I threw them against a wall, the Mexican equivalent crumbles gently in your mouth as you chew it. I think I might have liked the albondigas at Tia Juana's better, but that restaurant is gone now.


Burrito

The beef in the burrito had a slimy, wet texture and little flavor. The other ingredients didn't make up for the savory shortfall.


Beef fajitas

The beef fajitas tasted mysteriously like Chinese food. Maybe I just like more lime juice in my fajita marinade than Mijares uses, but if I wanted Chinese food, that's what I would have gone out for. Not Mexican. Apparently lots of people like the restaurant's totally ordinary, overly sweet margaritas, too, enough to vote them "best margarita in Pasadena." They do serve the thick tortilla chips I like, but the salsa has barely a hint of spice and the guacamole is nothing special. The refried beans, to appease the ever-health-conscious southern Californian, are made without lard, which in this case makes them exceptionally bland.

The thing that makes me sad is that this restaurant, according to its website, is apparently somewhat of a Pasadena institution. It has been family owned for three generations. I guess Pasadena isn't known for its Mexican population, and of course, fajitas are downright Tex-Mex (I should know better than to order Tex-Mex in the wrong state). I want to tell you that this restaurant that has been around for 85 years is terribly charming and that the food tastes like it came straight out of the kitchen of the Mexican grandmother everyone wishes they had. Did I order poorly? Did I visit on an off-night? It's possible. I want to tell you to try this restaurant, but you could get better Mexican food in my kitchen. I'm not Mexican, but I do know how to cook.

Mijares Mexican Restaurant
145 Palmetto Dr., Pasadena

(626) 792-2763

Hours:

Monday - Thursday: 11am to 9pm

Friday, Saturday: 11am to 10pm

Sunday: 9:30 to 10pm

Sunday Brunch: 9:30 to 2pm