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PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS Fried Chicken dining & nitelife directory Average price per entree $ up to $10 $$$ $16-25 $$ $11–15 $$$$ $25+ EL PORTAL 695 E. Green St., Pasadena (626)795-8553 Elportalrestaurant.com $$ Pasadena Weekly readers have been rewarding El Portal with the title of Best Mexican Food in the city for years. This charming little hacienda with brick walls, festive colors, fine art and a California elegant courtyard brings the authentic cuisine of Mexico and the Yucatan region to your table. MARGARITA’S 155 S. Rosemead Blvd., Pasadena (626) 449-4193 margaritaspasadena.com $$ At Margaritas Mexican Restaurant, our family has been sharing our authentic Mexican dishes with the wonderful people of Pasadena since 1977. Guests enter our warm, inviting space and leave as family -- with plenty of burritos, tortas, tostadas, fajitas, and more to be had in between! Our dishes incorporate and pay homage to the rich flavors of bustling mercados, corner taquerias, and seaside palapas. So visit us, eat to your heart's content at our mouthwatering lunch buffet, sip on a refreshing margarita, and feel at home. LOSING OUR SOUL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 HILL STREET CAFÉ 1004 Foothill Blvd., La Canada Flintridge 818-952-1019 hillstreetcafelacanada.com $$ Hill Street Café is celebrating over 25 years of serving the community quality meals made of quality ingridients. we want to thank all of you who stuck with us during the remodeling process and we want to welcome back everyone else. in our recent remodel, we have added an outdoor patio, a bar and more dining area, we have created a relaxed ambience with a touch of modern but still retaining our extensive menu, our friendly service and most important a family atmosphere. KABUKI JAPANESE RESTAURANTS 88 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 568-9310 3539 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 351-8963 kabukirestaurants.com $$ When you walk into a Kabuki you won’t be overwhelmed with Asian decor and music. What you will encounter is a casual atmosphere with today’s hottest music playing, people smiling and our friendly staff welcoming you through the doors. Look for the Red Mask. Come eat, drink and have fun! TOPS WALNUT 1792 E. Walnut St., Pasadena (626) 584-0244 topsburger.com $ At TOPS on Walnut & Allen, we maintain the original taste from 60 years ago. My father wanted to create food as close to homemade as possible. Our primary goal and focus is on taste, quality, freshness, cleanliness in our service and experienced staff. Most of our staff have been with us for more than twenty years. We invite you to come to TOPS on the corner of Walnut & Allen and taste the difference! Meet our staff and experience what quality service should be. The same quality service that has made us #1. SHANDONG DUMPLINGS 80 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena 626-578-9777 227 W. Valley Blvd, 168 A, San Gabriel 626-308-3777 $ Shandong Dumplings is your Reader Recommended Winner for BEST DUMPLINGS in the 2018 Reader’s Poll! We have been a cornerstone in the greater Pasadena community and are well known for our outstanding cuisine, excellent service and friendly staff. Recognized for our modern interpretation of classic dishes and insistence on using only the highest quality, freshest ingredients. Open for Lunch and Dinner daily and until 2am Wed-Sat. TOM'S FAMOUS FAMILY RESTAURANT 1130 E. Walnut St. Pasadena 626-577-7717 tomsfamous.com $ Please come and enjoy homemade breakfast lunch and dinner all made from scratch and FRESH. Nothing is ever served or made from a can. We pride ourselves as being the cleanest store with the best quality food and BEST service in town. Thank you PASADENA!!!!! ZELO GOURMET PIZZAS 328 E. Foothill Blvd.Arcadia 626-358-8298 myzelopizza.info $$ It’s the cornmeal crust that makes this pizzeria stand out from the rest. This locally owned establishment’s signature dish is the fresh, corn, balsamic-marinated, oven-roasted red onion pie. Zelo Pizzeria has expanded the dining room to better serve you, so come in and give Zelo Pizzeria a try. through history. As he sits and talks to one guest you can watch as a queue of guest’s eyes wait for Dargin to come to their table and regale them with his stories of his past lives. When Dargin explains how he segued his Forrest Gump-like myriad careers and passions into the restaurant industry he offers an insight into Southern life, “Down South everyone makes their own sauce. They take pride in it,” Dargin says. Always enterprising, Dargin saw that Southern California was nearly devoid of the soul-food classics and realized that he could bring to the area what he learned from his mother — the titular “Big Mama” — at her Chattanooga restaurant. As Dargin entertains guests, his daughter — Dargetta Carlisle — runs the day to day operations of the store. Sitting with the father-daughter pair is like watching a comedy duo of yesteryear. While Dargin shares his stories that his daughter has likely heard countless times, she chimes in with one-liners that break up her father’s train of thought with a deep laughter. Dargetta was born and raised in Pasadena, a byproduct of Pasadena’s public schools. She said she cannot imagine herself living in any other city or, more importantly, reopening Big Mama’s in any other city. She holds out hope that they will be able to find another spot within city limits so that they can continue bringing her grandmother’s recipes to people who enjoy them. Even if they find a kitchen without a storefront where they can continue to cater and serve through delivery services, they want to continue. There are layers of authenticity to Big Mama’s. The woman’s face that acts as the official mascot of Big Mama’s is not a stock image they bought the rights to. It is actually Dargin’s mother. It is a true McWhorter family affair between Dargin and Dargetta in the front of the house and Dargin’s wife Anita running the kitchen. They bake their pies and cornbread, and their fried chicken is done from scratch with their secret recipe batter. So, before Big Mama’s shutters and the opportunity to visit one of the most authentic Southern experiences is gone, here are some recommendations to make your visit count. The famous fried chicken dinner ($12.75) is three pieces of chicken and two sides. The chicken is served the perfect shade of golden brown — while it has more than enough flavor to stand alone, it would not be true to the Southern roots if you did not pour some hot sauce on it. As for sides, the macaroni and cheese is served old school and simple, and hearty. There is no crunch or baked bread crumb top, just creamy, melted cheese, which is exactly what you want when nearly everything else has Cajun and Southern spices and batter. Big Mama’s has countless sides that aren’t found everywhere, so if you are like me, it may be hard to narrow it down. With how incredibly low priced the sides are, ordering more than the two that come with most entrees won't be too big of a hit on your wallet. You cannot go wrong with the hush puppies (five for $3.50), candied yams ($3.75), collard greens ($3.75), black eyed peas ($2.75), or the fried okra ($3.75). Big Mama’s has traditionally Southern dishes, with recipes that came from someone born and raised in the deep South, so one should try some of the most traditional dishes they serve to really get the full experience. The oxtails ($21.95) carry a higher price tag than some of the other items, but with how seasoned and tender they are after slow cooking, the dish is worth every penny. If you are craving some New Orleans style fried seafood, the Creole combo ($25.95) is where it is at, it comes with two fried shrimp, two fried oysters, two pieces of fried catfish and fish with hush puppies, plus your choice of two sides. It honestly does not get more Southern than that. Pair it with one of the Louisiana-brewed Abita beers that they serve and you’ll essentially walk out with a subtle Cajun drawl and a yearning for the bayou life. And trust me, once you’ve had it you’ll keep your eyes open for when Big Mama’s hangs up another shingle in town. 12 PASADENA WEEKLY | <strong>06.20.19</strong>
PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS Bulletin Board By Carl Kozlowski COMMITTED VOLUNTEERS Pasadena Educational Foundation welcomes new board members The Pasadena Educational Foundation (PEF), a nonprofit fundraising group for the Pasadena Unified School District, is welcoming four new members to its board of directors. The board’s new members are: Lorena Yépez Hernandez, Roberto Hernandez, Robyn Mizes and Linda Morales. “All four individuals demonstrate a great commitment to our community and our schools,” PEF Board President Kathy Onoye said in a prepared statement. “Their expertise, leadership, and professional knowledge will be a great asset to our board of directors” Onoye continued. “We are honored that Lorena, Roberto, Robyn, and Linda have chosen to serve on our board and look forward to their contributions.” SUMMER SUSTENANCE Tournament of Roses Foundation announces 2019 grant awards totaling $200,000 The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation has presented grants totaling $200,000 to 23 San Gabriel Valley organizations. The funds will support new and ongoing programs benefiting children, teens, adults and seniors. Since its inception, the Tournament of Roses Foundation has funded over $3 million in charitable contributions on behalf of the Tournament of Roses Association. New this year are three $25,000 grant awards to support sustainable programs by investing in people. One of these new grants, a twoyear grant, was awarded to Pasadena Educational Foundation to fund their Summer Academic Support for Low Performing Middle School Students program. The other two grants are single-year grants for $25,000.00 and were awarded to the PTA California Congress of Parents Teachers & Students Inc., Blair High School to fund the Blair Aquatics program and the Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills to fund their Think Digital STEM Education program. Twenty other community programs received grants in the categories of Performing and Visual Arts, Sports and Recreation, and Education (Early Childhood Education, Literacy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). A complete list of 2019 Tournament of Roses Foundation grant recipients, along with brief descriptions, can be found at tournamentofroses.com/foundation. For more information about the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Foundation, call Evan McCrary at (626) 449-4100 or wroite to him at EMcCrary@ tournamentofroses.com. n <strong>06.20.19</strong> | PASADENA WEEKLY 13
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