Pasadena Burgers: Rick's Drive-in

Rick's Drive-In in Pasadena has found a special place in our hearts thanks to the Amazing Spuderito. But in addition to that tortilla-swaddled wonder, Rick's serves up some pretty good burgers.



The beef is never frozen and the lettuce and tomatoes are fresh. All of the sauces are made in-house. The patties are flavorful and nicely charred, but they are pretty thin so you probably want to order the 1/2 pounder over the 1/4 pounder. And you probably want grilled onions. Yes, you definitely want grilled onions.



The "French Burger" is like a grilled sourdough burger but served on grilled French bread, and the "Taco on a bun" is exactly that, taco fixings on a burger bun with unexpected addition of mustard -- strange, but it works.



This little mom and pop stand, which has occupied this location since 1964, was recently in danger of being torn down for condos. According to owner Ralph Fonzo, the housing slump has earned them a temporary reprieve. Ralph, proudly (and charmingly) adds that people come from all over the world to visit Rick's and that original customers are now bringing in their grandchildren.

Pasadena Burgers: Pie n Burger

Pie n' Burger has a lot going for it. For over 40 years the little diner has graced the corner of California and Lake. The current owner is Michael Osborn, who ate at Pie n' Burger on summer trips to visit his grandmother. He began working there in 1972 and never left. The formica counters and elderly waitresses make entering Pie n' Burger feel like a trip back in time circa Nick at Nite. Pie 'n Burger has been around so long that its diet plate of a burger patty, peach slices and cottage cheese has actually come into vogue again.





The meaty patty is nicely charred. Burgers come standard with big leaves of iceberg lettuce, pickles, and thousand island dressing, which makes for a delightfully messy handful. There is so much lettuce on it that it probably counts as a salad, but instead of being filler, the crispy iceburg makes the burger strangely refreshing. You can also order your onions grilled, which we highly recommend.



As the name suggests, pies are the star of the show here. The fruit pies are possibly the best pies in the Los Angeles area, especially the blueberry pie. The flaky crust fairly bursts with blueberries, and the slice collapses under the weight of two massive scoops of ice cream. The cream pies are topped with meringue instead of a whipped cream topping, the best of these being the banana. When olallieberry season comes around it is newsworthy.



Best of all, Chronicle Wine Cellar is inconspicuously located in the back of the parking lot. You can stop in and pick up a bottle from the friendly shopkeeper, Gus Martin, before your meal. The diner doesn't charge corkage, so you can enjoy your burger with a shiraz or zinfandel.





Old-fashioned also means no credit cards. Cash or checks only, and I think a check might be pushing it. Although once as I dug for an elusive two dollars, the cashier said, "It's ok if you don't have it." Talk about the good old days!

Pasadena Burgers: Lucky Boy

Lucky Boy in Pasadena is a Landmark. It even says so on the menu. Local families and students have been coming to the outdoor stand for over 30 years. The charred burgers come with mild onions, grilled upon request, lettuce, and the biggest tomato you have ever seen. The buns are toasted on the grill, a nice old-school touch. The chili is meaty and not too spicy, a perfect addition to the burger.

The fries are thick-cut, crispy outside and like a baked potato inside. Unfortunately the shakes aren't made out of real ice cream, but come out of one of those weird powdered emulsifier abominations.





The main draw at Lucky Boy isn't the burger though. The teenage boys come in for the humongous breakfast burrito, stuffed with hash browns, eggs, cheese and loads of bacon. The breakfast of champions.

The Slaw Dogs: Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout the New Kid in Town

Ray Byrne and mom



Hot dog stands across Los Angeles should be shaking in their boots right now. Ray Byrne of The Slaw Dogs in Pasadena has taken hot dogs to a whole new level. Indecisive people stand frozen in place staring at the Slaw Dogs menu. Other diners are truly inspired, practically giddy at the wealth of choices. Some of us are still talking about the toppings days later.



It all starts with the dog. There are all beef dogs, natural casing dogs, kosher dogs, bratwurst, two kinds of chicken dogs, and even a veggie dog, among others. You can have your dog grilled or "rippered" Jersey-style, thrown into the deep fryer until it splits.

There are 27 standard toppings, including sesame mayo, curry ketchup, pickled onion, jalapeno, chipotle mayo, and even sport peppers if you want to make a Chicago-style dog. 25 custom toppings, for an additional 99-cents, give you choices like bacon, pastrami, roasted pasilla peppers, jalapeno, chili, kimchi, thai-slaw, a fried egg and a number of different cheeses.



Not a do-it-yourself-er? "The Original" sports chili, cheese, mustard, onions and cole slaw. The slaw is unusual on a hot dog, but it works, adding a refreshing crunch. In fact, that is one of Ray's skills. He is able to take seemingly clashing flavors and make them work together.

One recent special included a jalapeño kumquat chutney that blew me away.



The special muffalata dog (olives, pastrami, and Swiss) really worked. At this point the Slaw Dogs is going to have to take out a restraining order on me.



Two of the wilder dogs are the "Green Monster," (roasted green chile, chipotle mayo, grilled onion, pepper jack and spicy garlic salsa) and "The TNT Super Dog" the latter which brings back memories of the Oki Dog, with a 12" rippered dog, chili, cheese, bacon, pastrami, fries and grilled onion swaddled in a burrito. If that's not enough, you can also request a fried egg.

The Thai Slaw Dog on a 12" All Beef. Spicy peanut-coconut satay dressing, cilantro-carrot slaw, crushed peanuts and siracha aioli



Don't forget to order the sweet potato fries, perfectly crisp and completely greaseless. There are also fry specials, most recently the truffle and Parmesan fries. I don't know how they are going to ever take them off the menu without a riot ensuing.







There are also big, fresh, crunchy salads. Salad, shmalad.



My inspiration The Vancouver Dog, inspired by Japadog - a bratwurst with wasabi mayonnaise, grilled onions, with just a sprinkling of nori. I don't know what the crunchy bits are, but I trust Ray implicitly



The irony is that owner Ray Byrne didn't even eat a hot dog until he was 20 years old (It was at Pink's). He first considered a burger palace, but decided the hot dog would be the perfect vehicle for his creativity.

Little does Pink's know it, but there's a new sheriff in town. Move over, little dog. The big dog's movin' in.

Tea at the Langham: Hats off to London

I like my tea with bubbles



Last June The Langham Huntingtom Hotel and Spa held its Anniversary Tea Celebration. They "turned back the clocks to 1865" OK. I didn't know clocks told years. Maybe that's the third hand. Anyways, back in 1865 The Langham served up the first tea to none other than the Prince of Wales. For this anniversary event, the afternoon tea was priced at 1 shilling, or 15 cents.



So a certain friend posted a story about this tea at the time and it started a flame war! About afternoon tea! Comments included such amazing accusations as that we received "pecuniary remuneration". Pecuniary? Really? And it had the most amazing riposte retitle ever, "This Tea Was So Stupendously Enjoyable That I Jizzed in My Pants, and I Guarantee You Will Too."



I love the grounds at the Langham, previously the Ritz. I imagine men from Masterpiece Theater playing badminton in their white wool sweaters.



Traditional Tea

Your choice of tea

VerbenaMint Chrysanthemum
English Breakfast, Earl Grey Passion, Vanilla Bean, Earl Grey

The vanilla bean tea was stellar. Serves piping hot on its own little teapot table, the pots was constantly replaced and refilled to keep the temperature right.



Caribbean Shrimp with Watercress Pesto on Herb Bread

Cucumber with Citrus Mint Cream on Sourdough, Hearts of Palm and Grapefruit

Prosciutto di Parma with Herb Burrata Cream on Squaw with Cantaloupe Caviar and Micro Greens

Egg with Herb Garlic Mousse on Potato Peppercorn with American Caviar

Smoked Salmon Profiteroles with Caramelized Shallot, Caper Cream, Dill Sprig and Lemon Zest

Menus are so damned detailed I expect them to start adding "15 grains of freshly milled pepper and 20 grains of sea salt" one day.



OK, so... some of the items on the tea trays had clearly been prepped the day before. The items made the same day were fresh and delicious and wonderful. But then the other half were dried out and old. It was a shame. It could have been a perfect tea.

The Caribbean shrimp was nice, but the shrimp had been cooked and shelled too soon. It was a nice take on the traditional cucumber sandwich and we were very pleased with it. The prosciutto and egg sandwiches were fine, but the herbed cream an mousses on them were fantastic. It would have been nicer to just have little finger sandwiches filled with mousse. I did not eat the salmon. I almost never do.



Pain Turn Cookie
Lemon Raspberry Tart
Almond Financier
French Macaroons
Creme Brulee Tart
Passion Fruit Gateau
Milk Chocolate Citrus Torte

The pain turn cookie, French macaroon and especially the almond financier were just perfect. Nicely baked. But the tarts had rock-hard shells, and the chocolate torte had been made so long before the chocolate had gummed up. Lesson of the day: make less menu items and make them all fresh.



The gateau was that exact same gateau you see on every upscale buffet table from your last cruise to your cousin's wedding. The sponge cake was sponge-y and the mousse was nice enough. It was fresh and it was moist.



Lemon Poppy Seed Tea Bread
Scones with Devonshire Cream

Sorry, the scones were not working for me. I didn't touch them after an exploratory bite. The scones were D R Y. I didn't eat them, but my friend seemed happy to have any vehicle for Devonshire Cream, which makes her swoon.



So, really, the champagne and tea and about half of the sandwiches and sweets were nice. Not bad for 15 cents. Just to sit there was worth it, really, the place is so lovely.



It sucks being an out-of-work actor in LA because you end up being a footman for the Ladies Who Lunch







"The Langham Hotel and Spa in Pasadena offers afternoon tea Thursdays through Sundays in their gorgeous lobby Lounge."



My friend also stated that she wanted to swim naked in the Devonshire cream. Now that is worth 15 cents!