The Westin Los Robles, Pasadena

Occasionally, we'll be posting the hotels where we stayed, not in terms of an all-out review but just some highlights and notable mentions...

Fountain Gardens of the Westin

The Westin Pasadena is a beautiful hotel close to the historic downtown district.  What was really amazing was the grounds of the hotel with its lush gardens and flowing fountains located behind the structure.

Lemonade Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice

Cucumber Mint Lemonade

We stopped into Lemonade for a quick drink and snack. The place had a modern, contemporary style cafeteria with sandwiches, salads and hot entree items. Looked like an interesting small chain with a whole Lemonade drinks section.  We asked the kind lady at the cash register what was the best lemonade; it was between the Cucumber Mint and Blueberry-she said definitely Cucumber Mint!  She gave us a sample and we were sold!  We got a Pistachio Macaron to split...hmmm yummy yummy yummy!

Pistachio Macaron

INTELLIGENTSIA COFFEE East Colorado Blvd, Pasadena

Exterior Facade

Staying in Pasadena has it perks, mostly because of the ability to bebop in and out of Downtown LA, we love driving along the streets adorned with beautiful homes and cherry blossom trees and strolling along Colorado Blvd in Old Town Pasadena for some food and shopping. There's a real sense of the locale here; a little quaintness, a little hip, a little college-town and touch of suburb all rolled into a neat historic community within the LA sprawl.   And deep within this microcosm of sun-drenched lollygaggers and tragically hip housewives, we knew of a small urban chain where we were certain to get a, "most excellent" brew.............of coffee. So we boot, scoot and boogied our way to caffeine Mecca!

We had been to other outposts of Intelligentsia Coffee, (Abbot Kinney in Venice, Sunset in Hollywood) and so coming here we had an inkling of its product, popularity and target demographic. And out of all of the Intelligentsia shops, this outpost has been the most subdued and tranquil.

BEYOND THE OLIVE North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena

Exterior Facade

So one of our favorite condiments is Olive Oil; it's a great healthy salad dressing with a good balsamic vinegar and a drizzle on top of any entree accents a well made dish.  We were running out of our own stash, so we stopped by and had a lovely tasting of Olive Oils and Vinegars.  After a really great conversation with the sales person we ended up getting a lot of different bottles and learned a thing or two about the various flavor profiles of the harvest.  Our favorite Olive Oil is the Persian Lime, this time we also got the Blackberry and White Peach Balsamic Vinegar.

ROCKET FIZZ Soda Pop Candy Shop West Green Street, Pasadena

Streetscape Exterior

Walking along in Pasadena, we get to stroll in and out of stores, and it was a really warm afternoon.  I had just been writing a post for the blog in an outdoor square, (really, really annoying staff training happening right next to me the entire time); Rick met me after his work day and we passed by this store.  It is a seriously large store devoted to candy and soda, every kid's fantasy (and Rick's).  We had to check it out.

Entrance

Window

The outside has that nostalgic 50's (?) feel to it; kinda like a soda fountain shoppe.  The inside has rows and rows of candy, but not only is there classic American kinds, but they have British / European chocolates and even Japanese sweets!

It took us at least thirty minutes to hone in on our purchase, I died when I found the Fun Dip.  In the end though, we got a few British chocolate bars-they taste different somehow.....

Blurry photo of the interior, you get the idea!

Cafe Koraku Primm, Nevada

Cafe Koraku inside the Primm Fashion Outlet Mall

Koraku Entrance

So on our drive to LA, one of the places we try to go to get a bite to eat is Cafe Koraku, it's on the I15 South and it makes for a great little stop before the haul through the mountains.  It's located inside the Primm Fashion Outlet Mall, which is interesting and totally out of place since there's nothing in that mall that speaks Japanese, (or really Asian for that matter-except for that Boba Tea stall).  But it's one of those cafes that you would find in little Tokyo, (they have other restaurants throughout LA) where you can find some authentic, casual Japanese menu items.

Bread & Butter Restaurant-Bakery-Cafe, Henderson

Exterior / Entrance

So we have come here many times already and we love this place!!! Located on our side of town, it's the first great bakery cafe that serves not only awesomely baked goods, but gourmet breakfast and lunch items that really represent a confident palate of flavors.  Coming from a big city, I was pretty disappointed by the dismal choices that Las Vegas (outside of the strip) had to offer, especially for the people who live here.  But Bread & Butter serves not only as a place to get a coffee and pastry, it provides that sense of locale that defines the individuality of a community.  It's fastly becoming our go-to place to satiate that need for breakfast or cup of coffee and pastry.