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It struck me the other day that The Commons on Lake Avenue isn’t just a fine destination for lunch or dinner, and a bit of shopping for dishware at Williams-Sonoma. It’s a museum, a compendium of many of the foods that define us as Southern Californians, nicely assembled in one easily accessible space and represented by several of our best casually upscale mini-chains. I’ve noticed that diners don’t bother with reservations, even at those eateries that offer reservations. They (we!) just show up, and glance in to see what looks good, what tempts, and perhaps what doesn’t have a wait that will drag on long enough for lunch to turn into dinner. The newest of the mini-chains is Uovo (The Commons, 146 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena; 626-556-7948, www. uovo. la), where the obsession with pasta rivals that of many of its equals in Venice, Florence and Rome if not more so. There’s a long essay on the flipside of the menu, explaining the Uovo search for the perfect pasta. How it found the wellspring of fresh pasta in Bologna. And realized that the only way to serve pasta that good was to make it in Italy and ship it overnight. Which is declared at the top of every menu. The result is . amazing, done in three pasta categories: La Pasta di Bologna, La Pasta di Roma and Pasta Classica mostly in shapes like tonnarelli (akin to spaghetti), flat thin tagliolini and flat medium width tagliatelle. There’s lasagna, tortellini and ravioli, too. The toppings are wondrous; I’m mad for the cacio e pepe with pecorino Romano and imported black pepper. So simple and so good. And, of course, there are openers and sides yellowtail crudo, insalata arugula and mizuna, wagyu beef tartare, roasted cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms. Once again, the menu informs us that “We politely decline any modifications.” When you have one singular sensation dominating your menu, why would anyone ask you to? Though with a tip of the toque to SoCal, there are gluten-free options. Albeit “cooked in the same water as our regular pasta.” For many years, legendary sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa ran a much-respected mini-mall sushi and sashimi restaurant, famous for its many rules. Nozawa was, and is, a purist. Which means no spicy tuna rolls, no California rolls, no exotic rolls at all. If diners asked for less-than-traditional dishes, they were (depending on the chef’s mood) politely told no, or not so politely asked to leave. For one, actress Charlize Theron was ejected after demanding dishes that Nozawa didn’t want to serve her. It was dining for masochists though as was, and is, often mentioned, the quality of the fish is first-rate . even if the portions are a bit undernourished. Several years ago, Nozawa closed his original shop, and began opening a chain of fast-casual incarnations called Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa, where the drill is pretty much the same except (as a rule) no one yells at you, or tosses you out. (I think.) At The Commons incarnation (146 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena; 626-298-8386, www. sugarfishsushi. com), there’s almost always a wait to get in. The room is far more designerish than the original, in a comfortably minimalist fashion. And service is actually friendly. Though they still won’t serve you extra rice or sauce; the rules are the rules. There’s an à la carte menu at Sugarfish: three sashimi choices, 13 sushi options, seven non-exotic rolls, either hand or cut. But, I suspect very few order à la carte here except to, perhaps, enhance the Trust Me menus, of which there are three. There’s the Trust Me Lite (edamame, tuna sashimi; one piece each of albacore sushi, salmon sushi and shrimp sushi; and a toro hand roll), the Trust Me (edamame, tuna sashimi; two pieces each of albacore sushi and salmon sushi; one each of yellowtail sushi and halibut sushi; a blue crab hand roll and a toro hand roll), and the Nozawa Trust Me (the same as the Trust Me, but with a two-piece “daily special”). For better or worse, I tend to leave Sugarfish feeling still hungry. I know that marks me as a Philistine, a barbarian at the gate. But as a friend who often eats at Sugarfish said and do note that she’s a seriously stylish dresser, exercise advocate and diner “I eat at Sugarfish all the time. And while I eat, I keep wondering where I’m going to go for a hamburger after.” Or, if not a hamburger, perhaps some handmade dumplings at Dan Modern Chinese next door (146 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena; 626-817-9799, www. danmodernchinese. com). Dan is a very comfy place in which to contemplate the joys of xiao long bao soup dumplings of which Dan offers seven variations. Which is also unique; even the best-known of the soup dumpling shops offer . one soup dumpling. But at Dan, there’s pork, pork and crab, pork and shrimp, chicken, chicken and crab, chicken and shrimp, and vegetable. The funny thing about all those variations is that for most of us, the wonder of the soup dumpling is the small miracle of hot soup . wrapped in a dumpling, a culinary parlor trick that’s taught the wise among us to gobble with caution. Pop a steaming hot soup dumpling in your mouth, and expect a palate burn that will stay with you for a while. The trick is to bite with a certain delicacy not easy when there’s a tempting basket of dumplings before you. I certainly had no problem putting together a proper dumpling feast, adding numerous of the five non-soup dumplings to my table (pork, pork and crab, pork and shrimp, chicken and vegetable), each available steamed, pan-fried or crispy. Mixing and matching them is fun, and tasty. There are puffy buns as well, both steamed and pan-fried; I prefer steamed, which is the traditional prep, and somehow even sweeter and more appealing a savory dish that feels like a dessert, especially with its filling of pork in a sweetish sauce. And there’s more, but not much. There’s a trio of noodle soups and very good they are, too. There are seven flavors of fried rice, which isn’t really a dim sum dish, but then this is a new-school dumpling house, and pretty much anything goes including a “large plate” of the Taiwanese favorite Three Cup Chicken, so named because of the three cups of sauce used to cook it (soy, rice wine and sesame oil). And, speaking of cups, The Commons also offers a branch of Philz Coffee, should you need a cappuccino after your sesame noodles with pork or your chicken roll. And though it’s not in The Commons, the best ice cream for miles around is Bacio di Latte (85 W. Colorado Blvd., Old Pasadena; 626-360-0764, So expensive. And so good!.
https://www.sgvtribune.com/2025/11/22/seafood-pasta-and-more-in-pasadena-its-all-at-this-popular-mall/