The SLY Foodie

For my birthday, my friends and I went out to La Grande Orange Café, located near the Del Mar Metro Rail Station in Pasadena. It was a restaurant I found from OpenTable.com, and decided to give it a try because of the interesting menu choices available, plus, it was good for kids.

The restaurant was buzzing with activity when we arrived, and we were immediately seated, which was nice. We ordered chips and homemade guacamole and a pitcher of the house sangria, and I’ve got to say that the guacamole was very tasty, not too garlicky. I wish I could give their salsa better reviews, however. It just didn’t remind me of salsa, more like a dark, chili-flavored tomato sauce. The sangria was okay, I didn’t really like the fruit that was in it, probably because most fruits are no longer in season and therefore not very sweet.




Onto the main courses…I ordered the Beef Prime Rib Roast, served with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. My husband, being Fried Chicken’s biggest fan, ordered the Southern Fried Chicken, served with an apple fritter, mashed potatoes and green beans. Other orders include the Ahi Burger, served with fries. My boys both got macaroni and cheese, served with fries and fresh fruit in an awesome dinner tray.

The prime rib seemed a little dry, in my opinion, but that wasn’t really the low point of the dish. I thought that the green beans were not blanched long enough, but I prefer my veggies to be crisp tender, not crisp. I did, however, like the jus and the horseradish that were served along with the meat. It made for good leftovers the following day or so.


I didn’t really get to taste the fried chicken to determine whether it was moist or dry. However, I did get to try the apple fritter. I thought that even though it seemed like it would be out of place within the dish, it was actually pretty good. The combination of cinnamon and sugar and apple flavors was just right, and tasted “southern” to me.


I also happened to steal a bite of the macaroni and cheese, and that was easily one of the best mac and cheeses that I’ve had. It was cheesy, creamy, and the pasta was al dente. Very yummy.


For dessert, the servers were nice enough to let me try the salty caramel ice cream, made especially for the restaurant. Never having tried it before, I was eagerly anticipating the flavor profiles that the dessert had to offer. I was not disappointed at all. Salty sweet is the best way to describe it.

I would definitely return to LGO, it had good energy and good food. I probably wouldn’t try the prime rib again, but I’ve heard good things about their pot roast.

La Grande Orange Cafe
260 S. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, California
626.356.4444