best Pasadena restaurants

Live! AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival 2022

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(Photos by Gerry Furth-Sides. AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival content)The Historic Laurabelle A. Robinson House in Pasadena, one of the most, if not the most gracious, old-school and fun event sites in the world, will be home for a day to the  AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival presented by CHUBB. The garden grounds with ponds are the perfect setting for this outdoor gourmet food and drink in-person festival on Sunday, June 5th, 2022 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  

This year’s AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival will bring nearly 400 guests together in the stunning gardens to celebrate and sample wares from 20 top restaurants, cocktail bars, wineries, and breweries and much more. 

AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival at the historic Laurabelle A. Robinson House in Pasadena.

This year’s AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival will bring nearly 400 guests together for one exquisite evening featuring more than 20 top restaurants, cocktail bars, wineries, and breweries and much more. 

Superb sushi at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival
AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival major culinary celebrities – here totaling over a century and a half of experience

Some of this year’s AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival Restaurants and Desserts include Alexander’s SteakhouseEl Cholo CaféGale’s RestaurantMi PiacePorto’s BakeryRuth Chris Steak HouseTam O’ShanterWe OliveLark Cake ShopPoppy Cake Bakery CompanyNothing Bundt Cakes, and more.

The inimitable Alexander’s Steakhouse, a star at AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena

Beverages featured include Cocktails and Spirit Tastings from 1886 at The RaymondDulce Vida TequilaKrafted SpiritsJuneShine, and Golden Road Brewing, along with specially curated Wines. Pasadena’s very own Cerveceria Del Pueblo will also be pouring their distinctive beers showcasing flavors and aromas from South America, and Califia Farms and PepsiCo will be serving non-alcoholic beverages.

THE green corn tamales from El Cholo at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena

Proceeds from this year’s AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival presented by CHUBB will directly benefit AbilityFirst which has targeted programming to help an individual successfully transition from childhood to adult life; providing employment preparation, training, and experience; building social connections and independence; and offering both their participants and their caregivers an opportunity to refresh and recharge through their recreational activities. 

Tam O’Shanter at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena
Tam O’Shanter at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena

AbilityFirst’s person-centered programs empower individuals to discover what is important to them in their lives, and to develop the skills that are important for them to achieve their goals. 

The Raymond 1886 at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse — we kept going to see when the burgers would be done and wound up LOVING these superb spicy potato chips the most at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena, so hospitable even while the food wasn’t ready because of a technical difficulty
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse at the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena, so hospitable even while the food wasn’t ready because of a technical difficulty

Sponsors: Additional sponsors include, Bank of America, GHJ & Advisors, The Hartford, Longo Toyota-Longo Lexus among others. 

Ticket Information: The AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival will take place on Sunday, June 5th, 2022, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Historic Laurabelle A. Robinson House. For more information and to purchase Tickets directly to this year’s AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival, please visit Tickets to AbilityFirst Festival of Fall 2022.

A garden setting for the AbilityFirst Food & Wine Festival in Pasadena

Chef David Féau’s Special Menu at the Raymond 1886 October 6 -10, 2020

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Chef David Féau (photo courtesy of The Raymond 1886)

(Gerry Furth-Sides, content courtesy of The Raymond 1886). Craftsman restaurant and handcrafted cocktail bar kick-off the fall season with an extraordinary spirits pairing dinner created by Chef David Féau for a Five-Day Staycation at The Raymond 1886,  Tuesday-Friday, October 6 -10, 2020.  The tasting Menu ($75 per person) is offered on The Raymond 1886’s three patios, or for home dining by way of Takeout or Delivery.

We had the privilege of tasting the food of  world-class Chef David Féau’s at the opening of the Wally’s Santa Monica, where he was the most engaging host at table, and so generous with his time and information.   At the time we did not know that he was responsible for the lifetime memory feast hosted by Wally’s Beverly Hills for the Boredeaux Wine Producers which put on the table almost every item on the mean.  Heaven.  These  literal cathedrals to food and wine were as perfect an urban a setting for Chef Féau’s exquisite dishes as The Raymond 1886 is for the menu inspired by its more rustic setting that reflects rural upbringing of the chef.

 

Chef David Féau (pronounced Fay-o) grew up in the kitchen cooking with his mother in France. His father farmed throughout the year, which gave David the opportunity to pick and prepare his own fresh vegetables for meals even as a youngster.  It inspired him to prepare healthy, delicious meals in the kitchen throughout his childhood, and throughout his illustrious culinary career.

(Photo courtesy of The Raymond 1886)

The Raymond 1886 and 1886 Head Barman Jesus Gomez will be offering a special Wine & Cocktail Pairing  ($35 per person) for guests that opt to patio dine at The Raymond 1886. hey will also be offering their full list of 1886 Cocktails, Wines by the Bottle, and Craft Beer to accompany Chef Féau’s special menu for Takeout and Delivery.

The annual allure of the spiffy, rustic outside dining area at The Raymond 1886

 

Chef David Féau’s Five-Day Staycation

Five-Course Tasting Menu

$75 Outdoor Patio Dining | $55 Takeout & Delivery

First Course

Applewood Smoked Beet

King Salmon Gravlax, Caviar Crème Fraîche

Second Course

Kuri Squash Soup

Roasted Chestnuts & Sunchoke, Truffle Salt, Celery

Third Course

Rock Cod Poached with Lobster Butter

Coconut Fennel Kohlrabi Salad, Thai Basil

Fourth Course

Veal cheek – Candied Apple

Verbena Mustard Jus, Jicama, Fork Mashed Potatoes

Dessert

Almond Financiers, Peppercorn Poached Quince,

Bulgar Yogurt Gelato & S’mores

The Raymond 1886 & 1886 Head Barman Jesus Gomez’s

Wine & Cocktail Pairing

$35

(Pairing available for Outdoor Dinner Dining only)

First Course

Gleichenstein, Pinot Noir, Baden, 2017

Second Course

Kentucky Buck

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, Strawberries, Ginger Syrup, Demerara Syrup, Lemon Juice

Angostura Bitters, Soda Water, Garnished with Ginger Candy

Third Course

Massone Gavi, Cortese, Piemonte, 2017

 

Fourth Course

Château Boutisse, Red Bordeaux Blend 2016

 

Dessert

Cock ‘N Bull Special

Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, Camus V.S. Elegance Cognac, Benedictine Liqueur

Cointreau Liqueur, Garnished with Orange Peel

 

For more information about Chef David Féau’s Five-Day Staycation at The Raymond 1886, for reservations, or to order Takeout or Delivery, please visit www.TheRaymond.com or call The Raymond 1886 directly at 626.441.3136.

 

Chef Féau earned his degree in classic cuisine at L’Ecole Hotelière, Hélène Boucher in his home-town of Le Mans, France.  His credentials include honing his culinary and managerial skills under the guidance of famed chef Guy Savoy in Paris. Féau served as Executive Chef of Le Miravile, a Michelin Star rated restaurant in Paris, and was named one of the “Six Best Chefs in France Under 30 Years Old” by Le Chef Magazine.  Moving to New York in 2001 to head the kitchens of the famed Lutèce, earning accolades and awards from Mobil and Forbes Travel Guide for the flagship and the Las Vegas restaurants.   In 2006, Chef Féau moved west, serving with the Patina Group as the Executive Chef of Café Pinot (spa cuisine) , then Corporate Executive Chef of the entire Patina Restaurant Group.  In 2010 Chef Féau opened The Royce restaurant at The Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California, where he developed a award-winning clean and light French menu.

The table is set at Wally’s Beverly Hills for a feast by Chef David Féau

In 2011, Chef Féau’s honors include being  featured among an elite group of “Top French Chefs in the U.S.” by Wine Spectator in 2011,  and he was also named “Best Chef of the Year” by Los Angeles Magazine. In 2014 Chef Féau launched a gourmet catering company named “Je- Cook,” in which he also introduced featured brand products.   In May 2015 Chef Féau was hired by the owners of Wally’s Wine and Spirits to create and develop a new restaurant concept for their new Beverly Hills and Santa Monica shrines to wine and fine foods. In March 2019 Chef David Féau had the prestigious honor of being inducted as a “Master Chef of France” by the Master French Chefs Commitée.