13 minute read
Dining
Arancini ball
Caesar salad
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The lockdown spurred a series of delays in opening the shop, but it also allowed Keyser time to further perfect his canny renditions of New York-style pizza.
Some people consider New York-style pizza as thin, floppy slices painted lightly with bland tomato sauce, topped with molten shreds of generic mozzarella and sold — in the old days — at $1 a slice.
For Keyser, the challenge became, “How do we elevate what everyone thinks is the (New York) dollar slice?”
He researched flour mills on the West Coast, landing on Cairnspring Mills in Burlington, Washington.
Keyser decided on two flours from the mill: Glacier Peak and Organic Skagit.
“We do a blend with those two,” Keyser said. “The Glacier Peak has the color and the flavor of really good bread. It chars very well. The Skagit is a lower-protein flour that makes (the crust) crispier but much lighter as well. You still get that great texture. You get a good balance of chew, lightness and bread. It starts with the wheat and you go from there.”
At U Street Pizza, the dough is fermented for two days, before being shaped and baked. Keyser uses a state-of-the-art Pizza Master electric triple-deck oven with four stones per deck. Unlike Napolitano-style pies, which barely get a turn in a very hot wood-burning oven — typically calibrated between 700 and 800 degrees — Keyser’s pizzas sit for 8 to 10 minutes at 550 degrees.
“Pizza is all about dialing in the dough, the oven and the shaping,” Keyser said.
No $1 slices here. At U Street Pizza, the pies are all 14-inch diameter, the crust has body and bite, and the fresh topping combinations are engineered to maximize tastiness and satisfaction.
On the menu, there are eight varieties of house pies, starting with a simple cheese pie ($19) with red sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil. More exotic combinations include the vodka pepperoni ($25) with vodka sauce, ezzo pepperoni, provolone and mozzarella; the Petaluma ($25) with organic Petaluma mozzarella, “grandma sauce” and pecorino romano; and the clam ($26) — really a take on New Haven-style —with little neck clams, fiscalini cheddar, mozzarella, fresh garlic, parsley and lemon.
Custom pies are the white pie ($20) and red pie ($17) onto which additional ingredients may be added. There are three salads, including a Caesar ($16) and a chopped ($17). Featured starters are crispy cauliflower ($16) and Japanese eggplant ($14).
Don’t skip dessert. U Street Pizza also boasts artisanal soft-serve ice cream ($5).
For Keyser, it’s an important part of the experience.
“Pizzerias, for me, always had soft-serve, growing up,” Keyser said.
“I wanted to take that concept but elevate it, just like we do over at Union. We decided to have our own soft-serve program but instead of buying it or purchasing flavors, we wanted to take the (seasonal) fruit at the market and turn that into soft-serve. It took me about a year to really perfect it. I worked really hard on it and I’m really proud of it. We’re going to have some really fun flavors.”
Within the next month or so, the pizzeria’s liquor license should be secured and a full bar menu will be offered as well. Looking to the summer, lunch service is likely to start, as the elegant outdoor dining area allotted for Union is engaged for the pizzeria as well.
“It’s been great,” Petulla said. “More people create new introductions to the restaurant. It’s more foot traffic. It’s more excitement. It’s everything you want in an area. (The city of) Pasadena has really worked with us. In my opinion they’ve made it very easy to transition to these opportunities that they’ve made available. I think the community loves it. The city of Pasadena will listen and will continue with the al fresco dining, hopefully for a very long time.” Keyser has one simple suggestion for the community, “Come in and eat pizza. Feel like a kid again.” Submitted photos
Have fun with mom in and around Pasadena
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Pasadena Weekly Executive Editor
Mother’s Day was a little different in 2020, but in 2021 restaurants are just awakening for dine-in service. Here are a few ideas to help celebrate mom in and around Pasadena.
One Colorado 41 Hugus Alley
Join One Colorado for exclusive in-store events, raffles and cocktails from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8. Create a custom m.andonia handbag at the workshop by bringing in a sentimental piece of clothing or fabric. Enjoy bubbles while shopping through a curated Pomellato fine jewelry collection. Handbag workshop tickets are available at the following link: https://bit.ly/3eBNuTS
Other One Colorado activities are: • Twigzz Flower Market: Purchase a custom bouquet between May 5 and May 9 or receive one complimentary when spending $75 at any One Colorado retailer or restaurant from May 8 to May 9. • Prism DJs: Dine and dance with Prism DJs with a reserved table at one of One Colorado’s courtyard restaurants from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturdays. • Apple Watch Series 6 Giveaway: Customers will have a chance to enter to win an Apple Watch Series 6. Text SPRING1CO to 55800 through May 31.
Info: onecolorado.com/events/
andSons Chocolatiers and The Huntington
Adorned with commissioned art by Miranda Sofroniou, the collectible 24-piece box features two limited-edition Huntington pieces (one made with oranges from its orange grove, the other made with its signature tea), plus an assortment of andSons’ signature flavors.
It comes just in time for Mother’s Day — but will continue to be available year-round for either curbside pickup (at andSons’ shop on Brighton Way) or local/nationwide shipping via its website.
The collectible 24-piece box, featuring artwork by Miranda Sofroniou, includes two limited-edition Huntington pieces (four each): • Huntington orange and pecan praline: Made with hand-picked Valencia oranges from The Huntington. • Huntington black tea caramel: Made with citrus- and jasmine flavored black tea from The Huntington. • An assortment of andSons’ signature flavors, such as passion fruit caramel, speculoos cookie, hazelnut gianduja and basil lime.
The box is available on the andSons website; it will be available year-round for either curbside pickup at its Beverly Hills shop or local/nationwide shipping.
AndSons Chocolatiers is a second-generation chocolatier based in Beverly Hills founded by brothers Phil and Marc Covitz.
It specializes in two lines of chocolate: the “classic” line, which features traditional flavors such as ganaches and pralines topped with subtle decorative elements, and the “modern” line, which showcases bold and inventive flavor pairings inside distinctive and colorful hand-painted shells.
Customers can expect to find flavors such as Yuzu Verbena (which combines a white chocolate ganache with fresh lemon verbena and a dark milk chocolate ganache with yuzu and lime) and Texas pecan praline with coffee ganache (with roasted pecans and Peruvian dark chocolate infused with Counter Culture coffee).
Each piece is handmade in its Los Angeles kitchen by in-house pastry chef and chocolatier and chef Kriss Harvey.
The Arbour 527 S. Lake Avenue
Mother’s Day is celebrated two days — May 8 and May 9 — from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cost is $55.
The first course is a choice of smoked salmon carpaccio, capers, pickled red onion and lemon herb dressing; Burrata cheese, mixed endive, wild greens and ciabatta breadcrumbs; heirloom tomato salad, cucumber, olives, basil and lemon vinaigrette; apricot salad, butter lettuce, arugula, goat cheese, sesame seeds and honey vinaigrette; or English pea soup, whipped crème fraiche and chili oil.
The second course is a choice of eggs Benedict, English muffin, country ham, spinach and brown butter hollandaise; spaghetti carbonara, applewood smoked bacon, poached egg yolk and black pepper; avocado toast with egg on whole grain bread and green bean salad with Caesar dressing; steelhead trout, Brentwood corn, English peas, semolina gnocchi, radish and lemon foam; or New York steak, roasted peewee potatoes, market asparagus and chili butter.
Third course is a choice of vanilla ice cream with salted caramel sauce and double chocolate chip cookie; chocolate cake, espresso and chocolate mousse, almonds and saffron crème anglaise; seasonal fruit bowl and shortbread cookies; raspberry swirl cheesecake, graham cracker crust and mascarpone; or vanilla panna cotta, pineapple, coconut macaroon and lemon shaved ice.
Info: thearbourpasadena.com
Chado Tea Room 79 N. Raymond
Chado Tea Room is offering its sampler gift box ($65) with 12 loose-leaf teas. It’s available in-store and online. In the teahouse, it’s serving chocolate celebration for two ($70), an afternoon tea with tea-infused chocolate pairings.
Info: chadotearoom.com
Le Grande Orange Café 260 S. Raymond Avenue
A favorite among Pasadena residents, Le Grande Orange Café has a hearty menu for Mother’s Day.
Choices of starters include French onion soup, vegan chili, deviled eggs, shrimp ceviche, tuna tartare or pozole verde.
Want lighter fare? Try the salads: shredded kale and quinoa, Luggage Room chopped salad, signature Caesar, Brussels sprout salad, or The Del Mar salad.
The Rise and Shine menu is available until 3 p.m. — lemon ricotta pancakes, short rib hash, chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, French omelet, eggs Benedict or crab Benedict.
Burgers and sandwiches that are offered include cheeseburger, chili cheeseburger, turkey dip or French dip. The dips are available until 3 p.m.
Tacos are on the menu: vegetarian, ahi tuna, swordfish, short rib or ribeye steak.
For a “very special” meal, try rotisserie prime rib, rotisserie chicken, salmon or filet mignon.
After 3 p.m., barbecue ribs, loup de mer or short rib entrée. End it with key lime pie or Grateful Spoon gelato.
Info: lgostationcafe.com
Mother’s Day Brunch at Brookside Park 360 N. Arroyo Boulevard, Lot I
Johnson’s Outreach Foundation is partnering with Roseg24kldplates and providing a complimentary Mother’s Day brunch of chicken and waffles, breakfast chimichangas, PB&J French toast, potatoes and eggs, among other dishes. The event will take place Saturday, May 8, from noon to 5 p.m..
Info: eventbrite.com for registration
• ARTS & CULTURE •
PBS doc traces Chinese American link to Mississippi Delta
By Jana J. Monji Pasadena Weekly Contributing Writer
Pasadena residents Larissa Lam, Baldwin Chiu and his father, Charles Chiu, traveled from California to Mississippi, to find the grave of Charles’ father, K.C. Lou.
By chatting with locals and historian, the Chinese American family discovered the family’s important role in the Mississippi Delta. They also learned about the symbiotic relationship between the Black and Chinese communities during the Jim Crow era.
They share their story through the documentary “Far East Deep South,” which is available on PBS SoCal World Channel. Directed by Lam and produced by Chiu, the 76-minute “Far East Deep South” is part of the documentary series “American ReFramed.” Check local listings.
Also known as hip-hop artist Only Won, Baldwin Chiu was born in San Francisco, graduated from Cal State Sacramento and is also a licensed mechanical engineer. His 2010 LP was aptly titled “The Lyrical Engineer.”
Lam is an entertainer in her own right. She is an award-winning singer and songwriter who has released four critically acclaimed solo albums, including her most recent, “Love and Discovery.”
Her song, “I Feel Alive” won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Dance Song and was the theme song for a national suicide prevention campaign. Lam began her career as the chief financial officer of NSOUL Records and has written and produced music for TV (“The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Dr. Oz,” E!, TLC), film (“Zulu”, “Gone”) and video games (Konami, Square Enix).
Asking them how they met yields a “he-said, she-said” story.
“She stalked me,” Baldwin said in a recent Zoom interview.
A UCLA grad, Lam grew up in Diamond Bar. Lam and Baldwin had a NorCal-SoCal long-distance relationship before tying the knot and moving to Pasadena over a decade ago.
Under normal circumstances, Lam and Baldwin hopped from film festival to film festival. However, because of COVID-19, most festivals went virtual.
Baldwin noted a pandemic silver lining.
“It made it easier for some schools to actually license our film and to watch the film at home,” Baldwin said.
“The students then meet for discussion.”
That’s an important step because Lam and Baldwin had AP history, but neither recalls learning anything about Asians in America and their contributions. That’s disturbing considering the impact of the Chinese in California and the virulent racism that resulted in Los Angeles Chinese Massacre in 1871 and violent mobs trying to drive the Chinese out of Pasadena in 1885.
Lam recalled learning about the Gold Rush and the Transcontinental railroad, “and I think that was relegated to two sentences in the textbook.” The Japanese incarceration during World War II was given one paragraph, she said. Nothing was mentioned about the influx of Chinese to the Mississippi Delta.
“Our history doesn’t reflect the vast geography that Asians have covered, or are still located in,” Lam said.
Looming large in the documentary is the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which directly impacted Chiu’s family. Chiu’s grandfather served a predominately Black clientele and the documentary visits with Chinese American families who remained and some Black families who remember the store.
Their stories of friendship and alliances contrast the Asian-Black conflicts of the Los Angeles Riots in 1992.
With the rise of anti-Asian incidents in the United States, Lam and Baldwin said they feel their documentary is even more important. They know that anti-Asian hate is not a
Larissa Lam recently directed “Far East Deep South,” a documentary on PBS.
relic of the past.
Pre-pandemic lockdown, Baldwin and Lam were at a Pasadena bowling alley, and, Lam related, “Someone made a racist comment to us when we were walking out, for no reason. Totally unprovoked.”
Their daughter was with them.
“I don’t think she understood why he was saying it, so I turned around and looked at them and educator-like, asked ‘Excuse me, what did you say?’” Baldwin said.
Instead of getting into a shouting match, Baldwin said, “I gave him a little history lesson of our family and how long we’ve been in this country.”
Personally, Lam and Baldwin know someone who was spat on (New York) and another who was chased down by a motorcycle (Pasadena). The anti-Asian racism seems to cast Asian Americans as forever foreigners.
“I would like for people to think of Asian American history as just an American history,” Baldwin said. “I think it’s important to have Asian American history, but for it to be segregated by itself, sometimes it still seems like we’re not a part of (American) history and we really are. This film really shows how we are.”
Learning history, including personal histories like that of his family is important.
“Far East Deep South” touchingly ties together China, San Francisco and the Jim Crow South. It helps one reconsider both the human landscape of the Mississippi Delta and race relations in the United States. Pasadena Emmy Award-winning Nathan Wang composed the music.
“Far East Deep South” will be available to stream on worldchannel.org, pbs.org and the PBS Video app throughout May for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
