Franklin Avenue

Rate-A-Restaurant, #17 in a series

Restaurant: Xiomara

Location: 69 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena

Type of restaurant: Latin cuisine

They stipulated: That diners show up in classy attire. We came in jeans. They still sat us-- after putting us at the bar just long enough to order a drink.

What we ordered: Appetizer: spice-seared Ahi tuna; Main: Poblano risotto for Maria; seared pepper-crusted salmon with black bean croquette for Mike.

High point: The Mojitos we had at the bar. Very different from the ones we've had in the past (at places like Ciudad) or even made at home. They had an almost interesting wintergreen flavor. The secret to their Mojito? Freshly crushed sugar cane. The bar had a machine I had never seen, where you feed it actual sugar cane stalks, and sugar juice comes out the bottom. Fascinating. Gotta get me one of those.

Low point: The decor. It truly was like entering 1987. I half expected to be dining next to Andrew "Dice" Clay. The fixtures were designed with frosted glass; the color scheme was that emerald, gold and black combo popular of the era, and the room was just too small. We were cramped next to some older guys talking about golf.

Overall impression: Actually, the whole room was a slightly older crowd, which perhaps is inevitable in Pasadena. The food was decent, but not memorable. Perhaps we should have tried the owner's new Cuban restaurant instead. That said, the Ahi tuna was probably the highlight, although Maria's risotto was good as well. I've got to stop ordering salmon; it all tastes the same after a while.

Chance we will go back: Unlikely.