Rate-A-Restaurant #254: My Sweet Cupcake

Restaurant: My Sweet Cupcake

Location: 954 Mission St. (South Pasadena)

Type of restaurant: Bakery/Cupcakes

We stipulated: We were in South Pasadena for one of our regular go-to adventures with the kids: Taking the Metro Gold Line downtown. Back in South Pasadena, we were walking around and decided to check out My Sweet Cupcake's goods.
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They stipulated: My Sweet Cupcake won Food Network's "Cupcake Wars." "My Sweet Cupcake prides themselves on fine ingredients with a touch of homemade flair to make their cupcakes delicious and classic."



What we ordered: "Oreo Delight," "Simply Vanilla" cupcakes.

High point: My Sweet Cupcake had just closed, but we must have looked sad otuside the door, because they still let us in and let us buy two of the day's leftover cupcakes.

Low point: Well yeah, it was an end-of-the-day cupcake... which meant that it wasn't quite as fresh.



Overall impression: Cute place, cute cupcakes. Does the job if you're in South Pasadena and you're jonesing for a cupcake.

Chance we'll go back:  In a town overrun with cupcake shops, there wasn't anything that memorable about these. (If anything, the cake was a bit dry.) They were OK, but is anyone jonesing for cupcakes anymore? So I'm no so sure.

For a complete list of our more than 250 restaurant reviews, check out Franklin Avenue's companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.

Outdoor Movies Return to South Pasadena

(Flickr pic via Jill Doughtie.)

It's not hard to find outdoor movie screenings in Los Angeles -- these days it seems they're everywhere. (I just wrote "B-Movies and Bad Movies" at the La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum.)

But South Pasadena boasts one of the most family-friendly -- a good choice for those of us with young ones.

Run by the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation, the town's "Outdoor Movie Nights" takes place Saturdays on the lawn at the South Pasadena Museum -- where the popular (and Franklin Avenue's fave) Farmers' Market runs every Thursday.

Movies begin at 8 p.m. This Saturday, the "Outdoor Movie Nights" screen "Up." Here are the future screenings:

July 17 - "Night at The Museum"
July 24 - "Enchanted"
July 31 - "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
Aug. 7 - "Back to the Future"

The best part: It's free. Bring a blanket and some popcorn.

South Pasadena Makes a "Modern Family" Cameo

The fictional "Cup N Cake" cafe seen on Wednesday night's episode of ABC's "Modern Family"? We're pretty sure it's actually the Kaldi coffeeshop in South Pasadena (close to the Mission Gold Line stop and the Thursday night Farmers' Market).

Why? Check out the building behind Gloria (Sofia Vergara) -- it appears to be the South Pasadena Library, as it's situated exactly where it is in real life opposite the coffeeshop.



It's hard to tell from these pics... anyone else watch last night and come to the same conclusion? (UPDATE: OK, you've all convinced me I'm right. Here's a pic of the real-life location below.)


(Flickr pic by Santa Barbarian.)

This Is What It Takes To Get Everyone to Ride Mass Transit

Apparently, all it takes is free rides -- too bad the Metro wouldn't be able to withstand such an economic model for long.

But just like it has on opening day for all of its lines (including the original portion of the Gold Line in 2003), Metro went fare-free on Sunday to celebrate the launch of the Gold Line extension into the real Eastside.

We got on at our usual Gold Line stop -- the Mission station in South Pasadena -- and realized this may not have been the best idea. We had the baby and stroller, which were tough to navigate on a train packed with riders.

Then, the dealbreaker: As we approached the Chinatown station, a voice informed the crowd that the elevator was broken at Union Station -- and that we'd have to get off there anyway and then reboard the same train going to East L.A.

I guess that was the only fair way to get people on the Gold Line a shot at getting on the train. Otherwise, anyone who didn't board in Pasadena would have been stuck without a seat on the packed trains.



As much as we were interested in checking out the new Metro stops, and perhaps grab a tamale or lunch on the Eastside, it was just too much. The Gold Line extension isn't going anywhere --so we've decided to check it out and plop down a few bucks to ride it in the coming weekends. Piece of mind comes at standard fare.

Instead, it was margarita time (for me) and lunch time for all of us, on Olvera Street.

More Kicks on Route 66 This Weekend

The Location Managers Guild of America, which brings together location pros from the film biz, continues its series of walks up and down the historic Route 66 this Sunday.

On Aug. 23, the march continues from Union Station to South Pasadena. The walk includes a trek through Chinatown and Highland Park, and starts at 8 a.m.

The general public is welcome to join in -- head over to Route 66 On the Road Again for more details.

L.A.'s Most Family-Friendly Farmers Market

Late sunsets and warm evenings are perfect for South Pasadena's Thursday night farmers market. We've written about the weekly event plenty of times in the past, but it's worth reminding you again.

Evan and I returned to the farmers' market on Thursday night, and the mood was perfect. The air smelled of barbecue. A jazz ensemble performed. Kids ran around the grass as parents talked. Metro trains passed by, captivating the kids (including the Kid Formerly Known as the Blogger Toddler).

We both ate tamales, and later bought two corns on the cob -- and finished all of it. (The KFKATBT was truly hungry.) We marched up and down the stalls, sampling fruit and buying a container of loose grapes for $1 (bargain time!)



If you can't make it on Thursdays, South Pasadena is also sponsoring outdoor movies for kids at the same spot on Mission throughout the month of July on Saturday evenings, starting at 8 p.m. See you there...

Sundae, Fudgy Sundae

Gridskipper lists the best Hot Fudge Sundaes in Los Angeles -- and apparently the epicenter is in the Alhambra/South Pasadena area, where three hail: The always wonderful Fosselman's in Alhambra -- where Twohey's Restaurant also resides -- and South Pas' Fair Oaks Pharmacy.

But you'll never guess Gridskipper's choice for top Sundae in town: The Disney Soda Fountain tourist trap across the street from Hollywood & Highland. Guess we shouldn't pooh-pooh it until we try it, and Gridskipper swears by the joint's Black & White creation. Hey, if it doesn't fit the bill, you can always grab a milkshake from Lucky Devil's, a coupla blocks east on Hollywood.

Celebrating the Year of the Rat

As Maria suggested in her Thursday three, we parked in South Pasadena on Saturday afternoon and hopped on the Gold Line down to Chinatown. The goal: Check out the Golden Dragon Parade and other Lunar New Year festivities.

Once we got there, Broadway was packed with people (100,000 check out the parade annually, organizers claim). Blogger Toddler was a little creeped out by the constant rat-a-tat-tat of firecrackers -- not to mention the dragons dancing down Broadway. (It took him a while to realize those were people underneath.) So we briefly checked out the parade before moving on to dim sum at Ocean Seafood (review to come).


Happy Lunar New Year! (Blogger Toddler got confused when the waiter at Ocean Seafood wished us a "Happy New Year." Evan: "It's not New Year's! It's Valentine's Day!"


DJs spin grooves


A little girl enjoys the parade


Party poppers

Maria's Thursday Three

1. Target Meal: We were caught at Target one day when BT declared that he was hungry. We ended up getting him the Target snack bar's kids' meal -- and were impressed (of course we were -- it's Target, after all.)

The mean included had a hot dog, apple sauce (the menu promised organic yogurt but they gave us apple sauce instead) and organic milk, all for $1.99. I know a hot dog is not the best food for him, but it could've really gotten ugly if the hungry toddler was not fed. I thought the applesauce and organic milk made this meal a good bargain. Anyway, check out that box the meal came in: loaded with illustrations by J. Otto Seibold!

2. The Huntington Library Free Day: The Hungtington Library offers free admission today (every first Thursday of the month) -- but you must order advance tickets to get in. Good if you have your act together and have tickets for today, bad if you are a last-minute kind of person like me.

3. Year Of The Rat: The Lunar New Year Festival is happening in Chinatown this weekend. Avoid the traffic mess by taking the Gold Line, perhaps from South Pasadena.

Rate-A-Restaurant, #149 in a series

Restaurant: Mike & Anne's

Location: 1040 Mission St. (South Pasadena)

Type of restaurant: American

We stipulated: Catching up with some friends, we were looking for a place that was brunch-y but would still actually have a table for us. South Pasadena worked out great -- Blogger Toddler could spend hours watching the Gold Line trains -- and Mike & Anne's is located in that nice stretch of Mission that's wonderfully walkable.

They stipulated: Reservations only for parties of six or more.



What we ordered: Mike -- Chicken Sausage, Avocado & Cheese Omelette (Chicken apple sausage, swiss, avocado and green onions. Served with morning potatoes and toast.) Ordered without cheese, $10. (Above)

Maria -- Breakfast Quesadilla (Honey baked ham, bacon, scrambled eggs with jack and cheddar cheese served with house made avocado salsa.) $9. (Below)

Evan -- Side order of fruit, $2.50.



High point: You can't go wrong with a breakfast quesadilla, and this is no exception. Also, Mike & Anne's is quite a well-done space; we ate indoors, but the patio is particularly popular.

Low point: Yet Mike & Anne's was surprisingly disappointing. The eggs were a bit runny in my omelette. The service was spotty -- I finally had to race down someone to get a coffee refill.

Overall impression: It's a great-looking menu, and some of the items sound so good that I need to return and sample more. But I was expecting to really love this spot -- great location, fantastic-sounding menu and well-designed space. Too bad it didn't live up to expectations.

Chance we will go back:: It's unlikely.

(For our list of nearly 150 restaurant reviews, check out our companion Rate-A-Restaurant site.)

L.A.'s Most Family-Friendly Farmers Market

Last Thursday Maria wrote about the South Pasadena Farmers Market, and this Thursday I'm here to back her up.

Located on Mission -- right where the Metro Gold Line stops -- it's a perfect place for a market. People stroll from the restaurants to the market and back again; stores are open late; and the vibe is nice.

Plus, the food vendors are top-notch. There are a wide variety of produce, bread and baked goodies booths.

But I have to say, the South Pasadena Farmers Market is less about fruits and veggies (you can find a better selection at bigger markets like the Hollywood or Santa Monica ones), and more about the festive atmosphere. While you'd be hard-pressed to plop down and sit for a few hours at the Hollywood or Santa Monica ones, while letting your little ones run wild, that's part of the tradition at the South Pas market. Young parents with their kids sit on blankets, scarfing down gourmet tamales while their toddlers watch and squeal with delight as the Gold Line trains race by. (OK, that was me and Blogger Toddler last week.)

But get there while it's still light out relatively late -- and it's still warm outside. The South Pasadena Farmers Market takes place from 4 to 8 tonight. Parking's not hard to find -- or take the train in.


One reason it's a hit with kids: The constant appearance of the Gold Line, which Blogger Toddler never tired of watching as we consumed our tamales.


The farmers market staple: Fruit samples.


Tamales that live up to their gourmet name...


... just check out their menu. I ordered the "smoked BBQ chicken, red onion, cilantro and smoked Gouda cheese" tamale, while Evan had the more benign "green corn with sweet yellow corn" (which he completely consumed). We later brought home the "pumpkin and currant Jamaica Rum flavor" tamale for Maria.


As eaten on our blanket near the Metro Gold Line stop.


The rotisserie grill flames up.


Blogger Toddler meets Rice Krispie treat.


And oh yeah, produce.

A Day on the Gold Line, From South Pasadena to Union Station

Some weekends, you just want to break the rut. Even if that means simply choosing another Target ("Hmm, we hit the Empire Center Target last week, so let's drive over to the Pasadena one!")

But lately, Maria and I have been trying to mix things up even more -- while at the same time making sure Evan is properly entertained.

Enter the Gold Line. After a morning at our usual weekend haunt, the kid-friendly Swork coffeehouse in Eagle Rock, we drove on to the Mission St. collection of stores in South Pasadena. As Evan fell asleep in the stroller, Maria and I checked out a few of the shops -- including a collectibles shop that specialized in old magazines, trinkets and books (I bought a 1981 3rd grade history textbook on Los Angeles -- including some cool shots of the Civic Center circa 1940s -- for $1!).

Then, after we exhausted the Mission St. stores, we parked the car for good (free 3-hour parking) and jumped on the Gold Line, headed toward Union Station. At just $1.25, the Gold Line was worth its weight in... er, gold. Evan loved riding the choo-choo (he hasn't yet learned the term "light rail rapid transit") and smiled from ear to ear for the entire journey. (Yes, this is the effect Thomas the Tank Engine is having on our nation's youth.)



We arrived at Union Station, where Evan had no interest in seeing where Mommy and Daddy got married (the old Fred Harvey restaurant). So we crossed to Olvera Street, where the colors, sights and sounds kept Evan enthralled. After waiting for 15 minutes at La Golondrina Cafe for a table, we left (trust me, the food isn't worth the price there anyway -- and the margaritas aren't cheap. We dodged a bullet) and headed down to La Luz del Dia (West 1 Olvera).

Above, both Maria and I ordered the #6 platter -- coincidentally, a favorite of Charles Phoenix's. (A few months ago, on another adventurous Saturday, we hit downtown's Clifton's Cafeteria -- another kitschy favorite of pop culture enthusiast Phoenix.)



La Luz del Dia offers some of the more authentic food on Olvera Street, which admittedly is a tourist trap. But I've always thought that Olvera was at least a tastefully managed tourist trap. And it still boasts a ton of history, including the Avila Adobe -- L.A.'s oldest existing structure, and one we finally stepped inside for the first time on Saturday.



But back to La Luz del Dia. Our #6 platter came with carnitas, guacamole and salsa, rice and beans, and two fresh tortillas. ($6.24 -- quite a good deal). The real bargain, however, are the tamales. We got Evan a pork tamale for $1 -- and were impressed by both the size and by the taste. We also purchased a sweet corn tamale, also for just a $1.

Later, we couldn't resist stopping by Mr. Churro for a fresh, just deep-fried cinnamon and sugar churro. We also walked around the plaza, where dancers were performing, and stuck our head inside the Pico House.



Eventually it was time to jump back to Union Station and take the Gold Line back to our car. Once back in South Pasadena, we did a bit more exploring (above, a statue at the Mission St. stop dwarfs everyone -- especially Evan). We checked out South Pasadena's main library (impressive and beautiful on the outside, but tragically sporting a 1970s-era renovation on the inside).

After that, we made it home (eventually -- after passing through Hermon). Evan's still talking about the train -- I'm sure we'll be taking another Gold Line ride soon.