Mystery Food Tour 'Dishcrawl' Comes to Pasadena

Pasadena has its chain restaurants but it also has diverse cuisines to offer—Spanish, Greek, French and Himalayan, to name a few.  

In an attempt to experience some of the interesting food available in Old Town, sometimes “hidden” in plain sight near big name eateries, 23 people embarked on the first Dishcrawl Pasadena Wednesday night.  

Dishcrawl was started in 2010 by San Jose foodie Tracy Lee, who wanted to show a different side of dining in major cities, and is now in 125 cities across the U.S. and Canada.  

Wednesday’s Dishcrawl, led by enthusiastic young woman Nitar Lohaphaisan, was titled “Old Town, New Flavors” and was about highlighting some of the best local, small businesses, Lohaphaisan told Patch.  

Dishcrawl attendees pay for an event ticket upfront, though the identities of the restaurants where they are dining are kept secret. Dishcrawl Pasadena let attendees know 48 hours ahead of time where they would be meeting but the rest of the evening’s walking distance destinations were a mystery.  

At each stop, the restaurant owner came out to talk to Dishcrawl diners about what they would be eating that evening—a sample of a few items—and what cuisine the restaurant served.  

Here is what the first Dishcrawl Pasadena had in store (see photos attached to this article):  

Kal’s Mediterranean Bistro (43 E. Union St)  

Kal’s opened May 7 in the space that was formerly Quadrupel and it kept the previous eatery’s floor to ceiling handsome dark wood.  

Kal Maleh, who co-manages the restaurant owned by his wife Justina, describes the menu as “modern Mediterranean,” offering dishes from the middle East, Greece, France and Spain.  

“Covering these countries, I want to choose a couple dishes and present it with perfection,” Maleh told Patch.  

Maleh owned restaurants in Greece and Damascus and moved to the U.S. seven months ago. He was introduced to Pasadena five months ago and said he fell in love with the community.  

Dishcrawl diners pay extra for drinks so some took advantage of Kal’s $4 sangrias and other happy hour items offered from 4-8 p.m. daily. Kal’s makes three kinds of sangria and they weren’t watered down.  

Bartenders serve up drinks by noted mixologist Matt Biancaniello, formerly of the Library Bar and Roosevelt Hotel. Sweet and savory drink offerings include “Smoke in the Garden,” Biancaniello’s take on a Bloody Mary; “Kiss of Ios” with passionfruit and sweet vermouth and others that include herbs. One of Kal’s bartenders conjured up a drink called “Bushido”—sake, crushed lemongrass, brown rice-infused simple syrup, bonita (dry fish flake) and yuzu.

The wine list includes several Mediterranean options.  

Executive chef Steven Lona, who attended Le Cordon Bleu and served as executive chef of Pasadena’s Bistro 45 for four and a half years, talked to the crowd about his background and what diners would be served that evening: a trio plate of coffee-roasted beet salad with pistachio smoked hummus, sheep’s milk yogurt, arugula and pomegranate; heirloom tomato salad with herbs and a unique balsamic reduction; and ground lamb lule kebab with tzatziki and saffron rice.  

Maleh also treated Dishcrawlers to a complimentary glass of champagne at the end of the meal.  

Choza Mama (96 E. Colorado Blvd.)

The crawl continued to this Peruvian eatery that has resided on Colorado Boulevard for about five to six years.  

The trio of dishes for Dishcrawl guests included lechon adobado—pulled pork cooked for four to five hours and served with red wine sauce, yams and cassava root mashed potatoes; causa rellena (chilled mashed potato casserole with ); and Peruvian salad with avocado, mixed greens, cucumber, fresh cheese and large kernels of corn.    

Owner Ric Linares shared how Peru is a melting pot of several different cultures—Asia, Europe, Italy, France and Spain—and that is reflected in the food.  

Peru’s main cocktail is rum-based concoction Pisco sour, Linares shared, and Choza Mama serves them in regular, cucumber and jalapeno varieties. 

The eatery also has different live entertainment throughout the week.  

Tibet Nepal House (36 E. Holly St.)  

Getting Himalayan cuisine didn’t require a mountainous trek. The group simply walked a short way from Colorado Boulevard to Holly Street where they dined at Tibet Nepal House.  

The eclectic eatery has been open since 2001 and owner Rajan Adhikari hails from Nepal. Adhikari describes Himalayan cuisine as a mix of Tibetan, Nepali and Indian food.  

Pictures of mountain scenes from the Himalayan region adorn the walls, while paper Yeti feet that have been decorated by customers are displayed overhead. Tibetan Buddhist chanting could be heard amidst the musical selections for the evening.  

Read more about Tibet Nepal House and how it serves yak here.  

Guests dined on momo (dumplings filled with steamed ground chicken; some were filled with vegetables), chicken tikka masala (chicken in a creamy tomato sauce that was different from the Indian tikka masala dish due to the addition of Himalayan herbs) and garlic naan bread (like the thin Indian bread dish).  

Sugar Fix/Blind Donkey  

To finish the evening off with something sweet, the dining crew ate strawberry lemonade Sugar Fix (63 S. Raymond Ave.) cupcakes at The Blind Donkey whiskey bar. Even though the Blind Donkey (53 E. Union St.) doesn’t serve cupcakes, Sugar Fix closed earlier in the evening so boxes of the cupcakes were brought to the bar and Dishcrawlers consumed them while perusing the list of whiskeys and cocktails.  

Read more about The Blind Donkey here on Patch.  

While the rest of the evening’s eats landed on the more unique side, why were cupcakes chosen for dessert?  

“These are baked fresh every day and the owner is a local Pasadenan,” Lohaphaisan told Patch.  

The Dishcrawl Pasadena organizer also liked that Sugar Fix uses some recycled materials and their cupcakes “feel homey” but aren’t “overpoweringly sweet” like some others. Indeed everyone quickly devoured the sweet and tangy treat.  

A drawing took place after dessert for prizes including tickets to the next Dishcrawl and a grand gift of loose leaf tea and an infuser from Pasadena-based Socha tea, which uses organic, whole ingredients and stevia as a sweetener.

Dishcrawl Pasadena will be planned for once a month and, if the interest grows, twice a month. Four different Pasadena eateries will be chosen each time.

The next Pasadena Dishcrawl, “Pasadena’s Favorite Flavors” will take place June 18. See more information here.  

What do you think of the Dishcrawl concept? Would you sign up for a mystery food tour? What eateries would you want to see on a Pasadena Dishcrawl? Share in the comments section.