Restaurants in Pasadena

When 18-year old Casey Jenkins enrolled in the US Marine Corp, his only intention was to serve his country. After spending time as a line cook, however, he began a love affair with the culinary arts. When service ended, he took his skills to the next level by enrolling in the Culinary Institute of America. Over time, he honed his skills and eventually opened Darker Than Blue Cafe, known throughout Baltimore for its pairing of live jazz performances with low-country southern cuisine made from fresh, local ingredients.

The restaurant has garnered praise, voted Baltimore’s Best Soul Food by Voice Places. Diners sip peach-mango tea during all-you-can-eat Sunday jazz brunch, when live music fills the restaurant for a more melodious backdrop than a recording of Harvey Fierstein reading The Grapes of Wrath. They can also bring their own libations to enjoy with dinner, which features classics such as chicken and waffles topped with whipped cream, Cajun shrimp served over salmon cakes, and baby-back ribs.

Lisa Markiewicz lends more than her zen-like surname to the wine bar and lounge she recently opened in Mount Vernon. Her extensive knowledge of pan-Mediterranean cuisine—including grecian tapas and grecian lamb chops—informs the menu at Waterstone Bar & Grille, and her love of the region’s signature libation shines through in a drink menu that features more than 100 wines sold at retail price.

The restaurant’s chic lounge space strikes a balance between Old-World elegance and the hipness of the Mount Vernon neighborhood that surrounds it. Exposed-brick walls give way to plum pastels—a contrast mediated by the gauzy black curtains draped over windows and doorways. The restaurant's prime location puts theaters such as the Hippodrome, Lyric, and Centerstage within close walking distance, making it easy to lovingly pelt actors with Mediterranean-spiced tomatoes during their curtain calls.

Chef Carlo Vignotto's love of cooking began simmering during his childhood, as he worked at his family's Venice restaurant, before rising to a rolling boil as he earned a culinary degree and studied under some of Italy's master chefs. Now owner and executive chef of La Tavola Ristorante Italiano, he demonstrates his passion for the culinary arts with made-from-scratch pastas and Italian dishes crafted from fresh, high-quality ingredients. "La Tavola's strongest suit is its lineup of pasta dishes, a few of which can compete for top ranking in or out of the neighborhood," reads the Baltimore Sun, its pages flecked with cream sauce and ground truffles. Seafood, chicken, and veal courses also appear on the menu and Chef Carlo can oft times be seen preparing them as a special guest on the news.

Founded three decades ago by a group of friends that simply wanted barbecue, jazz, and a place to sit, Red Hot & Blue grew from its original Arlington location to the robust chain it is today, spreading southern flavors and hospitality to the north. As hickory smoke wafts from kitchen grills, chefs slather sweet barbecue sauces and massage dry spices into ribs, pork, and brisket slow roasted for hours until melty and tender. The sound of classic blues tunes drifts from speakers, and the paraphernalia of the genre's greatest talents bedeck every inch of the walls, from instruments wielded by famous hands to the rock on which Mamie Smith stubbed her toe before emitting the world's first blues croon.:m]]

Nestled in Little Italy, Ciao Bella presents a menu of Northern and Southern Italian cuisine crafted by Chef Tony Gambino. Along with his family, Chef Tony serves up edible treasures such as gnocchi alla vodka, which features housemade potato dumplings simmered in vodka cream sauce with garlic and basil. His meaty eats include a succulent center-cut pork chop, which he grills and finishes with a madeira-wine sauce, as well as traditional Italian dishes such as chicken parmigiana and veal saltimbocca with prosciutto and imported provolone cheese. Rather than leaving the restaurant in the hands of robots that run on spaghetti, Tony takes a very hands-on approach, which is why he created the wine list himself. With more than 40 labels, the list dazzles palates with bottles of reds and whites from all across Italy, as well as New World wines from regions such as Napa and Sonoma Valley.

Inside Ciao Bella, white tablecloths drape over tables in a dining room ideal for special nights out or intimate dinners. Private rooms also accommodate parties of varying sizes and have even hosted celebrities such as Steven Van Zandt and Max Weinberg.

Servers whisk roasted quail stuffed with pancetta cornbread and grilled filet mignon to white-clothed tables. Dishes like these might have been served on a transatlantic cruise aboard the SS Normandie, which is the inspiration for the stately dining room's interior. Renowned for its lavish and art-deco decor, the 1930s-era cruise ship graces the dining room's walls in a color print—which was actually purchased on the ship—and the very same eye-catching zodiac globes that entranced guests in the ship's dining room dangle from the hammered tin ceiling at Harry Browne's. As guests dine on freshly angled bounty such as meaty lump crab cakes, grilled rainbow trout, and cream of crab stew, they can gaze out at views of the historic Maryland State House from the interior's façade of small-paned windows or on the outdoor patio, which is relatively free of feral lieutenant governors.