Last week, Intelligentsia opened its doors in Old Town Pasadena. Finally, the East Side gets some love! { daily dish }
Perhaps you're thinking, 'Another Intelligentsia? Another post where hipsters roam wild and free like gazelles in Africa? Big whoop!' Not so fast, dear eager eaters.
Top three reasons why Intelli-Pas is better than the other two locations (Silverlake and Venice):
(1) it serves food... GOOD food;
(2) you'll find ample parking without the constant paranoia of getting a ridiculously overpriced ticket;
(3) it will soon serve beer and wine too!
Let's start with the food, prepared by the sweet Matt Poley (who I was fortunate to meet today) from Heirloom LA
Bolognese w/ chilled Almond Romesco, Green Goddess dressing w/ warm potatoes - $10
Amazing Bolognese - very flavorful with just the right amount of kick. I was slightly disappointed with the potatoes, though. Not warm enough and a bit bland. Overall, still a great dish.
Heirloom cherry tomato salad w/ fava, peas, fresh feta, frisee & arugula w/ White Balsamic - $9
The freshness of all the ingredients (sweet tomatoes) and the lightness of the white balsamic compliment each other very well!
Wild mushroom salad w/ baby greens, shaved Parm, and roasted shallot vinegrette - $10
Surprisingly, the vinegrette was not overpowering and the fresh fungi was yummy!
Wild Salmon salad open-faced sandwich w/ pickled beets and lemon arugula salad - $10
Fresh, fresh, fresh!
By the way, the noshing on such delicious foods would not have been the same without the help of my newfound friend and food/wine/cigar enthusiast, Matt, aka - mattatouille. V also deserves a worthy shoutout here, simply for being awesome. :)
Cardinal rule in life: Always save room for dessert. If not, make room. Seriously.
Fresh Cheese Plank (goat cheese w/ chives, cheese topped w/ honey and almond, burrata over tomatoes) w/ toast - $7.50
Cheeses for dessert? Yes! Not only are these amazing cheeses freshly made, but the texture is so smooth, it's almost comparable to eating cream. And the burrata -- oh my, the burrata! Words cannot adequately describe...
Nectarine Cobbler Crisp - $6
Missed the "crisp" part, mainly because the ice cream was melting so quickly, but the nectarines were sweet.
And of course, the coffee that epitomizes what coffee should taste like - always.
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cuisine: Coffeebar
locations in CA: Pasadena, Silverlake, Venice
hours: M-F: 6am - 10pm; Sat-Sun: 7am - 10pm {Pasadena}
attire: Casual
parking: street or lot depending on location
note: Free wifi!
note: Free wifi!