Good afternoon, Pasadena. This is News N’ Roses. I’m sorry if I made you sad about my April Fool’s prank. But I hope you at least had a good chuckle. One day, the big news will be real. Promise.
In today’s News N’ Roses:
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Easter But Make It Last Minute
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Events this Weekend
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Live Music Lowdown
Let’s get to it.
—Matthew Ramirez
P.S. Happy Easter! 🐣
THE DIGEST
Easter But Make It Last Minute
by Peter Dills, Local Food Dude
I’ll be honest—Easter sneaks up on you. One minute you’re thinking about what’s for dinner, the next minute someone’s asking, “Where are we going for Easter?” and suddenly you’re competing with half of Pasadena for a table. So instead of the usual suspects—with long waits and pricey fixed menus—here are a few places you might not think of… but maybe should.
Let’s start with one of my favorite value plays: Kabuki Japanese Restaurant Pasadena. Plenty of seating, which already gives it an edge on a holiday. Sushi, hot dishes, and enough variety to keep everyone happy. I’ve said it before—if you know how to order here, you can eat very well without breaking the bank. Even a samurai warrior would walk out satisfied.
Right on Colorado, Plate 38 is stepping up for Easter. Chef Robert Humphreys is featuring his signature leg of lamb and prime rib—and this is where experience matters. This isn’t a place guessing on a holiday menu; they know what they’re doing. Comfortable, polished, and just enough of a scene without being over the top.
Sticking with the Italian theme, Celestino Ristorante continues to earn high marks. A bit more refined, a bit more traditional Easter feel. If you’re looking to slow things down and enjoy a proper meal, this is your move.
Now here’s a smart play: Twohey’s Restaurant. They’re running a three-day Easter weekend menu, which might be the best idea of them all. Why limit yourself to one crowded Sunday? Lobster omelette, orange pancakes, braised lamb shank, even a lighter cod option—this is classic comfort food with a holiday twist, and at prices that won’t ruin your week.
And then… there’s the wildcard. Clearman’s Galley (The Boat). Maybe Easter for you is a burger, a beer, and the Los Angeles Dodgers game on a big screen. No reservations. No pressure. Just a place to land.
For the diner, last minute doesn’t have to mean last choice. Whether it’s sushi, prime rib, pasta, or just a cold beer and a game—you’ve got options.
For the restaurants, not every Easter has to be linen tablecloths and fixed menus. Sometimes being the place people can count on—open, consistent, and welcoming—is the real win.
Forgot to make Easter reservations? Don’t worry… Dills has you covered.
by Peter Dills, Local Food Dude ([email protected])
Listen to the ‘Peter Dills AKA LA Foodie’ podcast here or SoundCloud here.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Friday (4/3)
🎨 Free First Fridays: Kidspace Children’s Museum opens its doors for free admission on the first Friday of every month — advance reservations required. Kidspace Children’s Museum | Friday | 2PM
🎨 Free First Friday: The Norton Simon Museum offers free admission to its galleries and garden on the first Friday of every month, no reservations required. Norton Simon Museum | Friday | 4PM
🎵 The Jam: Pasadena Conservatory of Music’s open-mic series for students and faculty, held in the Webster Amphitheater and featuring a special guest faculty performance. Pasadena Conservatory of Music | Friday | 4PM
📚 Kids Hand Made Books: Kids learn to construct their own handmade books using cardboard, fabric, and paper, including basic hand-sewing skills to create a slip cover and insert pages. Remainders Creative Reuse | Friday | 4PM
🧵 Scrap Art Dolls & Sewing Machine Spa Day: Make hand-sewn art dolls from fabric scraps, or bring your own sewing machine to learn routine maintenance and troubleshooting. Remainders Creative Reuse | Friday | 6PM
🥋 Caltech Tai Chi Club: The Caltech Tai Chi Club meets weekly to practice Hao-style tai chi chuan, Yang-style tai chi, kung fu, and other forms, with instruction open to all levels at no charge. Caltech Tai Chi Club | Friday | 7PM
🎬 Janus Film Club: A film viewing and discussion group screening Dos Monjes (1934) from the Janus Films catalog, followed by a short group discussion. South Pasadena Library Community Room | Friday | 7PM
😂 Comedy at the Ice House: An evening of stand-up comedy at Pasadena’s Ice House Comedy Club. The Ice House Comedy Club | Friday | April 3 | 7PM
🎭 Death of a Salesman: A Noise Within presents Arthur Miller’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, following aging salesman Willy Loman as his dreams and sense of identity unravel. A Noise Within | Friday | 7:30PM (Friday) & more showtimes
🎶 Opera Production presents “Dido and Aeneas” and “Gianni Schicchi”: PCC Opera presents Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and Giacomo Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, directed by Dr. Anthony Moreno, performed in Sexson Auditorium. PCC’s Sexson Auditorium (C 230) | This Weekend | 7:30PM (Friday) & more showtimes
🌋 Ring of Fire: Music from Around the Pacific: Brightwork newmusic performs a program of contemporary chamber works spanning cultures across the Pacific Rim, featuring pieces by Akshaya Avril Tucker, Gabriela Lena Frank, Chinary Ung, and Andy Akiho. Sierra Madre Playhouse | Friday | 8PM
Saturday (4/4)
🌽 Pasadena Farmers’ Market at Victory Park: A certified farmers’ market offering locally-grown fruits, vegetables, and farm products including jams, jellies, and fish, bought directly from local growers. Victory Park | Saturday | April 4 | 8AM
🐰 Bunny Brunch at the Egg Bowl: A family breakfast event at the Terry Donahue Pavilion at Rose Bowl Stadium, including a photo with the Bunny and a VIP egg hunt on the stadium field. Rose Bowl Stadium | Saturday | April 4 | 8:30AM
🐣 Sierra Madre Fire Department Easter Egg Hunt: The Sierra Madre Fire Department hosts a community Easter egg hunt at Memorial Park with prizes and a chance to meet local firefighters. Sierra Madre Memorial Park | Saturday | April 4 | 9AM
🦎 The Lizard & El Sol: A bilingual theatrical adaptation of Alma Flor Ada’s folktale about a fearless lizard’s quest to bring back the missing sun, featuring live music and presented primarily in Spanish but designed for all audiences. Playhouse Village Association | Saturday | April 4 | 9:30AM & 11AM
🐑 PazNaz Easter Fest: First Church of the Nazarene hosts a free community Easter event featuring a Jerusalem Marketplace, petting zoo, laser tag, and food from Lee’s Hoagie House and Kona Ice. First Church of the Nazarene (PazNaz) | Saturday | April 4 | 10:30AM
🥚 Egg Bowl 2026: A free community spring event at Rose Bowl Stadium featuring egg hunts for children up to 12, plus a spring festival with games, arts and crafts, and inflatable attractions. Rose Bowl Stadium | Saturday | April 4 | 11AM
🎨 “Our Stories in Art: Diversity and Symbiosis” Reception: An opening reception for a series of abstract paintings by conceptual artist Shanguo (Sam) Jia, inspired by the lives of Pasadena Senior Center members, with a chance to meet the artist and participating members. Pasadena Senior Center | Saturday | April 4 | 11AM
🐇 Free Skillshares: Clay Bunnychella at The Bunny Museum: Drop in to sculpt a clay bunny to donate to The Bunny Museum’s collection, with all supplies provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The Bunny Museum | Saturday | April 4 | 11AM
🌟 2nd Annual Youth Empowerment Festival: A free community festival presented by Loveland Community Development Corporation for young people ages 0–24 and their families, featuring carnival games, live performances, arts and crafts, wellness experiences, and an Easter egg hunt — with a focus on those impacted by the Eaton Fires. Pasadena City Hall | Saturday | April 4 | 11AM
🕺 Easter Eve Swing Out with Dani & The Delinquents: The Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association’s weekly Saturday night swing dance features live music from Dani & The Delinquents, open to dancers of all ages and experience levels, with a complimentary swing lesson at 7:30PM. Grace Hall | Saturday | April 4 | 8PM
Sunday (4/5)
🛍️ PCC Flea Market: Over 400 vendors sell antiques, collectibles, and rummage sale items across PCC’s campus parking lots, with proceeds benefiting student scholarships and activities. PCC Campus West Side | Sunday | April 5 | 8AM
✝️ Easter Sunday at The Bridge: An Easter worship experience followed by a community celebration with food, family photos, a bounce house, face paint, and a bunny petting zoo. The Bridge | Sunday | April 5 | 10AM
🦎 The Lizard & El Sol: A bilingual theatrical adaptation of Alma Flor Ada’s folktale about a fearless lizard’s quest to bring back the missing sun, featuring live music and presented primarily in Spanish but designed for all audiences. Playhouse Village Park | Sunday | April 5 | 9:30AM & 11AM
🌸 Spring Brunch: An elegant spring brunch buffet held in The Huntington’s Rose Hills Foundation Garden Court, featuring seasonal blooms. The Huntington’s Rose Hills Foundation Garden Court | Sunday | April 5 | 11AM & 1:30PM
🕹️ Family Day!: Barcade hosts a weekly family day every Sunday with food and arcade games, with a portion of token sales benefiting Gamers Outreach, a charity providing recreation to children in hospitals. Barcade Highland Park | Sunday | April 5 | 12PM
🌟 Crafternoon: Joy as Resistance: A free community gathering where attendees bring their own crafts, share supplies, and spend unstructured time creating and connecting together — registration requested due to limited space. Kindman & Company | Saturday | April 4 | 3:30PM
🧘 Cats on Mats: Yoga: A 45-minute cat-inspired yoga session followed by a 15-minute cool down with the cats, open to ages 6 and up — bring your own mat and towel. Tail Town Cat Cafe | Sunday | April 5 | 4PM
Upcoming Events
Nothing in this section is sponsored. These are just the things you need to know. I’ll always let you know if something is sponsored!
NEWS N’ ROSES WEATHER
Friday
78 🌡️ 52 |🌤️| 💨 E 5 mph
🌆 Air Quality Index: 41 (Good)
Saturday
83 🌡️ 55 |🌤️| 💨 SW 7 mph
Sunday
80 🌡️ 56 |🌤️| 💨 S 7 mph
Temperature readings taken from the Pasadena Doppler Radar.
LIVE MUSIC LOWDOWN
🎵 The Jam: Pasadena Conservatory of Music’s open-mic series for students and faculty, held in the Webster Amphitheater and featuring a special guest faculty performance. Pasadena Conservatory of Music | Friday | April 3 | 4PM
🎙️ Grace Fae and The Grandbirds: A vintage jazz band performing swinging songs from the 1920s–1940s, along with French and contemporary tunes. Edwin Mills | Friday | April 3 | 7PM
🌋 Ring of Fire: Music from Around the Pacific: Brightwork newmusic performs a program of contemporary chamber works spanning cultures across the Pacific Rim, featuring pieces by Akshaya Avril Tucker, Gabriela Lena Frank, Chinary Ung, and Andy Akiho. Sierra Madre Playhouse | Friday | April 3 | 8PM
🎺 Club 1881 Live Jazz: Live jazz every Friday night featuring artists from around the world. Club 1881 | Friday | April 3 | 8:30PM
🎷 Jenny & The Jazz Birds: A South Pasadena jazz group known for their classic blues, funk, and jazz sound performs at Jones Coffee Roasters. Jones Coffee Roasters | Saturday | April 4 | 10AM
🎻 MUSIC | Ramamurthi, Narayan and Chellappa: Violinist Arun Ramamurthi, percussionist Nirmal Narayan, and Vivek Chellappa perform a concert of Hindustani-inspired classical music structured around classical ragas, moving from melodic development through rhythmic composition to improvisational interplay. Sierra Madre Playhouse | Saturday | April 4 | 4PM
🎤 Courtney Marie Andrews – The Valentine Tour: Folk and Americana singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews performs in support of her latest album Valentine, with opener Margo Cilker. Lodge Room Highland Park | Saturday | April 4 | 7PM
🎙️ Ed Romero: An Argentine-born vocalist performs classic American standards from the Great American Songbook. Edwin Mills | Saturday | April 4 | 7PM
🇮🇹 Italian Night on the Rooftop at Visionarium with Dave De Vita & Violet Mostes: A monthly rooftop evening featuring live Italian music by Dave De Vita, an acrobatic performance by Violet Mostes, and a tasting table of imported Italian food and drinks. Visionarium Live Italian | Saturday | April 4 | 7PM
🎷 Sunday Night Jazz at The Barkley!: The Richard Glaser Quartet performs a four-hour set of live jazz. The Barkley Restaurant & Bar | Sunday | April 5 | 7PM
🎶 Nic Chamberlain Band Saturday at The Barkley!: Nic Chamberlain and his band perform a mix of covers and originals with no cover charge. The Barkley Restaurant & Bar | Saturday | April 4 | 9PM
🎹 The Gold Line Jazz Collective: Pianist Hank Mehren leads a local jazz collective performing cool jazz, hard bop, and Latin fusion with a core group of piano, guitar, upright bass, and drums. Jones Coffee Roasters | Sunday | April 5 | 10AM
🎸 Jazz Sundays with Catlin & Rosser: Barb Catlin and Ken Rosser perform an eclectic jazz set featuring works by Carla Bley, Billy Strayhorn, Steve Swallow, and Wayne Shorter, alongside their own original compositions. Jones Coffee Roasters | Sunday | April 5 | 2PM
🎹 Ken Song: Live jazz at Edwin Mills. Edwin Mills | Sunday | April 5 | 6PM
🎸 Knumears: A three-piece Southern California melodic hardcore band blending heavy intensity with atmospheric layers. Lodge Room Highland Park | Sunday | April 5 | 7PM
THANKS!
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