New Restaurants to Try

Good afternoon, Pasadena. This is News N’ Roses. You know what I just found out? Pasadena, Texas was named after Pasadena, California because some people thought that the areas resembled each other. Obviously though, we are the better, OG Pasadena.

In today’s News N’ Roses:

• 11th Annual Centennial Square Boxing Show this Friday

• Free Youth Flag Football Event Coming to PCC This Sunday

• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Comes to A Noise Within

• News N’ Roses Merch: NASAdena T-Shirts

• Civic News

• Restaurant Spotlight

  • 7 New Food & Drink Spots to Know Around Pasadena

• Live Music Lowdown

Let’s get to it.

—Matthew Ramirez

THE DIGEST

11th Annual Centennial Square Boxing Show this Friday

Pasadena is turning City Hall into a boxing ring this Friday night. The 11th Annual Centennial Square Boxing Show takes over the plaza in front of City Hall from 6 to 10PM, with a full evening of free amateur boxing. The event features Olympic-style bouts with male and female fighters ages 8 and up from gyms across Southern California, including several boxers from Pasadena’s Villa Parke Boxing Program.

And Pasadena actually has some real boxing history behind this event. Local boxer Canto “TNT” Robledo was a world bantamweight contender in the 1930s before detached retinas left him blind. He later returned to the sport as a licensed trainer, opened Crown City Gym and spent decades mentoring young boxers in Pasadena. Today, a bronze memorial honoring him can be found at Villa Parke, where the city still runs its youth and adult boxing programs.

So when fighters step into the ring in front of City Hall Friday night, they’re joining a local boxing tradition that goes back generations. See official announcement here.

Free Youth Flag Football Event Coming to PCC This Sunday

A big youth flag football event is coming to Pasadena this weekend. On Sunday, Aug. 23, from 10AM to noon, PCC Stadium will host a free community kickoff with a youth football clinic, games, food, giveaways and family activities. There’s also a pretty nice bonus: families can enter a raffle for one of 250 pairs of tickets to the Rams vs. Chargers preseason game at SoFi Stadium. The event is also helping launch a new YMCA NFL FLAG league, with a focus on getting more kids into the sport without cost getting in the way. Around 700 kids have already registered, with space capped at 800.

Want to get your kid involved beyond Sunday? You can learn more and sign up for YMCA flag football here.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Comes to A Noise Within

A Noise Within is bringing August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to Pasadena starting this weekend, and this one comes with some history behind it. Set during a tense 1927 recording session in Chicago, the play follows legendary blues singer Ma Rainey as she clashes with the white producers trying to control her music and career, while ambitious trumpeter Levee pushes for his own shot at success. It’s also a big milestone for A Noise Within. This is the seventh of Wilson’s 10-play American Century Cycle that the Pasadena theater has produced, part of its long-running effort to eventually stage the entire collection. Previews begin this Sunday, with the official run from Aug. 29 through Sept. 20. Tickets and details here.

News N’ Roses Merch: NASAdena T-Shirts

Pasadena’s legacy goes far beyond the Rose Parade. Home to JPL, Caltech and Mount Wilson Observatory, the city has played a major role in space exploration, astronomy and science.The NASAdena shirt celebrates that history, highlighting Pasadena’s Mars exploration, astronaut alumni and groundbreaking telescope legacy. Available as a classic t-shirt or crop top.

👉 Shop NASAdena Shirts here

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Wednesday (8/19)

🎨 Adult Crafternoon: Wrapped Glass Tumbler: Adults wrap and decorate glass tumblers using library-provided supplies, available first come, first served. Altadena Library at Loma Alta Park | Wednesday | August 19 | 4–5:30PM

🐾 Hidden Gems: A Pop-Up Dog Adoption Event at PetSmart Hastings Ranch: Pasadena Humane brings dogs who have been at the shelter longer than most, looking for adopters. PetSmart Hastings Ranch | Wednesday | August 19 | 5–7PM

🧠 Trivia Night: Weekly trivia from Game Night Trivia with questions to test your knowledge over a Stone brew. Stone Brewing Tap Room – Pasadena | Wednesday | August 19 | 6PM–8PM

🎬 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: A big-screen showing of the 1989 adventure film starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Regency Academy 6 | Wednesday | August 19 | 7:30PM

🎤 Harland Williams, Steph Tolev, Jefferson McDonald: Dusted Company brings headliner Harland Williams to the California Room, with sets from Steph Tolev, Jefferson McDonald, Adam Ray, and others. Ice House Comedy Club’s California Room | Wednesday | August 19 | 8PM

Thursday (8/20)

🏠 Eaton Fire Senior Summit #3: Bringing Families Home: The third in a series of summits focused on housing recovery for seniors affected by the Eaton Fire. Pasadena Hilton Hotel | Thursday | August 20 | 9AM

🛒 Shop With A Cop: Pasadena Police officers partner one-on-one with youth selected by the Boys & Girls Club for a shopping trip at Target. Target East Pasadena | Thursday | August 20 | 3:30PM

🌽 South Pasadena Farmers’ Market: California-grown produce, prepared food vendors, and live music under a canopy of trees near the Gold Line station. South Pasadena Farmers’ Market | Thursday | August 20 | 4–8PM

🎤 Breaking The Ice: Open Mic: New and upcoming comics each get 3 minutes on stage, with slot order determined by a bucket pull. Ice House Comedy Club’s California Room | Thursday | August 20 | 6PM

🎭 Pericles: Shakespeare’s seafaring adventure story performed in Ellen McLaughlin’s translation, with movement and music woven throughout. Boston Court Pasadena | Thursday | August 20 | 7:30PM

💘 Azizams Persian Blind Dating Show: Two blindfolded Persian singles take the stage while hosts probe their icks, secrets, and dealbreakers, with audience members allowed to come up and try to steal a contestant. Ice House Comedy Club’s Legendary Room | Thursday | August 20 | 8PM

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events are added to the News N’ Roses events page. Check them out!

*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!

CIVIC NEWS

Public Safety Committee Meeting

The Public Safety Committee will meet Wednesday at 4PM in the City Hall Council Chamber (Room S249) to discuss public safety matters affecting Pasadena. Click here to view agenda.

Library Commission Meeting

The Library Commission will meet Wednesday at 6PM at Hill Avenue Library to discuss matters related to Pasadena’s public libraries and library services. Click here to view agenda.

Fair Housing Workshop

A fair housing workshop for Pasadena renters and landlords will be held Thursday from 6PM to 7:30PM at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, covering housing protections, accommodations, discrimination and tenant-landlord responsibilities. Click here to view agenda.

Pasadena Rental Housing Board Meeting

The Pasadena Rental Housing Board will meet Thursday from 6PM to 9PM in the City Hall Council Chamber (Room S249) to discuss matters related to Pasadena’s rental housing policies and tenant-landlord issues. Click here to view agenda.

RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

7 New Food & Drink Spots to Know Around Pasadena

Pasadena’s food scene has been busy lately. Seven new restaurants, coffee shops, and drink spots have opened around town, with five of them arriving just since July.

Milk Brew on Colorado is probably the most unusual of the bunch. The café specializes in coffee steeped overnight directly in milk instead of water, a technique inspired by Japanese-style milk brewing. Their banana milk brew has already become one of the early favorites, and the shop itself is big, bright and set up with plenty of seating, outlets and Wi-Fi.

Levant Mediterranean Oven and Grill opened on California Boulevard near Huntington Hospital, serving shawarma, kebabs, mezze and stone-fired flatbreads. Their oversized Levant sandwiches seem to be the signature order, along with charcoal-grilled kebabs and appetizer spreads for sharing.

The Daily Catch is a much bigger arrival. The family-run Boston seafood restaurant has been around for 50 years, and Pasadena is its first West Coast location. They’re known for Sicilian-style seafood, calamari prepared several ways and their signature squid ink black pasta, which is served right in the sauté pan. Fresh seafood is sourced through Boston’s Fish Pier and flown out to California several times a week.

Mammoth Coffee Roasting Co. is now open on Fair Oaks in Old Pasadena. The company started in Mammoth Lakes in 2017, and Pasadena is its first franchise location. Along with coffee and espresso drinks, they have breakfast sandwiches, burritos, pastries and house-made treats.

Tierra Caliente has taken over a spot on Colorado Boulevard in Old Pasadena with Mexican food, cocktails and occasional live mariachi. Early menu mentions include enchiladas suizas, queso fundido and frijoles puercos, with the restaurant describing its cooking as authentic Mexican cuisine.

Dalah might be the one I’m most curious about. The small, family-run Thai restaurant on Cordova is doing familiar dishes with some interesting twists, including green curry with braised beef cheek, Hat Yai chicken wings, garlic grilled short ribs and duck leg red curry. It’s already getting some attention as a neighborhood Thai spot rather than another big, flashy opening.

And on South Lake, Mehfil Chai & Coffee is bringing karak chai made with tea leaves and spices sourced from India, along with mango lassi, pistachio lattes, iced teas and other drinks. The Pasadena shop is the brand’s second location, following its original in Baltimore.

WEATHER

Wednesday

93 🌡️ 66 |☀️| 💨 SW 8 mph

🌆 Air Quality Index: 51 (Moderate)

Thursday

90 🌡️ 67 |☀️| 💨 S 8 mph

Temperature readings taken from the Pasadena Doppler Radar.

LIVE MUSIC

🎹 Music at Noon: Seokmin On, piano: Seoul-born pianist Seokmin On, winner of the Marion Garcia International Piano Competition, performs a free 30-minute lunchtime recital. Pasadena Presbyterian Church | Wednesday | August 19 | 12:10–12:40PM

🎻 From Earth to the Cosmos: A Musical Voyage Through Space and Sound: Violinist Mary Elizalde performs works by Bach, Saint-Saëns, and other composers in a free lunchtime concert. Caltech’s Ramo Auditorium | Wednesday | August 19 | 12–12:50PM

☘️ Irish Music at Griffins of Kinsale: Enjoy an evening of live Irish music at Pasadena’s Griffins of Kinsale. Griffins of Kinsale | Wednesday | August 12 | 7PM

🎵 Will Sheff (of Okkervil River): Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff performs following the release of his solo work, including Nothing Special and Extra Mile. Lodge Room Highland Park | Wednesday | August 19 | 7PM

🎵 Alexander Biggs, Adriana McCassim, Nyan Feder: A live show featuring Alexander Biggs, Adriana McCassim and Nyan Feder. Healing Force of the Universe | Wednesday | August 19 | 8PM–11PM

🪐 Pearl & The Oysters: The duo brings its space-age jazz-pop sound to Highland Park, blending eclectic pop with influences ranging from jazz to Brazilian music. Lodge Room Highland Park | Thursday | August 20 | 7PM

THANKS!

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