Dine LA Restaurant Week is Back

Good afternoon, Pasadena. This is News N’ Roses. Before Trader Joe’s became a national grocery chain, it was a single Pasadena store. The original opened on Arroyo Parkway in 1967, where employees actually made sandwiches and cut and wrapped cheese in-store.

In today’s News N’ Roses:

• Dine LA Restaurant Week

• Lineage Brings Broadway to the Gamble House

• Rose Bowl Masters Takes 4th at Nationals

• Civic News

• Restaurant Spotlight

  • KazuNori

• Live Music Lowdown

Let’s get to it.

—Matthew Ramirez

THE DIGEST

Dine LA Restaurant Week

Dine LA Restaurant Week is back, with more than two dozen Pasadena restaurants participating this time around. Local spots include Agnes, Bone Kettle, Bodegon No. 69, Perle, The Raymond 1886, Pez Coastal Kitchen, Sushi Roku and plenty more. Participating restaurants offer special prix-fixe menus at varying price points, and no tickets or passes are needed. Just ask for the Dine LA menu when you dine in. Check the Dine LA website for the latest participating restaurants, menus and reservations.

Lineage Brings Broadway to the Gamble House

Lineage Performing Arts Center is bringing Broadway inside the Gamble House this September with Broadway Gamble Ramble 2026. The interactive experience will take guests through the historic home in small groups, with live dance, theater and storytelling exploring Broadway history along the way. Performances are scheduled for Sept. 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 13, 20 and 22, with most shows at 7PM and Sunday performances at 6PM. Read about it here.

Rose Bowl Masters Takes 4th at Nationals

Rose Bowl Masters had a strong showing at U.S. Masters Swimming Summer Nationals in Sacramento, with 40 swimmers finishing 4th overall in the local club division. The team brought home multiple national titles, with nearly 90% of swimmers earning a top-10 medal and several first-time Nationals swimmers posting big time drops. Not bad for a team competing against clubs twice its size!

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 (8/12)

🧠 Trivia Night: Game Night Trivia hosts its weekly Wednesday trivia night at Stone Brewing Tap Room, with two hours of questions to put your knowledge to the test. Stone Brewing Tap Room – Pasadena | Wednesday | August 12 | 6PM

🎤 Free Open Mic Night at Altadena Music Center: Altadena Music Center hosts its monthly all-ages open mic for music, poetry, stories, and more, with Quazar hosting and performer sign-ups beginning at 6:30PM. Altadena Music Center | Wednesday | August 12 | 7PM

🎬 Pee-wee’s Big Adventure: Regency Academy 6’s Flashback Wednesday brings the 1985 comedy back to the big screen, following Pee-wee Herman’s cross-country quest to recover his stolen bicycle. Regency Academy 6 | Wednesday | August 12 | 7:30PM

🎤 Jay Leno, Todd Glass, Francisco Ramos: Dusted Company brings Jay Leno, Todd Glass, and Francisco Ramos to the Ice House, with Ksenia, Mark Serritella, Nicky Paris, Melanie Iglesias, and Richard Harrington also on the bill. Ice House Comedy Club’s Legendary Room | Wednesday | August 12 | 7:30PM

🎬 Outdoor Movie Night: She’s the Man: The final installment of Caltech Library’s “Classical Literature, But Make It Y2K” series screens the 2006 Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum comedy, with free popcorn provided. Caltech’s Sherman Fairchild Library Amphitheatre | Wednesday | August 12 | 8PM

Thursday (8/13)

🎨 Mindful Looking: Krishna Fluting in Vrindavan (1100–1150): Education Director Anna Schwarz leads a close-looking session with an 11th-century Indian sculpture; limited to 15 participants, sign up at the Information Desk. Norton Simon Museum | Thursday | August 13 | 1PM

🐾 Mocktails and Mutts Pop-Up Dog Adoption Event: Pasadena Humane’s Wiggle Waggle Waggin’ brings adoptable dogs to this South Pasadena bar for on-the-spot adoptions. Burden of Proof | Thursday | August 13 | 3:30PM

🎶 Summer Music & Dance: Lernazang; Suara Southeast Asian Choir: Two ensembles perform across the gardens, with Lernazang at the Amphitheater and Suara Southeast Asian Choir at the Rose Pavilion. Descanso Gardens | Thursday | August 13 | 4:45PM

📚 Heartthrob Hangouts Book Club: Monthly romance book club meeting, this month discussing This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Bob Lucas Library | Thursday | August 13 | 4:30PM

🌽 South Pasadena Farmers’ Market: Weekly outdoor market under a canopy of trees near the Gold Line station, with California-grown produce, prepared food vendors, and live music. South Pasadena Farmers’ Market | Thursday | August 13 | 4–8PM

🎬 Pieces of America with Periscope Film: A screening event hosted at The Blinn House featuring films from Periscope Film’s archive. The Blinn House | Thursday | August 13 | 5:30PM

📚 Kate Eberle discusses & signs If Books Could Kill: Eberle talks with author Elissa Sussman about her rom-com where a romance reader’s wish to live inside a novel takes a murderous turn. Vroman’s Bookstore | Thursday | August 13 | 7PM

🎤 Mas Locos: High Kaliber Productions brings Edgar Rivera, Liliana Cervantes, Melanie Iglesias, Vince Royale, J Valentino, and special guest Pablo Francisco to the Legendary Room. Ice House Comedy Club’s Legendary Room | Thursday | August 13 | 7:30PM

🎵 Grease: Altadena Music Theatre stages its production of the 1950s musical at Mountain View Mausoleum. Mountain View Mausoleum | Thursday | August 13 | 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

Pasadena Offers Back-to-School Immunization Clinic

The Pasadena Public Health Department is reminding families to make sure students are up to date on routine vaccinations before the new school year. Pasadena Unified is also offering an immunization clinic and TB services Aug. 12–14 at 351 S. Hudson Ave. for students who need them. Immunizations are available for uninsured and underinsured students, while TB testing is open to all students. Read more about it here.

Arts & Culture Commission Meeting

The Arts & Culture Commission will meet Wednesday at 5:30PM in the George Ellery Hale Building Hearing Room to discuss arts and cultural matters affecting Pasadena. Click here to view agenda.

Urban Forestry Advisory Committee Meeting

The Urban Forestry Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday at 6PM at the City Yards Public Works Building to discuss matters related to Pasadena’s trees and urban forest. Click here to view agenda. Click here to view agenda.

Human Services Commission Meeting

The Human Services Commission will meet Wednesday at 6PM at the Jackie Robinson Community Center to discuss human services issues and community needs affecting Pasadena residents. Click here to view agenda.

Planning Commission Meeting

The Planning Commission will meet Wednesday at 6:30PM in the City Hall Council Chamber (Room S249) to discuss land use, development, and planning matters affecting Pasadena. Click here to view agenda.

RESTAURANT SPOTLIGHT

KazuNori

I finally tried KazuNori in Pasadena for the first time. I know, it took me long enough. After hearing about it for years, I went in for the 6-Hand Roll Set for $29, and it was amazing.

The set comes with six hand rolls: toro, yellowtail, salmon, bay scallop, crab and lobster. Each one is made and served individually, so you’re eating it right away while the rice is still warm and the nori is crisp.

The quality of the fish was what stood out most. Everything tasted incredibly fresh, and each roll was simple enough that the fish remained the focus. I enjoyed all six, but the toro, crab and lobster were probably the standouts for me.

I also liked the format of having the rolls served one at a time rather than all at once. It makes for a different experience than going out for traditional sushi, and the six-roll set was plenty for a meal.

They say they are the original hand roll bar but like with every restaurant’s originality claims, who really knows if that’s true. However, these were easily some of the best hand rolls I’ve had, so I’m very glad I finally went — and I definitely won’t wait as long for my second visit.

WEATHER

Wednesday

84 🌡️ 67 |☁️| 💨 SW 9 mph

🌆 Air Quality Index: 37 (Good)

Thursday

80 🌡️ 67 |☁️| 💨 S 9 mph

Temperature readings taken from the Pasadena Doppler Radar.

LIVE MUSIC

🎹 Music at Noon: Ritchie Gajate Garcia & Erik Garcia: Percussionist Ritchie “El Pulpo” Gajate Garcia and pianist Erik Garcia perform Latin jazz. Pasadena Presbyterian Church | Wednesday | August 12 | 12:10–12:40PM

🎷 The David Eastlee Trio: Guitarist and jazz composer David Eastlee performs an evening of jazz standards, drawing on a career that has included performances and recordings with some of the West Coast jazz scene’s notable musicians. Edwin Mills | Wednesday | August 12 | 6PM

☘️ 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

🎶 Summer Music & Dance: Lernazang; Suara Southeast Asian Choir: Two ensembles perform across the gardens, with Lernazang at the Amphitheater and Suara Southeast Asian Choir at the Rose Pavilion. Descanso Gardens | Thursday | August 13 | 4:45PM

🎷 Doug MacDonald: Veteran jazz guitarist Doug MacDonald brings his bop-based style and decades of experience performing with artists including Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Buddy Rich, and Ray Brown. Edwin Mills | Thursday | August 13 | 6PM

🎸 Sound and Fury Kickoff: Sound and Fury kicks off its festival weekend with a night of live music featuring Saves the Day, Pity Sex, and Downward. Lodge Room (Highland Park) | Thursday | August 13 | 7PM

THANKS!

Thanks for reading News N’ Roses today. If you found something useful, share it with someone who eats out more than they cook at home.

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