Pasadena: Trattoria Neapolis

Trattoria Neapolis is good.

I can only remember a few times when I dine somewhere and I loved it so much that I go home and still think about it, let alone a restaurant that just recently opened.  Trattoria Neapolis is a new Italian restaurant that just opened recently, but even though it is the new kid on the block, the place was packed on a Saturday night.  At first I was a little hesistant trying Trattoria Neapolis because it is just so new, and generally new restaurants still have a lot of kinks to work out, but the packed crowd was a good sign!  Luckily we only had to wait for about 15 minutes before we were seated.

Oh and because I didn't really think I was gonna like this place as much as I did, I didn't even bother bringing my camera, which was a huge fail... so all my pictures were taken with the phone!


Trattoria Neapolis
336 S Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
trattorianeapolis.com

Trattoria Neapolis.  So new that lunch service and happy hour didn't even start yet.  They will also have beer & wine tasting.

 

Beer & cocktails list.  I like how they feature local microbrews for their draft beers.  Lots of specialty cocktails done by professional mixologists too.  I can see people just coming here for the drinks at the bar.

 

Part of the food menu.  Pizza & housemade pastas!

Diana started off with a Campanula Sour, which is Finlandia Grapefruit Vodka, St Germain, Fresh Lemon Juice, Fresh Mint, and a piece of Red Bell Pepper.  Very refreshing and unique.  I had the Blond 5 by Brouwerij West, which is a local brewery that specializes in Belgian style nomadic craft and is based out of Palos Verdes, my hometown!  HAH how cool is that!  I didn't take a picture though cause it was served in a pint... so it looked like any other beer :P

Salumi, which several more unique ones than their typical meat plate.

Rather than the usual Prosciutto di Parma, they serve Prosciutto San Danielle instead!  Prosciutto San Danielle tastes sweeter to me and I actually prefer it.

Beer battered gnocchi. Crispy, salty, crunchy.  Who can resist fried dough?

From the top: Salami,  Bresaola (?), and Capicola.  Salami had a nice peppery note, and Capicola is always good.  The Bresaola was the most interesting because it is actually beef and I've never had beef charcuterie before.

They also make their own headcheese, sitting next to some preserved fruits.  Headcheese is essentially a "meat jelly" and if you never had headcheese, you are missing out :P  Generally it is made with all the animal parts people do not it.  Don't know how they made theirs but it is good!

Porchetta pizza.  It is seriously a pork lover's dream. It's topped with smoked pork shoulder, Taleggio, caramelized onions, pancetta, cracklings, and sage. The smoked pork shoulder is smoky and goes really well with the Taleggio. Caramelized onions add a bit of sweetness and the cracklings changes up the texture of the pizza. They actually imported a 7000 lbs wood burning from Italy and you can taste the result from the charred parts on their great crust!

Vongole.  Hand cut linguini, manila clams, pancetta, jalapeno, and a garlic white wine sauce. All pastas are made in house and you can definitely tell.  The texture is amazing thanks to the hand cut linguini!

I think the food at Trattoria Neapolis is more rustic Italian, and I definitely did not think I would like it as much as I did.  Next time, I'm bringing the DSLR for sure.  Props to Neapolis for getting it right during the 1st week of their opening!

Pasadena: Bar Celona

Wow can't believe this is my first post about a restaurant in Pasadena.

Bar Celona is a modern Spanish tapas bar located in Old Town. The trend lately for me has been gravitating towards restaurants serving smaller dishes or plates so a tapas bar fits perfectly. Not to mention, the concept of "modern tapas" intrigued me as a few of us came on a Saturday night to check the place out.

Bar Celona

46 E Colorado Blvd

Pasadena, CA 91105

www.barcelonapasadena.com

Bar Celona's logo.

Started off with a sampler plate of cured meats, cheeses, dried fruits, and nuts. Came with buttered baguettes. Everything's better with butter :D

Don't remember what everything was but it was fun mix and matching different things together while drinking our wine. The best thing is definitely the Iberico ham in the middle next to the salami. Think of it as... a level above prosciutto! The onion mix on top of the cured meats was awesome although it probably masked some of the flavors of the meat itself. Not a huge of fan of the blue cheese...

2007 Rivola Rioja. Not too spicy. Not bad at all.

Fried potatoes with smoked paprika allioli - tasted like a dynamite roll from sushi restaurants from the sauce :P

Spanish flatbread with basil & mint, manchego, figs. Needs more mint! It was good though.

Crispy pork belly, brussels sprouts, fried egg, salbixtada. I have NO IDEA what salbixtada is but this was definitely my favorite. I'm a sucker for pork belly. Was the pork belly crispy enough? No not really but I love how this block of pork belly sits on top of a bed of brussels sprouts that's been softened. I love it when your break the yolk in half and it just runs down the pork belly. It was a beautiful sight.

Meatballs in tomato saffron sauce. Loved the sauce more than the meatballs.

Veggie paella. Ok ok we were dumb and got the veggie paella but we figured we had so much protein already let's go for something healthier! Should've went for other paella and maybe that would've been better cause it was pretty bland.

For a place that was calling itself "modern" I didn't really see exactly what new spin they gave to some of these dishes. Maybe we just ordered wrong. Even so, it's a great place for a date or for a more intimate dining experience because the place itself promotes that sort of atmosphere.