union

i had expressed to duc one day that it had been years since i had ventured to downtown pasadena so in an effort to re-expose me to the wonder that is the street of colorado blvd and its offerings, he set aside a walking plan for us both which included an early dinner stop at a restaurant whose name he didn't want to reveal to me. that restaurant turned out to beunionwhich is a sweet 50-seat modern take on northern italian cuisine combined with the power of sourcing ingredients locally and responsibly. the seasonality of the menu reflected the nuances of californian cuisine and produce as transposed on what would be classically northern italian food. i for one am a big fan of both styles so was pleasantly surprised not only with the intimate but chic decor inside but also the food and service.

following bruce kalman on twitter and facebook for months while watching the menu atunionevolve each week to accommodate whatever was found fresh amongst southern california’s bounty of farmer’s markets it was finally on a monday evening that three of us sat down at the end of the bar in pasadena, the chef himself in house overseeing the kitchen amidst a travel schedule that had recently seen him bounce from coast to coast.

walking in, it’s a causal atmosphere, but nice.unionis an ideal first date kind of a restaurant. you can saunter off to the side, and have a seat by the window, overlooking — you guessed it,unionstreet — or you can slide up to the bar, and watch the crew do their thing.

and the crew, let me tell you about the crew. they’re friendly. they’re dedicated. they’re...

...they’re really into alice waters.

sigh. really?

seriously, look at the walls. i counted at least two tributes to alice waters in the display on the wall. that’s two more than most restaurants.