My niece invited us for a date night at the restaurant where she works, Union Pasadena. Wow! We were not at all prepared for such an amazing feast!
First, this place is super low key. The only signage they have is a small chalkboard outside. If you’re eating there it’s because you’ve heard about it from someone. It’s a low lit cozy place with a super trendy vibe. We got there at 8 pm and within a half hour the older crowd was leaving, and the younger crowd took over. We quickly made conversation with the couple next to us and started a great date night.
The waitress brought us red wine and beer to start off and as we looked around, we noticed that they had a board on the wall that listed the farmers markets from where they sourced all their food from. Their food was all sourced locally and trust me you can taste the freshness! The bread is made in house and is such a simple but delicious treat!
Their menus are seasonal and are constantly changing! Every dish we had was so innovative and delicious! What I loved was that every time a server brought us a dish, they thoroughly explained our dish, how it was cooked, and the ingredients used! The servers were very friendly, attentive and mindful of removing plates, utensils and keeping our waters filled.
Our first starter dish was PEACH PANZANELLA. It was so beautiful that I didn’t even want to touch it, but I am glad I did because it was amazingly delicious! Next, they brought us the WILD MUSHROOMS starter dish. I’m not a huge mushroom fan but this dish was set on truffle butter which made it magically delicious! Then, they brought over our PORK MEATBALL plate. It was so good! They tasted smoky and seasoned to perfection! Next they brought over our two pastas. The TORCHETTI which was pork pasta and TONNARELLI CACIO E PEPE. Oh my goodness! Both pastas were delicious!
They were great compliments to each other. One was rich with an over easy egg on top, which the sever tossed into the pasta. The other pasta was meaty and spicy.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, they brought over a SEA BASS dish. Let me tell you, I do not like fish. I only like shellfish and I was sort of nervous because I knew I had to taste it. Well to my astonishment, I absolutely LOVED it! It did not taste “fishy” at all!
It was so tender, juicy, fresh and flavorful! It had a lemony minty delicious taste that I can’t stop thinking about! It was garnished with cucumbers which I love, so it was the perfect touch! We completely finished every piece of it and before we knew it, they brought out our OLIVE OIL CAKE.
It was served with ice cream and nuts. It was so good, and we were completely stuffed.
While I sat there and saw how many people tried walking in, I was extra grateful to my niece for scoring us a table on such short notice! She’s told me about all the celebrities that visit, and I’ve always been curious to know what the big fuss was about and now I know why! The price is rated $$$ on yelp and it might be more than I’m used to paying, but the freshness, innovation and quality ingredients are definitely worth the price!
At the end of our dinner, my niece introduced me to the talented executive chef, Chris Keyser, and I made sure to tell him how amazed I was about the sea bass being so delicious! He was super humble and nice and ended our experience at Union on a great note!
If you want to experience Union Pasadena, make sure to call ahead to make a reservation.
UNION Pasadena
37 East Union Street, Pasadena, California 91103, United States
Hours
Monday – Friday: 5pm – 11pm
Saturday: 4pm – 11pm
Sunday: 4pm – 11pm