Cafe Santorini

Café Santorini
64 West Union Street
Old Pasadena, CA 91103
(Entrance is off the One Colorado Courtyard across from the movie theater entrance. Phone: (626) 564-4200
Hours: Mon-Thu 11:30 am - 10 pm, Fri-Sat 11:30 am - midnight, Sun 11 am - 10 pm
Prices: $$$
Parking: Valet parking is available on Union Street and on Colorado Blvd. Metered street parking and self-parking in the structure on the other side of Union.

Overview

Café Santorini is a locally owned Mediterranean restaurant in an old brick building in Old Town Pasadena. There is a Union Street entrance to the banquet facilities on the first floor, but the restaurant is located on the second floor, accessible from an entrance off the courtyard.

The indoor dining room surrounds the full bar and the open kitchen, where you can see the chefs at work. The outdoor terrace overlooks a movie theater and the courtyard partially filled with the outdoor portion of Il Fornaio Restaurant. I thought we'd be cold outside on a drizzly evening, but the heaters worked well and the awning kept the rain off our dinner.

We were challenged to make a selection. Everything on the menu looked delicious, from roasted Mediterranean vegetables in a baked butternut squash to lamb and goat cheese pizza or the red curry paella. I like to try a combination of something familiar and something new when checking out a new restaurant. That way I can compare the familiar against similar dishes I've tried, and also get a sense of the chef's creativity with something original.

For Starters

We went a little wild on the appetizers, ordering the Mediterranean Medley ($18.00), which included Halloumi cheese, grape leaves, kubbe, marinated olives, lentil pilaf, baba ghanoush, cucumbers and tomatoes. We also decided to try the grilled calamari with lemon dressing ($10) and the Shrimp Saltado ($14 ) - shrimp and potatoes in a cream sauce - as new experiences. The shrimp and potato combination was delicious, but very rich if you're calculating calories per bite. The grilled calamari is a tasty option if you're looking for something on the lighter side.

I've had better stuffed grape leaves and the baba ghanoush, a roasted eggplant dip served with warm pita bread - usually one of my favorites - was too bitter for my taste buds. It was my first experience with Halloumi cheese and with kubbe, a fried croquette of ground beef, bulgur, onions and pine nuts. I liked the kubbe, but I liked other things more. The Halloumi probably suffered from the time it took me to take a photo of it. It was cold and rubbery by the time I tasted it. Our surprise favorite of all the appetizers was the lentil pilaf, a cold dish with lentils, bulgur and sautéed onions.

The Main Event

For comparison's sake, we tried the familiar Lamb Souvlaki ($24). As our new experience we chose the Red Curry Paella ($20). Both were outstanding. The Souvlaki was beautifully spiced and grilled to perfection, served off the stick and arranged around a generous serving of rice pilaf. The accompanying tzatziki was more Middle Eastern than Greek in flavor.

The Red Curry Paella was a nice blend of flavors and textures. It is listed with the risottos because they use arborio rice. It has a red curry creaminess and comes with a ring of clams and mussels and a garnish of shrimp. We also tried one of the daily specials - Chilean sea bass with au gratin potatoes - that was totally yummy.

It always helps to know what you don't like. We had a hard time convincing the waiter not to bring us the popular Farfalle in Cilantro Pesto. We don't like cilantro. I know many people love it, but neither my dinner partner nor myself would have anything good to say about pasta smothered in cilantro. However, if you like cilantro, it's one of their most popular dishes.

The Afterglow

The desserts are plenty big enough to share, especially after an entrée. The most popular sweets are the Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce and Cinnamon Ice Cream ($7.50) and the Santorini Tiramisu ($7.50) . I can heartily recommend both, even though I only managed to squeeze in a couple bites of each. The tiramisu does not have the heavy liqueur flavor that most do. For me this was a bonus, but if that's what you like about Tiramisu you might miss it. The apple tart did not resemble any apple tart I have ever seen or tasted, but was a definite tongue pleaser. The caramelized crust was a challenge to cut through, but worth the effort.


Note: This story was accurate when it was published. All prices and menu items are subject to change without notice.

As is common in the travel industry, the writer was provided with complimentary(accommodation, meals, flight, cruise, car rental) for the purpose of reviewing those services. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy.