Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 18, 2013

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10

GOOD FOOD & DRINK

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 18, 2013 


GIN SUSHI

Boys have lunch together; yes we do, so when gym mates Tony 
Carlos and John Epp invited me to Gin Sushi and it was John’s 
treat, how could I say no? I haven’t been to Gin Sushi in quite 
sometime - not that it ever disappointed me, just fell off my 
radar for some reason. Located in East Pasadena, which I 
have found is a great area for restaurants that have their own 
parking, and some of the best restaurants in the San Gabriel 
Valley include Robins for Ribs, Chiquita Banana for Mexican, 
and of course Panda Inn for Chinese food. Gin Sushi holds up 
with the best Sushi in the area.

Opened (gulp) one week after 9/11 and named after owner 
Gin Kim, the restaurant attracts a loyal following of diners 
looking for authentic home cuisine. My father Elmer Dills 
always said if you go to an Argentenian Restaurant or a 
Spanish Restaurant and there aren’t any patriots eating there, then 
something is wrong. It was nice to see a restaurant full of patriots. 
Gin Sushi attracts a wide a variety of hipsters and persons any age 
looking for good sushi at affordable prices. Our lunch for three 
was still under $30!! 

What to order? The bonus of the afternoon was that wisecracking 
owner Gin was there and kept the jokes coming at a record-
setting pace. We all three went for the three-item combination 
($9.95) - your choice of teriyaki, tempura, sushi, and dumplings, 
just to name a few. My selection was Yellow Tail Roll (excellent), 
Tuna Roll which I got as a hand roll and the salmon Teriyaki. 
Great value !!! My gym friends agreed that for the cost the meal 
was a real thumbs up. Service was right on, with the Miso Soup 
delivered immediately, and since I agreed to pick up the beverage 
portion of the meal it was waters all around. 

My friend Tony who frequents here, said that weekend nights do 
get busy, so plan accordingly. A tip from me to you - check out 
their Sushi Happy Hour from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. when it’s a little less 
expensive and not so crowded. I would like to see them clean up the front area of the restaurant, but 
all-in-all as far as a lunch spot it gets two thumbs up!!

Gin Sushi 3589 E. Colorado Blvd Pasadena (626) 440-9611

News and napkins notes… Robins Woodfire BBQ is now open for breakfast on Saturday and Sundays. 
Three cheers for TwoHey’s in Alhambra for their 70 year anniversary.

8 COMMON GRILLING 
MISTAKES YOU’RE 
STILL MAKING*

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

Getting Ready for Memorial Day? Don’t be guilty of these mistakes!

Grilling is supposed to be easy. You just heat up the grill and throw your food on there, right? Well, 
not exactly -- but truth be told, it isn't much more complicated than that. As summer approaches, 
don’t let popular grilling "wisdom" overcomplicate the issue. Read on to find out which so-called tips 
you can definitely ignore.

 

1. DON'T Skip the salt. You might have heard that salting meat before grilling will toughen it. Nope, 
it won't! In fact, season your meat about 30 minutes before you get grilling.

 

2. DON'T Use lighter fluid to get the grill going. You’d be better off using a chimney starter—unless 
you like the taste of lighter fluid.

 

3. DON'T Press hard on your burgers—especially while they're cooking. Do this, and you'll watch 
the flavor and moisture drip right into the grill. Instead, place them on the grill and then leave them 
alone until they need to be flipped (which should only happen once!).

 

4. DON'T Flip out. Grilling isn't fussy, so there’s no need to keep flipping your meat. Turn it only 
once—twice at most.

5. DON’T Abuse the barbecue fork. Remember what happened when you got your ears pierced? 
The same will happen if you stick a fork into a steak on the grill. We beg you, use tongs or a spatula.

 

6. DON’T Battle flare-ups with a spray bottle of water. Water + grease = not a good time. Calm grease 
fires with a flame-resistant kitchen towel.

 

7. DON’T Check for doneness with a knife—at least not right away. What’s one way to ensure a dry, 
tough piece of meat? Cut your steak as soon as it comes off the coals. Like babies and college kids, 
steak needs to rest first. Take it off the grill and leave it alone for a 10 minutes (more or less, depending 
on thickness).

 

8. DON’T Cook meat all the way through. Remember, meat continues to cook even after you take it 
off the heat, so remove it before it’s exactly to your liking.

*Thanks to Julia Warren from EVERYDAY FOOD


THE PEPPERTREE GRILL, SIERRA MADRE’S NEWEST CANTINA!

By Deanne Davis

Haven’t seen someone in a while? Go to The Peppertree Grill – formerly 322, then T. Boyle’s, does 
anybody remember when it was The Sunset – and I can practically guarantee they’ll be walking past 
or squeezing into the patio!

My best friend, husband and fellow restaurant 
reviewer, John, and I made our first visit to 
The Peppertree Grill this past Friday night 
and were thrilled to see them doing capacity 
business. The bar was standing room only, the 
patio was packed, tables inside were filling up 
quickly and a great time was being had by all. 
Gratifying to see so much meeting, greeting 
and eating! We ran into our neighbors, Lisa 
and Craig Cardella, (she is the genius behind 
the amazing flowers at iXora Floral Studio, 
just east of Baldwin on Montecito) and their 
family, as they were coming in to dine.

Peppertree Grill has happy hour specials every 
day of the week and Friday night is the $7.00 
glass of wine and appetizer combo. We had 
some really splendid Argentine Malbec and 
our appetizers were Matambre, which is slices 
of flank steak stuffed with hard-boiled egg, 
spinach and carrots, served on French bread 
slices with a very spicy Chimichuri sauce, 
and was delicious. The flank steak was sooo 
tender! We also tried the Argentine sausage 
(spicy!) and liked that, too. The appetizers are 
not stingy in portion size and we realized we 
were approaching full capacity so split a bowl 
of the clam chowder (a Friday and Saturday 
night only special). The chowder was great, 
not that spoon-can-stand-alone, mostly potatoes, wallpaper paste variety, but a delicately seasoned, 
generous bowl, loaded with clams. Yes, actual clams!

Peppertree Grill has daily specials, (Friday was Chicken Piccata, a generous portion, beautifully 
presented) in addition to the daily Happy Hour specials. And, speaking of Happy Hour, Tuesday 
night is Taco night! The menu features a number of Argentine dishes, in addition to the appetizers 
we sampled, including a Gaucho Burger – all burgers are half-pounders, btw! There are pasta dishes, 
a number of steak and chicken entrees and a section of the menu is entitled “House Favorites” and 
includes the Al Caballo, a breaded steak topped with two eggs and served with French fries. 

In addition to that Argentine Malbec, the wine list includes a number of nice wines, reasonably priced, 
and there is also a good selection of beers.

We were pleased to see that Peppertree creates all their own desserts right there and the selection 
includes all the things you really like best. Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake, Raspberry Topped 
Cheesecake, New York Cheesecake and, my personal favorite, Pumpkin Cheesecake. There is also 
carrot cake, flan, a fruit tart and a double crust apple pie. Working on the concept that life is short, 
eat dessert first, we did save room for a slice of Pumpkin Cheesecake. Worth it! And, you can order 
a whole dessert, if you give them a couple days notice. Pumpkin Cheesecake, you’re coming home 
with me soon!

Peppertree Grill features breakfast and lunch on weekends and I’m ready to try their Eggs Benedict, 
or maybe Papa’s Special, which is a half-pound hamburger patty topped with grilled onions, potatoes, 
two eggs and salsa. Lots of omelettes: Cheese, spinach, green chili and swiss cheese, salsa; several 
quiches, and even oatmeal.

Service was great, attentive but not overly so, and live music by Kenny Lorin, with guitar and keyboard, 
was just starting. Kenny is there every other week and that’s a nice addition to the ambience.

The Peppertree Grill is at 322 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., right here in town. Their hours are: Monday-
Thursday: 4-Midnight; Friday: 11 a.m.-close; Saturday: 8 a.m.-close; Sunday: 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

Driving home through town, it was good to see each one of our local restaurants: Sierra Briganti, The 
Only Place in Town, Corfu, the Sushi Restaurant, Casa Del Rey and Wistaria doing great business, 
with happy folks sitting outside enjoying the evening, the view of our mountains, a lot of great food, 
and best of all, each other.


SIERRA MADRE FARMERS MARKET 

 The Sierra Madre Farmer’s Market hours have changed to 3:00pm through 7:00pm every Wednesday 
in fall and winter. Vendors include Dry Dock which has fresh and wild caught fish, Rustic Loaf 
with artisan breads, Cutie Pie with fresh pies and much more!

 For those interested in being a vendor contact Melissa Farwell with Raw Inspirations at 818-591-
8161 ext. 806.