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FOOD - DRINK -FUN

Mountain Views-News Saturday, May 25, 2024 

FATHER’S DAY IS CLOSE 
ALEXANDER’S STEAK HOUSE IS A 
SAFE BET

…thought I’d spend a few weeks with fork and knife in 
hand leading up to the Big Day.

When I first stepped foot in Pasadena in the early 
1970’s there were just a handful of restaurants, and 
fewer steakhouses. If memory serves, there was the 
Western, Steer and Stein, Monty’s, and of course 
Sizzler on Arroyo Parkway (yes, some considered that 
a steakhouse). Fast forward to 2024 and my, how times 
has changed! I sometimes think that Pasadena is the 
new Mecca for the beloved Cow!! There’s not enough 
space in this article to name all the steakhouses, but 
some are better then others. I often wonder, as I am 
sure you do, is the meat coming from the same source, what is the best 2%, and if it’s so special how come it’s 
everyone’s claim to fame? Grass Fed? Corn fed? Bone in? Boneless? For me, the way to go is dry aged. One of 
the best steaks I ever made at home was from a supermarket 50% off section.

So, what is the best steak house in Pasadena? Well, it might not be a “traditional” steakhouse that serves 
clam chowder or gives you a breadbasket! Alexander’s Steakhouse makes its home at the old McCormick and 
Schmicks location on North Los Robles – it has the same floor plan (picture a 60’s James Bond Movie Geisha set 
with a Nuevo Art deco feel). Getting to the meat of the matter, a steak can run as much three digits, but before 
you think I’ve lost my touch with the everyday working class, I’ve said time and time again if you enjoy a meal 
it’s worth it. Alexander’s is a special occasion restaurant, but I am not just talking anniversaries or birthdays; I 
am talking about life. You deserve to give it a try.

The menu is divided into six sections starting with “For the table” (appetizers) and ending with Steaks - quite 
straightforward, I would say. I posted a few pictures on Facebook and a few comments there suggested Japanese 
Fusion. I’ve never been to Japan, but if that helps describe the menu let’s use that term. Daughter Lauren and 
I loved the restaurant from start to finish. We started off with Hamachi Shots and dry aged tataki (explaining 
the ingredients and the menu descriptions would just be confusing, so just enjoy the ride like we did). Next up 
was a four-piece Shrimp cocktail – yes, jumbo! I think the hit of the night was the Market Beet salad with feta. I 
am coming back just for this salad; it was that good. For you seafood lovers, the Branzino is quite flavorful and 
cooked to perfection. However, we are land lovers and that what makes Alexander’s stand high above the crowd. 
I have seen Wagyu steaks on menus at LA restaurants that are US-raised, but at Alexander’s they have the real 
deal. All Wagyu is imported from Japan except for the Imperial Wagyu; Japanese Wagyu is graded A5 - ask your 
server for the definition. Whether it’s chicken, pork, or steak I think the bone gives you the most tenderness, 
and the 18 oz. T-bone steak is a winner. Grilled in their open kitchen, it was so good I see-sawed about whether 
to finish it or take it home. My decision came easily since we also tried a variety of pre-main-course suggestions. 
The sides are traditional in name only; we had the blue lake green beans. The restaurant has a full bar with 
extensive wine list and is only open for dinner. If you are a foodie, steak lover, or just want a special night out, I 
gave it two thumbs up. Pricey? You bet. 

Alexander’s offers valet or underground parking. 111 N. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena (626) 486-1111


THE TASTING ROOM


BBQ WINE FOR THIS 
WEEKEND!

I’m Gustavo Lira, Tasting Room Manager 
and Wine Buyer at The Bottle Shop in 
Sierra Madre with another wine and 
spirits selection. 

Thinking of grilling this Memorial Day 
weekend? I have got the perfect red wine 
for you! 

Tenuta La Pergola Monferrato Rosso 2021 
is a real 
crowd 
pleaser 
that will 
go with anything you grill or bbq this weekend. 
It’s a small winery located in the town of 
Cisterna d'Asti. Alessandra Bodda oversees the 
estate her great-grandfather founded in 1903. 
It’s a family affair as her son Emanuele, and 
daughter, Martina assist her in the operation of 
the winery. 

Kermit Lynch – who has as much influence on 
how we Americans drink French and Italian 
wines as anyone – stumbled across this winery 
when he was eating in a roadside trattoria and 
quaffing a delicious wine at the table. This led 
him to ask Tenuta La Pergola to make a red 
wine at a reasonable price that tasted as if you paid a whole lot more. The 2009 
vintage was the first “Monferrato Rosso – Selected by Kermit Lynch” and the 
2021 vintage continues the fine tradition of producing excellent wine at a very 
reasonable price. Kermit says the wines from La Pergola remind him of the 
Piemontese wines of old: simple, affordable, and totally satisfying! 

The wine is a blend of 50% Barbera, 18% Dolcetto, 17.5% Bonarda, 11% 
Freisa, and 3.5% Croatina. It’s so deliciously tasty that you might call this a 
porch pounder – a wine you can drink quickly because it’s so good. Think of 
blueberries, cranberries, and strawberries. Notes of earth and spice, along with 
smooth tannins and nice brightness on the lovely finish.

Get a few bottles for this weekend. It goes well with grilled meats, chicken, 
sausage, pizza, pasta, heck just about anything! Thank you, Kermit, for finding 
this little gem of a wine!

This wine is available at The Bottle Shop for $13.99. Mention you saw the wine 
in the Mountain Views News and get it for $12.99! 

Coming up at The Tasting Room – 5/30 & 5/31 Rosés for Summer (and for 
people who don’t like Rosés) Reservations are recommended, walk-ins welcome 
based upon availability. Scan the QRCode to sign up for our newsletter with 
more details. 

Until next time – Salud!


EASY - GROWN UP 
HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY 
ICE CREAM


INGREDIENTS

1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved (about 3 cups), plus 8 ounces more, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup low-fat milk

1 cup heavy cream

⅔ cup sugar, plus ½ cup more for macerating

½ cup light corn syrup

¼ cup vodka or silver tequila

DIRECTIONS

In a blender, puree halved strawberries with lemon juice and salt. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. 
(You should have 1 1/2 cups of puree; reserve any excess for another use.)

Combine milk, cream, 2/3 cup sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then 
reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes. Strain mixture into a bowl set in an ice bath and let stand, 
stirring occasionally, until cold, about 5 minutes. Stir in strawberry puree. Refrigerate, covered, at 
least 2 hours and up to overnight.

Stir together remaining 1/2 cup sugar and vodka. Add chopped strawberries and macerate at room 
temperature at least 2 hours, or in the refrigerator, covered, up to 12 hours.

Process puree mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. When it has 
the texture of soft serve, drain macerated berries (reserving syrup for another use) and fold into ice 
cream. Transfer to a loaf pan and freeze, wrapped in plastic, at least 4 hours and up to 1 week. Let 
stand at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.

Originally appeared: Martha Stewart Living, June 2018


ALL THINGS 

By Jeff Brown 

SOME OF THOSE THAT RETURN 

When a B-29 bomber dropped an 
atomic bomb on Hiroshima 75 years 
ago this month, my father, then 20, was 
waiting on a troop ship in the Philippines 
for the order to invade Japan. The 
bomb, he always said, probably saved 
his life. 

The soldiers of his 86th Infantry Division, who'd already fought their way from 
France to Germany, had been told that 70 percent of the US. invasion force 
might die as Japanese fighters fiercely defended their homeland. In the war 
stories he told me, my dad made it clear he was proud of his service, but that 
he had seen terrible things and that he had killed many Nazi soldiers with his 
mortar. Only toward the end of his life did he speak of any feelings of guilt.

Of the 90 airmen involved in the bombing missions to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 
just one, Maj. Claude Eatherly, ever expressed any regrets. Plagued by 
nightmares and shame, Eatherly sought psychiatric treatment and later became 
a peace activist, The New Your Times reports. The morality of war is a 
slippery subject, especially to those who do the killing; in recent years, psychologists 
have coined the term "moral injury" for a special kind of trauma 
they're seeing in veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Unlike PTSD, moral injury 
doesn't arise from fearful experiences, but from killing itself. Violating 
that fundamental taboo can leave soldiers haunted, and questioning whether 
they're still good people. Eatherly clearly suffered from moral injury, and so, in 
a less public way, did my dad. 

In his final months, left vulnerable by illnesses brought on by years of drinking, 
he confessed to me that he felt his suffering — and the cruel, untimely 
deaths of many family members over the years — was a punishment for what 
he'd done in the war. "I killed a lot of people, Bill," he said, quietly. I assured 
him that he was just a 20-year-old doing his duty amid terrible circumstances. 
He thanked me, but in his eyes I could see clouds of doubt.

William Falk Editor-at-Large “The Week”


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com