Mike and Anne's Restaurant | Bar - South Pasadena

Shortly after my house was broken into, my childhood friend talked me into getting out instead of staying in and stewing in my own sadness. We weren't hungry, just looking for a place to chill late at night in the San Gabriel Valley that wasn't a Hong Kong cafe.

I mentioned that there were some wine bars in South Pasadena. Of course, the names of the wine bars I wanted to try were bookmarked on a laptop I no longer had. So we drove along Mission Street, figuring we'd stop in at whatever looked appealing. That's when we saw the twinkling lights and decided to check out Mike and Anne's Restaurant | Bar.

The space was rather inviting, holiday lights twinkling outside and a good number of people quietly talking and drinking inside. Perfect for a low-key evening.


Complimentary bread and tapanade.


My friend ordered a spicy tomato-herb risotto with calamari topped with black olives, red onions, and micro greens for $11.50. I think she liked it? Or maybe not? I know I tried some, but can't recall what it tasted like more than a year later.


I couldn't resist the homemade onion rings with cranberry ketchup and apricot mustard for $5.50. The onion rings were good, but the ketchup and mustard were quite disappointing. Too bland. They did not complement the onion rings well and we ended up asking for regular ketchup also. Then, they became good!


We ordered wine. Several glasses although I've forgotten the names and varieties. I remembered the bill being around $50. Ack! Since I don't drink much anymore, I had forgotten how quickly alcohol added up. My friend took care of the bill, telling me that's standard these days for drink outings.

But even better was knowing that sometimes when bad things happen and I'm knocked askew, when sometimes people disappoint me when I needed them the most, someone else cares enough to be there. Especially my cousins who waited with me until the policeman came (Two hours later!), who looked up 800 numbers so I could cancel my credit cards and bank accounts, and who made sure my house was secured and I was safe.

Of course, an appetizer and entree isn't enough for a blog post so there my pictures languished. Well, that and I didn't want to dwell on the circumstances that led me to trying the restaurant in the first place.

I remembered that evening that the waitress was busy setting up for brunch the next day. It was high time I revisited so I could finally blog the restaurant.

So last month when I had a rare free Saturday morning, Gourmet Pigs and I went to Mike and Anne's for brunch. The outdoor patio overlooked a nice little garden.


She ordered a $3.75 mint lemonade which didn't taste very minty, but at least the lemonade part was good. I got a hot tea for $2.75.


I ordered the $11.45 hand cut corned beef hash with sweet peppers, onions, two eggs any style (I obviously chose scrambled), and toast. The toast was a nice warm nutty slice. The corned beef hash was excellent. Good flavor, nice-sized pieces, just really good all around.


She got three gigantic lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote for $8.95. The butter was freshly whipped. The pancakes were lemony, light, and fluffy with small pieces of ricotta incorporated into the batter.


Mike and Anne's seemed to be a pretty popular brunch destination for the area. Lots of families lingering on the patio.

I know it shouldn't be compared, but since lil' sis was out dining with our nephew and his friend at the same time, I kept thinking that for the price of this brunch, I could've had five bowls of filet mignon pho at Pho Filet Vietnamese Restaurant - South El Monte. I can't help it. Vietnamese brunch for the win!

But yeah, for American brunch, especially in this area, Mike and Anne's is pretty good.

Other South Pasadena eats:
Bistro De La Gare Restaurant & Wine Bar - South Pasadena
Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain - South Pasadena
Farmers' Market - South Pasadena
Gus's BBQ - South Pasadena 

Mike and Anne's Restaurant | Bar
1040 Mission St., Ste. 102
South Pasadena, CA 91030-3173
626-799-7199
Closed Mondays
Breakfast and Lunch: Tuesday to Sunday 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Tuesday to Thursday, and Sunday 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Bar until 11 p.m.
Dinner: Friday and Saturday 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bar until midnight.

*****
1 year ago today, The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens (Chinese Garden) (Spring) - San Marino.
2 years ago today, a reader makes my ca ri ga (Vietnamese chicken curry).
3 years ago today, Wontons Stuffed with Ground Pork and Turkey, Bamboo Shoots, and Cabbage.