Crackin Kitchen

New to Pasadena, straight from Hawaii, comes Crackin' Kitchen. This is the first Hawaiian cajun I've come across. They do seafood platters to different varieties of mussel pots. The viet cajun seafood boils we are used to is now fused with Hawaiian flavors for a different twist. Come check them out in Old Town Pasadena when you're in the area.

House sodas. This is peach and watermelon.

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Seafood platter. Oysters, shrimp cocktail, tuna poke, smoked salmon with taro chips, and snow crabs.

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Clam Chowder fries. Mashed potatoes topped with french fries with ladles of clam chowder, cheddar cheese and fried egg. My ultimate carb obsession.

Seafood tortilla pizza - Ahi, shrimp, tomato, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, and special sauce served on a crispy tortilla

Thai Mussel Pot - Coconut milk, lemon grass, coriander, kaffir, fish sauce, chili, ginger, garlic

ULTIMATE COMBO - Shrimp, clams, mussels, corn, potatoes, andouille sausage and snow crab. Served with all three signature sauces. 

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115 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105

Plenty of seating with a full bar. Love that the space feels really open. I would recommend coming with a larger group to try out different items. They have a HUGE selection of different flavored mussel pots.

enjoy!

The Counter - Seasonal Burger

Gobble Gobble! It's that time of year again when we can all get excited for Thanksgiving foods. Now, I'm not a fan of turkey. You won't find me ordering a turkey sandwich, ever. But, I did try the seasonal burger at The Counter last week called "The Giving Bird".

To start, I had their deviled eggs.

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You can't go wrong with this as an appetizer. I like to enjoy these, and the whole meal, with a glass of Allagash from their draft selection. 

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The Giving Bird
100% natural turkey topped with pomegranate molasses glaze, fried sweet potato strings, crispy kale, cranberry relish, whole wheat bun, and a housemade pomegranate bbq sauce.

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I've had turkey burgers before and most of them were gamy. I don't do well with gamy meats. I can handle it to a certain extent, but it's never my first go to choice if I see it on the menu. However, this turkey from The Counter was actually not gamy at all. I was able to eat this and enjoyed every single bite. I loved the toppings. The pomegranate molasses glaze with cranberry relish really made this fit for November. The crispy kale and fried street potato strings were a nice touch. Surprisingly, their wheat bun was also tasty. It was toasted perfectly and didn't feel too dry or bland like some other wheat buns I've had.

They are located everywhere. Find your Counter Burger here.