Pasadena’s historic Raymond Restaurant has changed up its menu, the first major realignment in nearly 36 years.
Gone is the more formal three- to four-course dinner lineup, replaced by more small plates that guests can share, said chef Tim Guiltinan. The changes, he said, were made possible due to an expansive renovation to the kitchen last year.
“We’ve been able to open up with a new kitchen, and put out a completely different menu and idea that we weren’t able to do before,” he said.
Among the updated offerings is a Hawaiian Ahi dinner for $16, which features cucumber-pear salsa, mint and ginger dressing.
The menu change is just one of several changes the restaurant owners Rob and Leslie Levy have made since taking over 10 years ago. In 2010 they added a bar, named Bar 1886 for the year the venue opened as a hotel, and remodeled the restaurant’s outdoor patios shortly after.
The restaurant is the former home of the Raymond Hotel founder Walter Raymond. Guiltinan said customers have welcomed the new lineup.
“We can serve so many more people,” he said. “We have a larger menu that’s much more diverse and a lot more fun.”
Laga for Gaga
Singer Lady Gaga received a special gift this week from Long Beach purse company Laga Handbags: a custom handbag inspired by the singer’s outsized persona.
Roy van Broekhuizen, Laga’s co-founder, said the gift was personally delivered to the pop star at a concert by one of her “little monsters,” the term the singer uses for her fans.
The design was the result of a Facebook contest the company organized two years ago. The winner was Liam Findlay, a high school student in England.
The result was a bit of a departure for Laga. The company was founded by van Broekhuizen and his wife, Louise, in 2006 to provide jobs and support for the survivors of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami.
The company first employed 12 tsunami survivors working in Indonesia and has since grown to more than 400.
The staff, mostly women, sew traditional Indonesian designs onto various handbags and accessories.
Prices range from $27 to $493, and the bags are sold on the company’s website and at trade shows.
The contest’s winning entry didn’t look like a traditional Indonesian bag, but it did look like something the singer would carry.
Since Findlay won the contest, he has been promoting Laga Handbags and his design in England, leading to a friendship with a Gaga fan who had an opportunity to present the pop star with the gift, which was delivered at a concert in Cleveland.
Van Broekhuizen said he wanted to create a limited edition run of the Lady Gaga handbag.
Revolving Doors
Colorado based sporting goods retailer Sports Authority will be opening its 33,670 square-foot store in Midtown Crossing in the Mid-City area this week. … West Hollywood celebrity hair salon Nine Zero One will be opening another location on Melrose Place in September. The 3,500 square-foot space will be two stories and accommodate 38 stylists. … Fast-casual chain Asian Box of Palo Alto will make its L.A. debut with a location in Burbank slated to open next month. … Tanzy Restaurant, an Italian concept from Florida-based iPic Entertainment, opened last week in Westwood. … Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s apparel line The Row opened its first boutique last week on Melrose Place. The 3,800 square-foot space features a courtyard pool and will also sell furniture. … French swimwear brand Vilebrequin opened its first hotel location last week, inside the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica. French apparel company Iro opened in Beverly Hills last month taking over a 3,500 square-foot space. … Home furnishings company Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams opened a 11,500 square-foot space in Beverly Hills last month. … Three retailers opened this month at downtown L.A. shopping district Fig at 7th: L’Occitane en Provence, Victoria’s Secret, H&M and Bath & Body Works. Spanish retailer Zara is also expected to open its 27,000 square-foot store there this month. … Japanese fast fashion retailer Uniqlo Co. will open locations at South Coast Plaza Mall in Costa Mesa and Glendale Galleria in September and another store next year at Los Cerritos Center in Cerritos. … See’s Candies Inc. based in Los Angeles will be opening in South Pasadena this week. … Victoria’s Secret opened an 8,509 square-foot space at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw shopping center. It’s the retailer’s first South L.A. location. … Florida-based swimwear boutique Everything But Water opened this month in Brentwood. … Milton Sznaider’s Mediterranean restaurant Madera Kitchen opened in Hollywood last month. The 5,000 square-foot space features indoor and outdoor seating with an outdoor fireplace.
Staff reporter Subrina Hudson can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 251.
