Openings

Sonoma Set to Invade Pasadena at Dish, Open in February

Job Carder, once the executive chef at Healdsburg’s Manzanita, is bringing Sonoma to Pasadena at Dish Bistro and Bar. Coming from owner David Johnson, Dish plans to serve Northern Cali cuisine with European influences and plans to open on February 1st. The restaurant lets us know that Carder is preparing everything from scratch, including breads, homemade sausages, and cured pork cuts. Carder is a big devotee of slow-cooking and will involve artisan ingredients from Sonoma wherever possible. There will be a small plates menu, itself with tiny and larger versions of dishes like charred octopus carpaccio with “mini boo-ya,” which is not a Somoan version of Bushwick Bill, but a dash of bouillabaisse.

The menu often shows its sources, with big plates of Sonoma Direct lamb ragout and Bodega Bay Petrale sole fillet with wild ramps. Wines represent Cali, with many Northern vintages and some attention on other productive regions. Bartender Matt Bergstrom will spin traditional cocktail recipes into Serrano chili-infused rum mojitos and a “Diplomatic Manhattan” with vanilla bean extract. While the food is NorCal, the design sounds Soho, with an exposed brick and dark-wood loft space on Union St. Dish will soon have a full website up while we’ll keep you up-to-date on details. 53 E. Union St., Pasadena. 626-795-5546.

Sonoma Set to Invade Pasadena at Dish, Open in February