La Grande Orange Opening Party

I don't care how fashionably late the typical Los Angeleno thinks he/she is; when there's an offer of free food and drinks, everyone - and I mean everyone - shows up right on time. So it was no surprise that within 10 minutes of the 7 p.m. start time of the opening party for La Grande Orange in Pasadena, the place was already full of people.

But the difference between most restaurant opening parties I've been to (read: BESO!) and this one was that everyone actually got a good amount of food and drink. The place was well-prepared for the onslaught; waiters walked around with glasses of wine, the taco buffet was refilled constantly and the dessert trays were kept stocked all night long. As for the food, we tried the swordfish tacos (excellent), the shrimp ceviche (very good, just needed a bit of salt), guacamole (possibly the best I've had in a restaurant) and the brussel sprout salad (our favorite - crunchy, delicious and well-dressed).

The atmosphere of LGO, as it is affectionately called by its employees, is welcoming and warm. There is a taco bar area, plenty of comfortable seating (booths and tables) and two bar areas that open up to large patios - one of which features a lovely fireplace.

My only fear is that these bar/patio areas will attract the silk-shirt-wearing, hairy-chest-sporting, gold-medallion-toting guys and the stripper-heels-and-tight-dress-that-makes-you-look-like-a-stuffed-sausage-wearing gals that seem to descend on any and every bar in the Pasadena area. They treat every venue as if it's Florentine Gardens circa 1989. There's just no excuse.

But I digress. While the menu here is quite adventurous; they've got a variety of tacos, plus bistro food like steak with mashed potatoes, chicken and pan-seared salmon, plus comfort foods such as mac 'n cheese, and a range of burgers. I'm hoping they can pull it all off, but usually when a restaurant tries to cater to every palate, it does a mediocre job across the board. That said, everything we had at the party was really tasty, so only more visits will tell.

I'll definitely be back, as this place is conveniently located and has a laid-back, easy-going vibe. Summer on the patios will be fantastic, and will likely draw a huge happy hour crowd on a daily basis.

The desserts were so-so, but I don't think any of what was served for the party will be featured on the regular menu. We had little orange cupcakes with a citrus frosting, and split another cake that tasted oddly similar to the cupcakes. Regardless, I am excited to have this great addition to the neighborhood and have high hopes for future dining experiences here. Welcome to the 'dena, La Grande Orange!