La Grande Orange

• Cuisine(s): American, California
  Hours: Sun 10am-9pm, Mon-Sat 11:30am-10pm
  Price: $$$
• Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express
  Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Private Party, Business Dining, Fireplace
  Serving: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
• Alcohol: Full bar
  Reservations: Accepted, Recommended on Weekends
  Parking: Lot Available, Valet, Validation Available

Description

In Phoenix, the original La Grande Orange, a bistro-ish place with a knack for deviled eggs, is often described as a California-style restaurant. But transplanted into the expensively retrofitted Santa Fe depot, just south of Old Town Pasadena, California's La Grande Orange also feels like somewhere else- the kind of swank, suburban patio living that appears more in Sunset than it does in local restaurants. Although the cocktails are professional grade, the cooking is strictly by-the-pool stuff: Brussels-sprout salad with cranberries, fried chicken with mashed potatoes, grilled-chicken nachos, and what tastes like a catering-kitchen version of the olive-oil cake at Pizzeria Mozza. But the restaurant is open early and late and mixes a splendid martini.