union, pasadena.
we recently dined at union in old town pasadena, which serves northern italian cuisine using locally sourced ingredients. it's a cozy space just a block north of colorado boulevard.
hope ranch mussels with guanciale, grandine, preserved meyer lemon.
pan con tomate, served with the mussels.
blistered shishito peppers, salsa verde, breadcrumbs, grana padano.
we started our meal with the mussels and shishito peppers. these were super tasty and we enjoyed them thoroughly. i particularly liked that the mussels came with pan con tomate instead of the usual, plain grilled bread (not that there's anything wrong with that either!). the most memorable part of the meal was the pasta dishes. all their pastas are made in-house, and both were amazing, but the bombolotti was life-changing. the combination of lobster, truffle butter and and squid ink pasta made for a slighty briny complex umami that i instantly fell in love with. this is an absolute must-order!
bucatini cacio e pepe with pecorino-romano, black pepper, 63-degree egg.
squid ink bombolotti, main lobster, fennel, meyer lemon, truffle butter.
porchetta, weiser farms potatoes, salsa verde.
our last savory dish was the porchetta, which is currently being prepared by jered standing (the instructor from the whole hog butchery class i took). the skin was delightfully crispy, while the meat was super juicy and tender and flavorful.
meyer lemon panna cotta, passion fruit, vanilla.
i really enjoyed our meal at union, which is a great addition to the neighborhood. i want to go back and try more of their pastas, but i doubt i'd ever be able to not order that bombolotti.
37 E Union St, Pasadena, CA 91103
