Located on the “Off Colorado Blvd” corridor of Green Street in Pasadena, Café Verde is small and intimate – nine tables that can seat no more than 20 people.

Everything about this restaurant qualifies as eclectic. The name is Spanish but the menu includes Italian, Chinese and American dishes. The ambiance has a bit of Paris, yet the walls are covered with the owner’s black and white photos of Southern California locales.

The food, however, no matter the ethnicity, is top notch. What’s not to like? The bison was so tender I thought I was eating filet mignon. The Chile Relleno is stuffed with chicken and mushrooms and draped with a white cream sauce. A house specialty is the seafood pasta with Chilean sea bass. Salads and soups are fresh, served in small or large sizes. Desserts are homemade and change daily.

There is a wonderful selection of wine and beer from around the world. You can dine outside on a walkable street lined with mature trees. Café Verde serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

Café Verde is located at 961 E. Green St., Pasadena. Phone number is (626) 356- 9811. Web site is www.cafeverdepasadena.com

With so many Vietnamese restaurants popping up all over Los Angeles, it was only a matter of time before one opened with a unique business angle. Enter Blue Hen Restaurant, where the discerning, health-conscious diner can get traditional Vietnamese cuisine. .

Located in a trendy area of Eagle Rock, Blue Hen serves healthy, organic Vietnamese food and is a fantastic addition to the burgeoning roster of Vietnamese restaurants in Southern California. While slightly more expensive than the average Pho restaurant, the freshness and attention to detail at Blue Hen makes it well worth it.

One of my favorite dishes is a rather exotic shredded cabbage salad that is simply out of this world. I like to add chicken or tofu. It comes with a fish or soy sauce dressing. This is a meal in and of itself.

The menu is a bit limited but everything is extremely well done. The flavors are tasty and distinctive. The curry is extremely popular. The traditional Pho soup is also delicious. The garnishes of onions and mint give the soup an extra life. I would also recommend anything with tofu. They also serve a variety of fresh natural juices.

Blue Hen offers a nice selection of sweets to enjoy after your meal. The staff is gracious and the atmosphere is warm. Local children’s art hangs on the walls. Blue Hen is a small restaurant, which makes it very intimate. Parking is also never a problem. The restaurant is located in a strip mall that usually is not crowded.

Blue Hen Restaurant is located at 1743 Colorado Blvd., Los Angeles 90041. Phone number is (323) 982-9900. Web site is http://www.eatatbluehen.com

By Victor Griego -

If there was an award you could give for coupling great food and ambience with a worthy social cause, Homegirl Café would win hands down. The food is amazing, the atmosphere abuzz with vitality and best of all, the profits go to ending gang violence in Los Angeles. Homegirl Café is part of HomeBoy Industries and is located on the ground flood of their administrative offices in Downtown Los Angeles. All of it is the brain child of Father Greg Boyle, the Jesuit priest, who started working with East Los Angeles gangs in the 1980’s. According to Father Boyle, “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”

Homegirl Café provides employment and job training for former female gang members. They know what they’re doing over there. It has the best chile salsa in Los Angeles. In fact, it’s so good that Ralphs Supermarket recently shelved it in one of their downtown markets.

The tacos at Homegirl Cafe come in all flavors: chicken, pork, tofu and fish and nopales. The breakfasts feature original dishes like tofu and green turkey chorizo. All dishes come with a choice of black beans or potatoes. They also serve great fresh juices and operate a bakery that bakes fresh deserts daily. The menu features personalized updates on the success stories of past and current employees.

Homegirl Café – An amazing story, great food and a location will take your breath away.

Homegirl Café is located at 130 W. Bruno St., L.A. 90012. Phone number is (323) 526-1254. The web site is www.homeboy-industries.org