It was a great concept. If you were planning a dinner party you could come to the Commons and find each ingredient for a remarkable meal. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. The developer, who certainly had a creative idea for a complex, apparently also had some creative ways to finance the operation. Not all of his methods were ethical or legal and so, facing bankruptcy and a flurry of investor lawsuits, he slipped out of the country. This led to a period of great unrest for the merchants of the Commons and many vacated their stores. Eventually, a group of local people bought the property, developed the office space and brought many fine tenants to the complex. The last few years have been tough for retail businesses and the Commons now has a few empty stores but hopefully that is changing. Earlier this year the Wine Detective opened its doors and now the Cheese Store of Pasadena will be joining us. Let’s hope for other fine merchants to fill the vacancies so that you will have quality options available for an “after Green Street meal shopping spree”.

The Coffee Poll: We run polls on our website (www.GreenStreetRestaurant.com) and come up with all sorts of sometimes interesting and other times useless information. Recently, we asked who had the best coffee and gave choices of Starbucks, Peets, Coffee Bean and Jones Coffee. Jones was the top choice followed by Peets. Our poll-takers may have been a bit biased as Jones is the coffee purveyor for Green Street. We’ve been serving their Madison Blend for a few years now and loving it.

Last Concert at the Huntington: The Southwest Chamber Orchestra conducts its final concert of summer at the Huntington Gardens on Saturday and Sunday night (Aug. 21 & 22) beginning at 7:30. They now allow picnic dinners so give us a call and we’ll prepare you something to take. For ticket information go here: http://www.swmusic.org/summer_festival/calendar.html

Tasting Notes:

• What happens when you pair a renowned wine maker (Gary Farrell) with grapes from areas that are known for great wine production (the Russian River and Cresta Ridge in Green Valley)? The Answer: Alysian Pinot Noir and Alysian Chardonnay. Michael, our wine czar, had the opportunity to taste these wines recently and was impressed with the “depth of flavor, and the subtle nuances of fruit, oak and acid. The wines came at me from all directions, dancing over my tongue, lingering, leaving nothing but flavor. They are really good”.
• Heirloom Tomatoes: There are many definitions of what qualifies a tomato to be classified as an heirloom. Much of it depends on the pollination and where it originated. I can’t give you the whole genealogy of our heirloom tomatoes but I can tell you how good they are.

DineLA: A couple of times each year the dineLA people invite restaurants in the LA area to offer a three course meal at a special price. It’s really a choice of three appetizers, three entrees and three desserts. We’re also adding a three course menu for our lunch guests at $16 while our dinner feature remains at $26. dineLA weeks start this Sunday, Jan. 24, running through Friday, Jan. 29 and the second week starts Sunday, Jan. 31 and concludes on Friday, Feb. 5. Here’s our menu:

Lunch:

Appetizer (Choice of one): Dinner Caesar or Southwest Caesar (no chicken), Cup of Soup or Oven Roasted Tomato Bruscetta

Main (Choice of one): Smoke and Fire Quesadilla, Stephen’s Sandwich or Dianne Salad (Luncheon portion only)

Dessert (Choice of one): Chocolate Cake, Mixed Berry Cobbler or Dr. Bob’s Ice cream

Dinner:

Appetizer (Choice of one): Dinner Caesar or Southwest Caesar (no chicken), Cup of Soup or Oven Roasted Tomato Bruscetta

Main (Choice of one): Parmesan Chicken with Herb Roasted Potatoes, Orange Chipotle Snapper with Yellow Rice or Steak and Dianne

Dessert (Choice of one): Chocolate Cake, Mixed Berry Cobbler or Dr. Bob’s Ice Cream.

Pick the Oscar Contest: Every year our guests fill out their Oscar ballots and predict who will win the Academy Award for best picture, actor and actress. Winners will receive Green Street meals and movie tickets. This year’s contest will take place from February 12-21.

Valentine’s Weekend: Valentines is too important for only one night so we’re celebrating the special occasion all weekend (Friday, February 12 – Sunday, February, 14). We know you are busy and sometimes life gets in the way of designated holidays. So if you can’t get together with your Valentine on the 14^th, no problem!  Come on Friday, February 12 or Saturday, February 13. Or if you have multiple Valentines….never mind. Starting at 4:00 each day we’ll have a special Valentines menu but all of your usual favorites will also be offered. Reservations are now being accepted online at www.GreenStreetRestaurant.com.

Free Tickets to LA Open: We purchased some tickets to the Northern Trust Open from the Pasadena Chapter of the First Tee. This is a wonderful chance to watch many of the finest professional golfers compete at the historic and beautiful Riviera Country Club in Brentwood.  We have two sets of two tickets for the Saturday round. If you’ve never attended a professional golf event this is your chance. It’s fun …you can walk around the course and follow your favorite golfer (as long as he isn’t on a self-imposed sabbatical) or sit at one hole and watch all of the competitors play through. If you are interested in two tickets for Saturday, February 6 reply to this e-mail and let me know.  The deadline to enter is Thursday, January 28. I’ll let the winners know on the 29^th.

Salad Bowl for Super Bowl: Super Sunday is February 7. If you’re having guests over to enjoy the game (and the commercials) give us a call and we can provide the food….bowls of salad, wrap trays, wings, tri tip and more are just a phone call away. Click here to see a hassle free catering menu.

Looking for a Quiet Dinner Location?: The Sunday night of the Super Bowl (Febraury 7) is traditionally one of the slowest nights of the year at Green Street. If you have no interest in the game join us for an evening of great food and solitude.

p.s. With all of the special events in February I forgot to mention that on February 9 we will be celebrating Green Street’s 31^st anniversary. We have no planned celebration for our 31^st…just an opportunity to thank you for making it possible to serve you for all these years.