Melting Pot Food Tours: Pasadena

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Hey! Kalyn, editor at BLN, here. I had the opportunity to go on a Pasadena tour with Melting Pot Food Tours this past weekend. Melting Pot Food Tours is run by two sisters, who both share a passion for food and have a vast knowledge of the culinary scene in Los Angeles.

Prior to taking the tour, I had spent time in Pasadena, but I never noticed that it’s quite the hub for ethic food. Old Town is stocked with Indian, Peruvian, Himalayan, Mediterranean, and Thai restaurants, as well as English style teahouses. The tour took us through a lot of the back alleys of Old Town, showing us quaint hidden spots perfect for lunch or meeting friends.

Los Angeles is known for its Mexican food, so I was excited that our first stop was at Tortas Mexico. We sampled a beef torta and a pineapple agua fresca.

Aux Delices Bakery might have been my favorite stop of the entire tour. We tried their unique take on Opera cake, which had a burnt sugar glaze on the top.

I have been learning a lot about olive oil lately, so I was delighted that we stopped at Beyond the Olive. This store stocks California olive oils that are fresh and have interesting flavor combinations. Two of my favorite tastings included a blood orange olive olive and a peach balsamic vinegar.

This was my first time trying Peruvian food, and it reminded me a lot of Indian food. It seemed to be very meat heavy, but the spices created some interesting flavor combinations. The yellow dish is shredded chicken in a walnut sauce.

We passed by Gold Class Cinemas, the most expensive theaters in Los Angeles. If you have $30, you get to sit in a recliner, have free popcorn and drinks, and watch the movie with only 40 other guests. It’s truly a luxury theater experience.

Tutti Gelati has amazing chocolate gelato. The owner has even won gelato competitions in Italy for her chocolate recipe. This seemed like one of the few authentic gelaterias in Los Angeles.

I loved the colorful decorations on this tree located in a back alley.

Lula Mae is the cutest gift shop. They have over 600 independent brands in the store including homemade cards, oversized coffee mugs, and Halloween decorations.

The best find of the entire tour: The Soap Kitchen. The soap is made with natural ingredients right in the store’s “kitchen,” making it easily the freshest beauty products I have ever found. I bought the fall spice soap and the hibiscus shea butter pictured above.

Our last stop was at a European style chocolate boutique. Our guide commented that the chocolate was displayed like jewelry, and she was right. We tried a dark chocolate square with ginger and sea salt, that was almost too pretty to eat (almost).