Ages ago I had the fantastic $14 business lunch course at creative Cuban/Latin restaurant Pasadena’s Xiamora (old entry), and I always love their more casual sister Cafe Atlantic. It seems that business isn’t doing so good and Cafe Atlantic was gone (became backroom of Xiamora). Since there’s another Xiamora on Melrose near our work, to catch its $14 business lunch…turns out that offer is gone too.
Very yummy assorted bread and baked goods. There were some rock star and music producer looking patrons sitting up at the loft area (and downstairs too).
We stick to their appertizers that sounds not as heavy and big meal.
Spicy Shredded Duck Ropa Vieja on a Colombian Arepa and Mojo Tomatoes $11 with manchego cheese and watercress, and a sweet corn cake at the bottom layer. I like the flavor and it smells great…love the melty cheese with the dense spicy tomato stew. But half way the duck and sauce is getting too strong taste and salty that the sweet corn cake could only balance so much. I still enjoyed it (only because I have high tolerance of salty flavor ^^;;)
We LOVE the Cuban Fried Rice from Cafe Atlantic and delighted that they have it in appertizer size here too. But…it’s not as good. The rice are way too moist and soggy. Dessert: Three Flans of Three Fruits: Guava, Mamey, Guanabana $8.00. Light and exotic sweetness, very good!
Everytime I drove by this place it seems very empty, especially at night (dinner menu is $$$$). I read from EaterLA that it’s the pretty much the same for the Pasadena branch. Hmm… (and is that big New York skyline framed photo the same one from the former Cafe Atlantic space?)
Gosh the salad is drowned in dressing! ^^;;; The dessert is exotic! I have never had Mamey and Guanabana. How do they taste?
Your pictures are always so gorgeous! Do you just use a regular point and shoot camera?
The Pasadena Xiomara is dying a slow and painful death. It was just sold to somebody who wants to transform it into a lounge called something like Mojitos-a-Gogo.
I ate at Xiomara in pasadena last year, and it was good, but it’s very different from cafe Atlantic. They gave us free fritata? *the cuban egg pancake* and service was really nice. Pricey, but it was satisfying. On the other hand, I also went to cafe atlantic, and that was such a different taste than what I remember of the old cafe atlantic. The red snapper wasn’t fresh, and I don’t like the backroom because it feels like… a backroom 🙂
It’s really sad because that used to be one of the best food in pasadena. I guess people in pasadena loves chain/popular/mediocre food.
That’s sad to hear, condiment. Weren’t there already a lounge/winebar across the street already?
Yeah vero, cafe atlantic was never the same when they got kicked to the ‘backroom’…:( The back streets (union and further) used to be ‘safe’, but I guess it’s turning more and more into the colorado st. Maybe they’d opened another Cheesecake factory back there so their poor fans won’t have to line up too long 😀
Haha Seat that wasn’t the salad, that’s the duck stew…but still the sauce are too heavy/salty for that amount of meat…^^;;
Wrong, Wrong…….we are the owners of Xiomara in Pasadena. No, it will not be a lounge…it will be a Cuban and Latin American cuisine restaurant with great food, cheaper prices and excellent service….same great mojitos but with a different menu. We purchased the restaurant 2 months ago, hired executive chef Robert Humphrey from the West side and as to today we have trippled the business in the Pasadena restaurant. We do not have the crowd of the Cheesechake factory but maybe someday we will….please come see!
Thanks for the info Carmen, we’ll be sure to check it out when we’re at the area.