la.foodblogging

It was with immense sadness that I leave Los Angeles again. You have no idea how upset I still am right now. I suppose the only consolation is that right before I left, I got to go to another old favorite for my goodbye brunch with my family. Maison Akira is one of my favorites for special occasions… e.g., Thanksgiving 2004 and celebrating that it stopped raining on a Sunday. Yes, I made up my own special occasions just to have a reason to go there. While I enjoy lunch there and dinner, too, my favorite is Sunday brunch.

For $32, you can eat all you want of Chef Akira Hirose’s wonderful creations. I decided to start off small… a little bit of sushi, a bit of cheese, asparagus wrapped in smoked salmon, etc. Next I had some ceasar salad topped with parmasean and some more sushi… a bit of pate and cheeses… Then I couldn’t control myself and dug in to all the food there… roast beef with rosemary gravy, lamb with mint jelly, scalloped potatoes, couscous with garden vegetables, beef stew, steamed egg with various seafood hidden on the bottom (I got crab), steamed vegetables, etc. For those who aren’t into steamed eggs, you can ask your server for an omelette for no additional charge. Omelettes and soup of the day are kept in the kitchen and brought to your table upon request. Everything was so good! Chef Hirose is usually there to cut the beef and lamb himself, and he will try to give you a slice to your preference - whether it’s a little rarer or a little longer-cooked. The condiments (gravies and mint jelly) really complement the meats well. The steamed vegetables and couscous were nice, light contrasts to the heavy meats. The potatoes were so soft and creamy.

So I ate all that and I still wasn’t done. There was dessert… My favorite on the dessert table is the caramel flan. Something that Maison Akira has that no other restaurant does - a container to let you add more caramel to your flan if you choose. For non-flan lovers (is there really anyone out there who doesn’t love flan???), there are various petit fours and fruit available. I also want to mention that part of the brunch includes your choice of unlimited orange juice, champagne, or mimosa. Go often enough and the servers will recognize you. For instance, I’m “The Girl Who Drinks Up All the Champagne.” So when you go for your Sunday brunch for the first time, tell the nice waitress that the girl who drinks up all her champagne sent you.

Maison Akira
713 East Green St.
Pasadena, CA 91101

Phone: 626-796-9501
Fax: 626-796-0061

Sunday Champagne Brunch: 11:00 am-2:00 pm
Lunch Days & Hours: Tues- Fri: 11:30 am-2:00 pm
Dinner Days & Hours: Tues-Thurs: 6:00 pm-9:00 pm, Friday: 6:00pm- 9:30pm last order, Saturday: 5:30pm - 9:30 pm, Sunday: 5:00 pm-8:00 pm
Restaurant closed: Monday

By Pauline (see more of her posts).