Racion, Basque tapas with a California Twist
For a long time I've been wanting to write about Racion, a charming French/Spanish Basque region with California twist restaurant in Pasadena. As of the last couple of years Pasadena has really come into its own food scene.It used to be a given that I'd have to go out of area to enjoy interesting food. Although a fair share of chain and corporate style restaurants remain, there are definitely more choices for the foodie.
For starters, their sangria boasts a beautiful burgundy color and depth of flavor - fruity without being too sweet.
On my first visit with a larger group, they brought out these amuse bouches of fresh trout on thin toasty crisps.
The menu is divided into Pintxos (small snacks served on house made bread), Manos (bar snacks), Tenedor (tapas to share) and Cuchillo (raciones to share).
The setas consist of white bean puree spread on toast, topped with wild mushrooms cooked in sweet sherry and fresh herbs.
Calamar a la plancha, or grilled calamari on toast, also sits atop a bed of caramelized onions, which the menu describes as "melted", and lemon aioli.
On the same vein, the manos of salt cod fritters with lemon cream and herbs could go terribly wrong. But they came out crispy, light and fluffy on the inside and the lemon cream balanced the saltiness well.
One of the very enticing and popular dishes is the duck sausage-stuffed squid, brava sauce, squid ink sauce. It packs a lot of flavor and color.
While it's on the light side of the cuchillo menu, the coliflor ahumodo, or smoked cauliflower steak, ajo blanco, almonds, showed a satisfying way to enjoy vegetables as an entree.
The fideua negra did not impress some of my dining partners, but for a classic dish with a California twist, I enjoyed it. They do not claim perfect authenticity.
The buttery fideua was composed of Spanish pasta, mussels, poached quail egg and baby squid. Everything blended in so you could not see everything, but could certainly taste it.
Finally, another one of my favorites, the paella deconstruita of crispy prawns, lobster rice, bouillabaise really allowed tasting and enjoying all components separately. On the current menu, I believe it's called arroz con gambas.
I personally prefer risotto and biriyani over paella as far as rice dishes go. This light version with plenty of caramelized, griddled rice brought out lovely brininess, crunch and broth. It streamlines the dish in a clever way.
These dishes illustrate the style and some highlights from Chef Teresa Montaño's menu of several months to possibly a year ago. The menu does change often and may not include all these dishes, but there are some mainstays. The lunch menu pares things down to tapas mainly and the dinner menu also offers cheese, charcuterie, desserts and other items not covered here.
Overall, Racion, at the spot of the former Tre Venezie Trattoria, a very popular Italian restaurant, stands as a solid meal choice in Old Town Pasadena.
Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead - at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Besides the vibrant folk art inspired by Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday honoring departed loved ones, I've never partaken in the many celebrations. This year the time came to finally experience an L.A. annual institution of Dia de los Muertos at the legendary Hollywood Forever cemetery.
It may appear strange that hordes of Angelenos spend days and nights at the cemetery, however, this venue regularly hosts very enjoyable events including film screenings throughout the year. And this particular event with rainbow colors and festivity evokes far more joy than any amount of sadness.
A couple of friends and I decided to meet there during the earliest entrance window of 12-4:00 p.m. with the ability to leave any time. I knew we'd miss a lot of the interesting crowds that show up at night, but skipping the crowds ranked up high in my criteria.
 |
| resident peacocks |
Being there in the afternoon yielded strong sunlight and sunburn. On the other hand it also gave us a chance to witness altar assembly, have great lighting for photos and when late afternoon arrived we saw our share of the lively visitors starting to stream in for the after dark celebrations.
Essentially the four key visual components are the private altars, processions, art (on the grounds) and most importantly - the people.
Altars
The altars offer family and friends their favorite foods, sugar skulls, sacred marigolds and other personal mementos or possessions of their earthly lives. These tributes displayed amazing creativity and love.
Processions
 |
| Alice in Wonderland altar |
 |
| Johnny and Deedee Ramone altars |
 |
| interactive altar |
 |
| grand entrance |
 |
| beautiful tribute to grandparents |
 |
| Hello Kitty supporting cancer |
 |
| interactive altar with Loteria cards |
 |
| burning sage, fresh coconut refreshment, baked offerings at altar |
Processions
The holiday apparently originates from the indigenous Aztec festivals, which explained the beautiful Aztec dances and processions throughout the event.
Several sets of stilt walkers navigated the grass.
Frankly it was hard to tell who was part of the procession or were guests joining in. That made it more exciting.
Several sets of stilt walkers navigated the grass.
Frankly it was hard to tell who was part of the procession or were guests joining in. That made it more exciting.
Art
As I mentioned, the folksy artwork always spoke to me. In addition to the altars, the grounds consisted of its fair share of characters, statues, art for sale, booths with goods to purchase and activities.
 |
| the scale of these people indicate how large the figures are, on the same wall films get proejcted during screenings |
 |
| the large masoleum contained altars and artwork on display |
 |
| one of many face painting booths |
 |
| LACMA art booth for children |
People
What makes this event are the people, who really brought everything into it. It encouraged most of my friends to engage in face painting and perhaps tempted us to dress up all the way next time.
Skulls, called calaveras in Mexico, are the most iconic symbol of this holiday. Pulling from Aztec traditions as well as Spanish Catholic All Saints Day festivals, the skeleton motifs positively symbolize rebirth and higher levels of consciousness, including overcoming fear of death.
It also gives license for some partying and mischievous behavior, but the intention is different from the Halloween spooky themes.
 |
| my favorite photo of the day, unstaged |
Skulls, called calaveras in Mexico, are the most iconic symbol of this holiday. Pulling from Aztec traditions as well as Spanish Catholic All Saints Day festivals, the skeleton motifs positively symbolize rebirth and higher levels of consciousness, including overcoming fear of death.
It also gives license for some partying and mischievous behavior, but the intention is different from the Halloween spooky themes.
 |
| one of the few smiling characters |
People were so kind about posing for photos and giving face. In many of the altar shots the family posed to complete the setting, if you could catch them at the right time.
Overall, the experience uplifted and entertained and it may just become an annual activity.
