LA GRANDE ORANGE CAFÉ WELCOMES PASADENA HERITAGE TO OPENING CELEBRATION

PASADENA, Calif. After remaining vacant for many years, the historic Santa Fe Depot in Pasadena, built in 1935 for the Santa Fe Railroad, is back to welcoming visitors. These days, however, the doors of the depot -- reincarnated, thanks to the efforts of LGO Hospitality Group, as La Grande Orange Café – are open to those eager to embark upon a culinary journey offering what LGO Executive Chef Scott Malin describes as "honest food you can eat everyday."

Guests ´on board´ for the restaurant´s inaugural ´journey´ at a recent opening celebration included members and supporters of Pasadena Heritage, which played a leading role in saving the Santa Fe Depot from the wrecking ball. The site remained vacant for years until 2003, when it was painstakingly archived and moved across the street to Central Park while the Del Mar Station for the Gold Line was built. It was returned within feet of its original spot and restored a year later. The Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and Pasadena Heritage was instrumental in saving it. Historic preservation expert Peyton Hall of Historic Resources Group served as a consultant on the archiving and restoration.

"This is a lovely event," said Sue Mossman, Executive Director of Pasadena Heritage. "We´re so thrilled to see the depot brought back to life by LGO Hospitality, which is known for bringing new life to historic and unusual buildings. Thanks to them, the depot can once again play a leading role in our community."

According to Bob Lynn, founder of LGO, the project was a labor of love. "We were entranced by the depot from the first moment we saw it," said Lynn, "and we took great care to retain its historic elements, while housing a state-of-the-art kitchen and grill."

Under the guidance of designer Kristofer Keith – the mastermind behind the interiors for such culinary hot spots as Bowery, Goa and Ortolan – La Grande Orange Café retains the depot´s original beams, light fixtures and Batchelder tiles from the famed Arts and Crafts-era tile-maker. The oak ticket counter where patrons waited for their train in decades past especially captivated guests. Many peeked into the kitchen – the counter now separates the main dining area from the kitchen -- to admire the rows of ticket drawers on the back side.

"This place is wonderful!" said Tami Wolter of Pasadena after a waiter obligingly opened and shut one of the ticket drawers for the crowd huddled nearby. "I can´t wait to come back. The only problem will be deciding where to sit and what to order."

The café offers three unique dining areas: a bar overlooking the Del Mar Station; the main depot building; and an outdoor patio that faces Central Park and features an open fireplace, fountains and giant urns overflowing with flowers and plants.

The menu, as guests at the opening celebration soon discovered, is equally eclectic. But every item, from the Brussels Sprout Salad with shaved Brussels Sprout leaves, Manchego cheese and dried cranberries to the Olive Oil Cake with homemade preserves, shares one important component. Only the freshest ingredients – many of which are organically grown and locally farmed – are used. Nor are any shortcuts allowed in food preparation. The tortillas are made to order daily with fresh local masa, and the fish and meat is hand-butchered and ground to order.

Beverages from the full bar will feature the freshest ingredients and fresh squeezed juices as well. Examples include a "Ginger Press" with handmade vodka, housemade ginger ale, and fresh lemon; "Blood Orange Champagne" with mumm champagne, blood orange bitters and a sugar cube; and a "Lime Ricket" with hand-crafted gin, muddled lime and seltzer. Visitors were also encouraged to sample the bar´s varied array of ´west coast´ wines, particularly wines from Santa Barbara area wineries.

While supporters of Pasadena Heritage received the first tour of the restaurant, Bob Lynn hopes to be leading tours again in the very near future…albeit to a slightly different audience.

"We are inviting local schools to schedule trips for their students to experience a piece of Pasadena´s history as well as the behind the scenes activities of running a restaurant," Lynn explains. "We are so excited to finally be open and look forward to a long history in Pasadena, with a second life for this wonderful building that already has so many wonderful stories to tell to future generations."

La Grande Orange Cafe is part of LGO Hospitality, a privately held company known for three highly popular destination restaurants and a favorite grocery/eatery in Phoenix Arizona. LGO is launching its presence in California with the Pasadena Café, and a La Grande Orange Grocery in on Main Street in Santa Monica later this year.

Valet and self-parking is available in the parking garage just north of the Café. The garage offers complimentary 2 hour parking for LGO patrons. The address is 260 South Raymond Ave. Web address is www.lgohospitality.com.