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Food Friday: Pasadena's Restaurant Week, Another Bout of Tomatomania!, Lunch with Monet

By Rick Paulas
March 23, 2012
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From the salt-of-the-earth farmer looking for a bargain for this year's tomato crop, to the posh businessperson looking to leave work behind for a lesson in fine art history, this weekend's L.A.-based food events has a little something for everyone.

All weekend, folks will be encouraged to squeeze and prod the ripest and juiciest crop -- sure, that probably sounds needlessly dirty, but c'mon -- of tomatoes at another leg of the annual celebration: Tomatomania! This time, the new seedlings are on sale at the Tapia Brothers Farm Stand in Encino. Wear your official "Tomatomania" T-shirt and get 10% off whatever you buy.

If you're in the mood to get hoity-toity, The Royce at The Langham in Pasadena is holding a special afternoon lunch experience on Saturday, with Chef David Féau presenting a four-course meal inspired by the work of famed French impressionist Claude Monet. The price may be a bit steep at $65 per person, but the sure-to-be-delicious meal also features artist and lecturer Nori Green sharing anecdotes and fascinating culinary-based stories regarding Monet and other 20th century artists. Reservations for this are required, folks.

Speaking of Pasadena -- which is apparently becoming the go-to place for dining in L.A. -- the city of the Rose Parade is kicking offtheir Restaurant Week on Sunday. The event runs through Friday and features over 40 of the city's restaurants opening their doors for lunch and dinner specials. The whole list of participating restaurants and deals, obviously, is way too intricate and numbers-based to get into here, so check out their website for more information.

And finally: Lou Amdur, the proprietor of the self-named wine bar Lou, has decided to sell his business after six years of bringing the best in vino the the Hollywood area. (You can read his "Farewell" address here, if you're so inclined.) While the new owner plans on keeping everything pretty much the same, might as well take this weekend to head on over and experience the bar under its original ownership before the deed changes hands on April 16th.

[Photo of Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena by H. Sanchez/Flickr.]

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