By Caron Schwartz
SOUTH PASADENA … It may not have Caltech or the Rose Bowl like its California namesake, but tiny South Pasadena has a lot going for it. My sweetheart, Lenny, and I recently discovered a few gems.
One Monday evening we wandered into downtown Gulfport seeking drinks and dinner. Sadly, not much was open, and we were hungry. We ran into our friend Susan who was in the same boat, so the three of us decided to head west to the Horse & Jockey, a British-style pub with live country music the first Thursday of the month and jazz the third Thursday. On Dec. 15, they will have a Christmas sing-along. The place was noisy and pleasantly packed. Susan took advantage of the British theme and ordered steak and ale pie. Lenny and I were less adventurous: conventional burger for him, veggie for me. We washed it down with pints of English ale and left feeling quite jolly indeed.
Burger at Pasadena Bar & Grill 
Fish Spread at Ted Peters
A practical guy, Lenny asked where I kept sewing needles so he could replace some errant shirt buttons. “Not sure,” I said, “But I know just the place to find them.” For 50 years, Jay’s Fabric Center is legendary. Lenny found just what he needed, and, at Mr. Jay’s suggestion, I bought needles for my ancient sewing machine, vowing to repair my pile of ripped hems.
For refreshments we wandered into Florida Orange Grove Winery where we went the whole hog, including a backstage tour and tasting. Although only the citrus is grown in Florida, all the wine has been manufactured, aged, and bottled on-site since 1991. I enjoyed the “Midnight Sun,” a Florida orange wine made with coffee, a caffeine connoisseur’s delight. Lenny liked “Florida Grapefruit,” so we took home a bottle. Other delish discoveries included Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish. The smoked fish spread with crackers makes a lovely afternoon snack for two and Leverock’s, perfect for date night. At Pasadena Liquors, owner Jim Valenty knows his grapes; he pointed my sister and me in the direction of the old vine Zin we were looking for. Lenny reports that Pasadena Bar and Grill is a friendly neighborhood watering hole with great burgers. I love the olive and feta at Pasadena Produce (aka Spiro’s) but my weakness is the halvah. Vino Simpatico features live music on weekends. After we shared a delicious six-pour flight at this boutique wine shop we were ready for naps.