Sip & Savor Pasadena 2019 Recap
Pasadena, CA
Happy winter break, folks! If you’re one of those people who are fortunate enough to be receiving time off during this Christmas-to-New-Year’s period (or if you’ve simply decided to do so on your own), and you’ve got today free, consider heading up to Pasadena for the final day of the Sip & Savor event, put on as part of the run-up in festivities that encompass the Tournament of Roses Parade. As longtime Angelinos know, the Rose Parade has been a Pasadena and Southern California tradition for 130 years. Each year, on January 1st (or 2nd if the first lands on a Sunday), dozens of spectacular parade floats roll down Colorado Blvd as part of the celebration of the new year. Flanked by equestrians, vehicles, marching bands, and color guards, these floats showcase the unique feature of being covered completely by plant or plant-based material. It’s a spectacle that has entertained people for generations.
Last year, the city of Pasadena began a food and wine festival on the weekend before the parade. Similar to the culinary events that we’ve covered at Disney California Adventure and Knott’s Berry Farm, Sip & Savor Pasadena features a series of exhibitors including restaurants in the local Pasadena area, plus breweries and wineries in the surrounding Los Angeles area and California region. The event is a chance to sample a taste of what California cuisine has to offer, all under the backdrop of the famed Rose Bowl Stadium. With a few vendors and live entertainment all afternoon long, it’s a fun event to share with the family and take in a part of the Tournament of Roses pageantry.
This year, Sip & Savor once again is located on the corner of Seco Street and Arroyo Blvd. But whereas last year, the event was organized directly on the Arroyo Seco baseball field, this year, the site has moved next door to the adjacent parking, in order to save the field turf from wear and tear of pedestrian traffic. The resulting ambiance is a little more sparse than last year, with a series of booths, seating areas, pop-up bars, and a stage clustered directly over the parking lot asphalt. But there are cornhole games spread out for people to engage, and roaming musical entertainment in addition to sets taking place at the main stage.
The main point of the actual Sip & Savor event is to try out the culinary offerings of the local restaurants around Pasadena. It’s not unlike the Taste of South Lake and Make Music Pasadena events that we’ve covered in the past, but on a grander scale in terms of the number of businesses exhibited. There’s a mix of corporate sponsors on hand—especially on the alcoholic end—such as Don Julio and Ketel One with tasting booths of some of their craft spirits and Four Roses branded at the main bar.
Don Julio is among several sponsors with featured booths.
On the dining side, several chain restaurants such as El Sushi Loco, Granville, Gus’ Fried Chicken, Roy’s, True Food Kitchen, and The Crack Shack and a collection unique proprietors such as Lêberry Bakery, Twohey’s, and Zelo Pizzeria form just some of the vendors offering tastings of one or two of their popular menu items. Guests can also partake from a wide selection of wineries and breweries, including local favorites like Angel City Brewery, Golden Road Brewery, and The Bruery, plus greater areas purveyors like Foley Food & Wine Society, Sangiacomo Wines, Harken Wines, Foot Path Winery, and more.
The tasting system utilizes a nifty RFID bracelet that is included as part of event admission. Guests have the bracelet scanned upon entering, and it also has tasting credits loaded on. General admission comes with 5 tastings, though more can be purchased and loaded on. VIP guests have unlimited tasting. Each tasting can be used at a food vendor or an alcohol booth. A credit counts for one item, and there is no pricing to factor in. One chicken slider is equivalent to one glass of wine is equivalent to a tasting of beer is equivalent to a dessert tasting. With plenty of choices available, it could tough to decide on what to get!
The Crack Shack offers fried chicken sliders… very tasty!
Zelo Gourmet Pizzas has a beet salad with mixed greens and blue cheese and a cheese pizza on cornmeal crust.
Granville has their Uptown Mac ‘n’ Cheese, with or without chicken.
Lêberry Bakery was founded just last year but has already been getting a lot of buzz with expansion offers internationally! Their desserts are vegan-friendly and made from high quality ingredients.
Guests also received a complimentary [plastic] tasting glass for each wine or beer tasting they ordered, which resulted in some guests comically hauling towers of souvenir glasses. On Saturday, when we visited, there were some reports of RFID bracelets not working properly, though we never experienced any issues. Hopefully, those kinks got worked out.
In the style of Disney California Adventure’s Food & Wine Festival (or current Festival of Holidays, or even the Lunar New Year Celebration), there is a solid offering of live entertainment to go along with the food adventures, to keep guests engaged throughout the day. In fact, guests who also frequent Disney may recognize many of the artist performing over the weekend! Roaming the festival grounds over the weekend are the Mariachi Divas, Delta Daddios, and Holy Crow Jazz Band. The Divas also play on the Main Stage at times, which is emceed by DJ Wendy, who spins beats between featured artists. Bands like Crimson Apple, Just Press Play, Suburban Legends, and Tomasina also grace the main stage with 45-60 minute sets.
Holy Crow Jazz Bands brings Sip & Savor a taste of New Orleans Square.
Fans of the Mariachi Divas will be thrilled to see them at Sip & Savor Pasadena!
Crimson Apple thrills audiences with their upbeat rock and pop music, featuring a mix of original songs and popular covers.
For guests interested in delving further in the Tournament of Roses, just a few steps up Seco Street is Decorating Places, a warehouse where some of the dozens of floats can be observed being decorated in the days right before the big parade. Admission is $15 per person, and tickets can be purchased on site or online in advance. The construction of these floats is an amazing undertaking, requiring dozens upon dozens of volunteers per float. It’s quite fascinating to see the variety of seeds, bark, fruits, vegetables, grasses, and flowers applied to the floats as their final finish, and the detail is pretty impressive. The behind the scenes is open varying hours depending on the day, but it’s a great complement to the Sip & Savor event.
Sip & Savor only lasts three days, but it’s a nice culinary experience tied to the Tournament of Roses festivities. If you’re interested in attending today, you can find more information at the Sip & Savor Pasadena web site and purchase tickets online. General admission tickets are $60/adults 13+yrs at the door ($50 online) and $15/child 4-12yrs ($10 online). Children 3 and under are free. VIP passes are available for $135/person ($125 online). Adult GA passes come with 5 tastings, but child GA passes do not include any tastings. Additional tastings can be purchased on site in packs of 5 or 10.
If you’re driving over, there is complementary parking at lots H and K, which are across the street from the site. Just head over to the Rose Bowl and follow signs and traffic control. The directions to the venue are pretty clear once guests leave their cars and make their way to Seco Street.
We do love checking out these food and drink events, and there are so many of them out there in Southern California. Sip & Savor offers a nice break to round out the year and get ready for 2020!
Architect. Photographer. Disney nerd. Haunt enthusiast. Travel bugged. Concert fiend. Asian.
