vol. 94 Wine Bistro Now Soft Open in Pasadena

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Thanks to owner Joon Kim and executive chef Phil Lee, late last month N. Colorado Blvd scored a new small plates hub titled vol. 94, currently in soft opening mode.

Lee, who worked under David LeFevre during his Water Grill days, manages this globally-influenced menu of share plates (food porn here), all of which cost under $20. It's easy to spot inspiration from both Europe and Asia in dishes like Heirloom Tomato Panzanella and Kanpachi with avocado, pickled ginger gelee and puffed rice.

Since this is California where seasonality prevails, of course a butternut squash soup hits the menu, as does a roasted chicken with market veggies and baby potatoes. To match the varied array of plates, wine here is sourced from around the world, and those bottles are positioned throughout the restaurant in place of art.

Truth be told, vol. 94 soft opened two weeks ago but thus far has only operated with limited hours. But, the restaurant has still served enough to garner its first six Yelp reviews, all of which give out five full stars. Hm. Anyway, a grand opening is set for November 17, and once fully operational hours run 11AM-3PM for lunch daily, and Sunday to Thursday from 5-11PM and Friday to Saturday 5PM-1AM for dinner. [EaterWire]