Pasadena’s Turn in the “Limelight”: Chef Daniel Shemtob Opens Notoriously Edgy TLT Food

TLT Food, a brick and mortar concept from Chef Daniel Shemtob’s award-winning The Lime Truck, will open its doors in Pasadena on August 11. A partnership between Shemtob, and the father-son team of Jason, Zach, and Murray Wishengrad, TLT Food offers notoriously edgy street food by way of a menu designed for sharing, mixing and matching. The restaurant serves brunch, lunch and dinner, keeping menus unpretentious, eclectic, and heavily accented with diverse street food flavors. The fourth location for TLT Food, Pasadena’s store is stationed next to the Pasadena Playhouse and offers the same low key vibe presented at the brand’s Westwood and Irvine locations.

Sharing his enthusiasm to open in Pasadena, Chef Shemtob says “I’m thrilled to bring TLT Food’s bold flavors to Pasadena and reach an entirely new audience. The food scene in East Los Angeles has become so diverse and interesting, and it’s something we need to be part of. Once they set foot through the door, it’s going to be love at first bite for the people of Pasadena.”

Firm fan favorites of TLT Food’s highly varied menu include the Short Rib Hash Fries with braised beef short rib, homemade guac, crema, pico de gallo, guajillo sauce and a 62 degree egg, the Tofu Taco with crispy tofu, spicy lime-sambal sauce, mango black bean pico, chimichurri, cilantro, and Pork Belly Nachos with braised pork belly, pico de gallo, cheese sauce and fresh chips. Complementing the wide-ranging menu, specials are offered daily and TLT Food caters to gluten free and vegetarian diets. Accompanied by a wide selection of craft beer and wine, signature to TLT Food is Limeade, a sweet and pleasantly tart beverage with rotating flavors such as Prickly Pear, Coconut and Guava. Also available “loaded” with the addition of pure agave nectar tequila, all limeades are made from scratch daily.

Featuring the restaurant’s signature ‘industrial chic’ and lime green aesthetic, TLT Food’s new Pasadena location will extend both indoors and outdoors with an 32 seat patio. The space is communal by design, with dining tables lending to guests sharing meals with friends, or making new ones. Playing handpicked music from Shemtob’s own extensive playlists, the restaurant’s vibe is heavily influenced by his upbringing and his varied life experiences, including classic ‘oldies’ to the newest hip hop and everything else in between.

TLT Food is located at 36 S. El Molino Ave. in Pasadena. Open Monday – Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Thursday – Sunday from 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. For more information, please visit www.TLTFood.com. TLT Food is also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TLTFOOD, on Instagram at @TLTFood and on Twitter at @TLTFood.

About Chef Shemtob

Culinary visionary and bonafide foodie, Daniel Shemtob was just barely out of high school when he forewent a traditional path and used his entire life’s savings to open The Lime Truck with his best friend. Just two years later, after The Lime Truck’s rapid rise to success, Shemtob opened his first brick and mortar restaurant, TLT Food, located in Westwood. Shemtob represents his generation’s culinary voice: with menus showcasing bold, culturally-inspired flavors designed for mixing and matching rather than committing to a single dish. He does what he wants— and has a series of impressive accolades to show for it, such as inclusion in Zagat Los Angeles’ prestigious 30 Under 30, being named one Refinery29’s Best Looking Chefs and receiving O.C. Weekly’s Best New Restaurant in 2010 (a first for a food truck).