Two summers ago, I found myself on a late September afternoon/early evening, in the Plaza Santa Ana, in Madrid, Spain. The plaza, in a neighborhood known as Las Letras, is one of the City’s more popular locations, although there are about as many plazas in Madrid as there are burger spots in Pasadena.
I could have wandered aimlessly through and around the plaza, admiring the early evening light on the architecture, and soaking in the history.
But I was way too hungry for that.
I parked myself in an inviting cafe in the corner of the plaza, teeming with life and light and sound. My menu choice? Infinitely easy—Beef Bolognese. While we may be familiar with Ragù, a grocery store brand of sauce, Bolognese is a specific meat sauce, originally from Bologna, Italy.
It’s very different from your usual American meat sauce, which is usually a tomato-based sauce simmered with ground beef. Bolognese, made with milk, is much thicker and creamier, with a lighter tomato sauce and Pappardelle egg noodles, flat and wide and easy to wrap around your fork.
The dish always brings back memories, and I order it judiciously when I see it, so when I saw it on the menu at one of my admittedly favorite Pasadena eateries, I didn’t even stop to gaze at the burgers, which I already know are great.
This is no small task because one of the pleasures of Edwin Mills by Equator, is the creative menu, from the traditional to almost exotic.
Divided into Bites and Starters, Greens, Fist Foods, Main Events and Sugars, the Mills menu is compelling and inviting.
I can report that we’d previously enjoyed the Crabby Puff, which is crab baked over Swai fish, and awesome, as well as the Spicy Tuna Bites, which pretty much announce themselves.
When the Bolognese arrived in a steaming bowl, I was deliriously incommunicado for at least ten minutes. But not so much as to not notice my dining partner’s choice—Potato Wrapped Snapper.
This is an Edwin Mills creation we were told, with snapper served straight up and balanced on the plate, after being fried in a potato batter, a bit like being dipped in potato chips, along with garlic spinach, a honey lemon puree and mashed sweet potatoes—essentially a lot of everything good.
Edwin Mills, the restaurant—named either for the cricketer, the actor, the economist, or the British tug-of-war competitor—would only be a delicious spot to eat, but for its vibe and atmosphere. The interior is fun and kitschy, with plenty to gaze at and giggle over and TVs, so you don’t miss that game. You know the one.
The service is smart and friendly, and there is music on the weekends, and we have barely scratched the surface of their captivating menu.
We will henceforth do our best to tear ourselves away from the Bolognese and try a lot of other items on the tantalizing menu, in the ensuing days and weeks, but we do like what we do like. And we like Edwin Mills.
Edwin Mills by Equator is at 22 Mills Place, Old Pasadena (626) 564-8656. www.edwinmills.com.
