Smitty’s Grill

Restaurant week Jan 2016
So…playing catch up with the girls at Smitty’s. I went for the prix fixe, restaurant week special, and I was reminded why I don’t tend to do that.
Plus: The petite filet was cooked perfectly to order.
Minus: The entrée sides (mashed potatoes and creamed spinach) were lukewarm. The «hot» fudge sundae was giant, but clearly created hours earlier and returned to the freezer. The hot fudge wasn’t…hot…and the ice cream scoops had all become one… situation.
Overall: With the addition of an amazing wine and great company, the dinner was fine. I wanted a good steak and got one. The rest? Meh squared and I won’t be rushing back.
P. S. Darryl was our server and he killed it. {Management: this is a good thing; Darryl is great.}

I got a very nice response from owner, Gregg Smith, offering a free dinner. Nice gesture on his part, so I raised my rating to three stars. One of the things Mr. Smith suggested was to have told our waiter of our concern. He is probably right about that, but at the time it would have seemed to have called an otherwise competent and attentive waiter a liar. As I said, I don’t like posting negative reviews. Many times they are unfair, as a couple of other Smitty’s reviews, in my judgment, were. In my case I felt the review was warranted. Why would a restaurant touting its wild caught, King salmon be cooking anything else in the kitchen.

Came for DineLA $ 39 dinner menu that comes with a soup of the day, appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
SMITTY GRILL SALAD
— chopped romaine with cranberries, cucumbers, and cornbread croutons
— nothing special except the croutons
BONELESS SHORT RIB
— comes with a side of mashed potatoes and steamed zucchini veggies
— the short rib was tender and accompanied with a gravy-​like sauce
— the mashed potatoes were ok and not too buttery
— overall, decent dish but nothing to rave about
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE
— moist and not too decadent
— I did enjoy the chocolate crème but resisted since it’s a new year and I had made New Year Resolutions…
SERVICE: a bit lacking. Maybe it’s because it’s Dine LA or just a busy Saturday. We had made reservations for 8:00pm but were not seated until 8:20pm. After we had ordered our food, it took about 30 minutes for our food to be served. One of my friends ordered the Petite Filet medium but received well-​done. Another friend also had the short rib but hers was cold and dry. We didn’t get our waters refilled until the end of our dinner.
ENVIRONMENT: the main dining area may be pretty loud since the bar is also very close by and many tables in a tight place. The lighting is a bit dim that sometimes it was hard to read the menu. The back outdoor patio is nicely decorated.
Overall, good bang for your buck Dine LA menu. The other appetizers (Cheese bread and bacon and cheddar dip) were large enough to share amongst 3 people. I’d be surprised if anyone could finish it all themselves. The service and quality of the food was ok. Can’t complain about valet parking being FREE though. Nonetheless, not likely to come back as there are other places in Pasadena with superb service and food.

Smitty’s Grill is a participant in dine L.A. Restaurant Week and my husband and I are really happy we decided to have lunch there.
If you see my previous review I rated Smitty’s Grill with two stars. Since that time I have dined there another five or more times and I decided I it was about time that I update my review based on the last five or so dining experiences there. Had it been up to me I probably would not have gone back after that Valentine’s Day lunch from Hell, but my husband and his co-​workers dine there quite often and they all love it.
Fast forward a couple years to January 18, 2016 which was the start of another L.A. Restaurant Week. We compared the regular menu to the dine L.A. Restaurant Week menu and decided the prefix menu looked good and prices were great. Here is a comparison for you. I love the cornmeal crusted Idaho Rainbow Trout and on the regular menu it is $ 23.00 for lunch. I am not sure about dinner because we never go there for dinner. On the dine L.A. menu you can get a few things and one of them is the trout. $ 25.00 will get you a drink and dessert for an extra $ 2.00 so that is great.
I’ve learned that you have to know what you like and do not like as far as food preparation goes. I’m not sure why this took me so long to figure out, but I know I don’t like too much salt or added fats in my meal. I now tell the wait staff to ask the chef to go easy on the olive oil and salt when preparing the trout. I think you can always add salt to your food later.
The service was excellent and our particular waiter Robert Mc Mahan was voted City’s Best Foodie Servers for Pasadena in 2012. See my photo. I can see why. He was great. The bus boy was awesome too. I think he refilled my iced tea about four times.
I highly recommend trying Smitty’s if you have not been there and make a reservation if you can think of it in advance. I would either recommend a booth in the front room or a table in the back room. The back room has better acoustics and is quiet whereas the front room can tend to get a little noisy with the business lunch crowd.

Honestly, hearing that this is owned by Arroyo Chophouse got my hopes up but this place was just a bit disappointing.
First of all, they squeezed our party of 20 into the side of a small room. It was awkward because it was a birthday party, yet they seated 1 other table in the same room as us. There was clearly space to not push us into a corner, yet we definitely felt cramped.
I’d order the cornbread and the beef stroganoff again without a doubt. But everything else I tried seem to lack flavor and seasoning. This included the chicken pot pie, the calamari, and the crab cakes.
At least the staff was friendly. They were also efficient, which I appreciated with such a large party and a pretty big birthday cake.
It’s pretty disappointing that the food seems to not live up to the pricing. I can find better in Pasadena.

Smitty’s is definitely The South Lake Business District place to see and be seen. Rarely is this place not packed, from the bar to the restaurant.
This would not be the place to bring a first date unless you really don’t want to engage in a conversation. The restaurant is small, and the kitchen in partially open to the dining room. There is a room in the back that is much quieter than the main dining room.
On the positive side, the food is delicious, and few restaurants can rival their wine list. Their specials are always innovative.
It appears that it is the best, well priced, restaurant for Prime Rib in Pasadena since the closing of Beckham Place Grill. There are other restaurants in Pasadena offering delicious Prime Rib, but they are much more expensive.
My only criticism is that I still have not found a restaurant that can make the «whipped horseradish sauce» that was offered Beckham Place Grill. The horseradish sauce at Smitty’s tastes like it is made with mayonnaise.
You can get a table without a reservation, but I advise you call ahead to get a good table. Another great menu item: Chicken Pot Pie (large enough for two people) and the Hanger Steak (melt-​in-​you-​mouth tender)

Great restaurant in Pasadena. We came on a Monday night and the restaurant was still pretty busy, good sign.
For appetizers we had calamari stuffed with crab and served with tartar sauce. The taste was very good. However I would have liked it served hotter. Add the lemon, makes a big difference.
I had the Chicken pot pie and it was ginormous. Great flavor. It was creamy, savory and served nice and hot. Wish there was more chicken in the pie though.
As far as the service, it was awesome. Victoria took great care of us. The entire staff was polite, attentive and professional. Water glass was always full and our needs were taken care of swiftly.

Came here for lunch with a group of about 10. Summary: our server was MIA the entire time. Literally several times the people in our group were just looking around wondering where is our food? Where are our drinks? Where is our server? Where is our dessert menu? Where is our check? I clocked how long it took for someone to notice my blatantly empty water glass. After 30 minutes went by I flagged someone down because I couldn’t wait any longer to have some water. Calamari was soggy with oil and they forgot to salt it, and its dipping sauce was very watery. I ordered the add-​on shrimp for my Caesar salad (an extra $ 6) and it only came with 3 pieces of shrimp! The fanciest restaurants do better than that! This might be one of the worst restaurants I’ve ever been to. Bad service, bad food. This is bad American food trying to be upscale classy but failing miserably.

I come to Pasadena every week from the SF Bay Area and eat dinner at a restaurant every night. I really like this place. very comfortable american-​style menu but better than average. the bar area is small but serves a full menu. I had the chicken pot pie which was really good. I’d have it again for sure. prices were reasonable considering it feels more upscale than a burger/​tavern type of place. I’ll definitely be back again and will put it in my regular rotation when I’m here

I ate a late lunch at Smitty’s Grill in Pasadena, CA on 11/​10/​2015. It was my 1^st time there. I had the blackened swordfish and some soup. Both were good but I don’t know the price as my stockbroker, Larry, paid for my meal. Plus, I took photos

This past week was my third time visiting Smittys and I was somewhat disappointed with my food and overall experience.
We sat on the patio since we had our dog and although it was a cold night, the heat lamps kept us very comfortable.
Our waiter seemed way too rehearsed and unnatural when describing the menu and going over the specials. She brought out the wrong appetizer as well.
Appetizer 1– Crab cakes. Just ok, I like the aioli sauce it came with but overall very mediocre.
Appetizer 2– Calamari. Possibly the most bland I’ve ever had. I added salt and lemon, and i dunked them in the sauces but still didn’t enjoy it. Needless to say there was plenty to throw out.
Entrée– I had the burger with «rattlesnake» sauce and bacon with French fries. I had shared a cheeseburger with a friend here months ago and we enjoyed it, so I thought I’d be happy with this one as well. Unfortunately not the case. The «rattlesnake» sauce that I imagined to be peppery or spicy was actually just plain ol’ bbq sauce that tasted as tho it came from a jar. The French fries were very good however.
My fiancé had steak with mashed potatoes & creamed corn which he really enjoyed.
I ordered a glass of Pinot noir which came in a very large glass and took forever to finish, that was nice.
Dessert– apple bread pudding with vanilla ice cream. It was good, but nothing to rave about.
I will not be rushing back to Smittys anytime soon. The food here is rather basic.

Wednesday evening a week ago, our nice local friends in Pasadena treated my wife and me to dinner here. I first thought it was just a local casual bar and grill, but was pleasantly surprised that it was actually a stylish restaurant.
SHORT VERSION
The dining area has a fine-​dining décor and ambience. The walls are lined with pics of celebrities. The medium size bar counter is quite attractive. Its menus have good selections for food and drinks. The house specialty is steak, at upwards of $ 38+. Other than steaks and a few specialty seafood items, most of their entrées are reasonably priced at $ 18 – 30.
We had their more expensive signature steak and fish, as well as less expensive items. The steak and barramundi were not as good as they should be. The service was not great but adequate. The waitress was overworked, but luckily her bus crew was excellent. As a nearly high-​end restaurant, I’d give it a 3-​star rating based on the quality of its dishes and service, as well as the prices. However, as a medium-​end restaurant with a majority of dishes at reasonable prices, I’d give it 3.5 stars.
LONGER VERSION — You Can Skip
SERVICE
We had a reservation for 6:30p and were seated promptly at a large, comfortable booth. It was still early, we got served with water, and our waitress took our drink and app orders quickly. Then the dining room started to get busy. Judging the crowd size on a week night, this restaurant seemed to be quite popular.
In our section, there was only one waitress serving several tables. It took us a while to get our dinner orders. Our waitress looked stressed and rushed. We didn’t mind, as we were in no hurry; besides, we already got our apps and drinks; and my martini was very tasty. My waitress even managed to get me extra stuffed olives for my martini!, as busy as she was. But later, when the dining room was getting filled, we would not get to see her by our table again until near the end of the meal, when she came by for dessert orders. Luckily, the bus crew was very good, keeping our water glasses filled, and the finishes plates cleared. They took pretty good care of us during dinner, in the absence of our overworked waitress. Ironically, there were TWO managers who came by at different times to ask us PERFUNCTORILY how our dinner was. I wish that there were more SERVERS than MANAGERS, and that the managers would pitch in to help out the wait staff. At the end of our dinner, we had to ask the bus crew to get our server for our bill. This was our friends’ third visit here. They commented that the service and food were much better the last two times.
FOOD
Apps: — Crab cakes were only OK. The corn bread in iron skillet had a pleasant texture and was absolutely delicious! I ate it as app and enjoyed it as dessert later.
Mains:
(a) Rainbow trout: Superb!
— Crispy outside, moist inside, flavorful!
(b) Barramundi: So-​so only.,
— Although flaky fresh, lacked flavor; and a bit on the soggy side.
© 10 oz steak, medium rare: Sub par.
— Although it looked very good, but was a bit TOUGH for medium rare.
We also shared 2 desserts, crème brûlée and key lime, which were good, although we had to wait for a while to get them.
Overall, we had a good (3.5star) dining experience. I was disappointed at my steak (a bit tough), and at the Barramundi special (mushy and lacked flavor) that my friends had. The rainbow trout and the cornbread were excellent, however. The service that evening was subpar as (almost) a fine dining restaurant, which I attributed to the management’s fault for understaffing servers, and for having too many floor managers who did not pitch in to help out.
RATING
Smitty’s has the appearance of a fine-​dining restaurant, and does have a few expensive dishes on the menu to match. As an almost high-​end restaurant, I’d give it a 3-​star rating based on the quality of its dishes and service. However, as a medium-​end restaurant with a majority of dishes at reasonable prices, I’d give it almost 4 stars. Its management needs to have more servers for its dinner crowd, however.
October 2015

Best roast beef dip in the WORLD.
Chili was too salty.
Best roast beef dip in the WORLD.
Chili was too salty.
Best roast beef dip in the WORLD.
Chili was too salty.
Best roast beef dip in the WORLD.
Chili was too salty.

I met with a group of 8 last night for a birthday dinner. My experience this time wasn’t much better than last month. I had the pork chop special (avoided the NY Steak after my last trip a month ago), which I ordered medium. The pork chop was dry and flavorless. The fruit salsa on the top helped a little, but not much since it was so dry. That being said the cornbread was still delicious, and the double chocolate mousse cake for dessert was literally to die for! I tried my wife’s white fish which was definitely better than the pork chop, but that doesn’t say much.
The service was not that great — our server never asked how our meal was after it was delivered. When the meals were brought out, they didn’t seem to know who had what entrée. Three of us had a bottle of wine. When the server refilled us, one of the three was skipped even though her glass was the lowest. We had a 2 year old with us but were not given a children’s menu until we asked for it. They did have a high chair waiting for us. Wouldn’t that be a good sign to bring a children’s menu too???
It must be hard to find good people to work at restaurants in Pasadena. I don’t envy the owner’s job.

I had the Lake Superior Whitefish and it was just ok. The fish was a little soft and mushy. It was seasoned nicely though. I ordered this dish because there were a couple of raving reviews of the whitefish. I’m guessing the Whitefish I had probably wasn’t as fresh as what these other reviews had. I wish I had ordered something else.
I also had the cornbread and it was also ok. More crumbly than moist. It was also pretty heavy for an appetizer so it was like eating a cake before dinner.
The Service was pretty good.
This is an update 2 days after my review was posted. The owner, Greg Smith, responded to my review and was very concerned about my experience. This speedy response speaks highly for this restaurant! Thank you Greg Smith for addressing my review. Unilocal is awesome!!!

My friends took me to Smitty’s Grill years ago and it was just okay for me.
Recently my other friends took me to lunch and picked Smitty’s because it’s near their workplace. My friends were late and the host gave me the option of waiting @ the bar or @ our table.
Dungeness crab louie salad ($ 21.00): the price tag is high, but honestly it’s so good! The boiled egg is nicely seasoned, the crabmeat is fresh and lumpy, and the dressing is so tasty.
Complimentary bread & butter.
Great service! The valet guy was friendly, the host was polite, and the waiter was attentive.
QUICK TIP: FREE VALET PARKING.
4 stars!
Smitty’s Grill is yummylicious!

I just had the most amazing meal ever! Baked whitefish wit soft mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. The front patio was the perfect setting for this amazing California meal. Unfortunately the pesky flies outside ruined my vibe. Do you know how hard it is to try and eat a delicious meal while shooing away flies??? So annoying! So gross!
Aside from that our server was great, very kind. I will definitely be back because I love this place. I just wish next time maybe they can put out some citronella candles… something…please!
Oh ya, try the moscow mule. it’s the best in Pasadena!

Had a birthday dinner here last night. Made reservations on OpenTable, and our table was set up nicely when we arrived (included flowers and a card, for the birthday girl).
Service was great! Specials were told to us as soon as we sat down.
Food was delicious. We had prime rib, which was cooked to our liking. The aged New York, was delicious, and worth the price. The garlic chicken was humongous, and quite filling. Not too dry!
Wine, scotch and beer were all delicious.
Crème brûlée was amazing
Free birthday dessert, (brownie and ice cream), was just ok.
Valet parking or street parking available.
I think of this place as Arroyo Chop houses step child. The comfort /​fried food, added to the menu makes this place unique, and worth every penny!

I have yet to try a food item I did not like.
THE AMBIANCE:
Smitty’s Grill is a great spot to have lunch/​dinner. We normally come here for office lunch meetings. There is valet in the back of the restaurant but you can also park in the street near the front entrance. If you walk in from the valet, you walk on a stone path past an outdoor patio area called the Garden Patio, a separate dining room inside the building called the Grill Room, the restrooms, and the main dining area to reach the hostess stand by the front entrance. There is a small bar next to the hostess stand with some stools. The Garden Patio and the Grill Room are often reserved for private parties, events, and business dinners. Smitty’s is definitely an upscale venue, which is apparent by its décor, the waiters/​waitress’ dress, and the presentation and flavor of the food.
THE FOOD:
We always order the Iron Skillet Corn Bread ($ 8.00) as an appetizer. It is legit. It comes out nice and hot, it is a huge portion so you can definitely share, and they give you about four (4) slices of butter. The corn bread has a thick and moist texture. It is delicious. Beware of eating too much of it and getting full! It has happened to me before.
In regards to specials, I have tried a salmon on top a bed of pesto pasta and tilapia with roasted squash over creamy lemon sauce. The salmon and pasta was superb! The tilapia was good as well but I definitely liked the salmon special better. I would definitely recommend ordering any special they have. It is sure to be a treat.
Off of the regular menu I have tried the Homemade Chicken Pot Pie ($ 18.00) and the Filet Mignon Burger (Point Reyes Blue Cheese, $ 18.00). I would never order the pot pie again because when it came out it was the size of a pizza … haha. Seriously, it is HUGE. Three (3) people can probably share it. I remember thinking it was okay in regards to flavor. The Filet Mignon Burger was good but could have been better. I did like the the caramelization on the bun. I tried the soup of the day, which was a lentil soup. I liked it. As noted, it can get pretty pricey to dine here. Thanks, boss!
THE DRINKS:
Beer for me. Chimay in a cold goblet please :) #happygirl
THE DESSERT:
I don’t eat nuts or chocolate and almost all of their desserts have nuts and chocolate. Apart from those items I have tried the crème brûlée ($ 8.00) and mango sherbet ice cream. No complaints.
THE TIPS:
Come prepared to receive a nice tab but leave with a happy tummy.

Smitty’s Grill is an interesting combination of upscale dining with home cooking. With dishes like stroganoff, meatloaf and chicken pot pie, it has a really comforting feel. It also has steaks and seafood too– as all of the other Smith Brother’s restaurants in Pasadena do.
Great service with staff that really care and know their stuff (thanks Chris for being such a great server!). The ambiance is dark and low lit, so its romantic and a little like being in a noir film with old black and white photographs on the walls.
The BOOZE (cause that’s what we started with!)
–Their specialty martini is delish! Its a little dirty with blue cheese stuffed olives!
–Justin Cabernet for the wine choice– you can never go wrong with a Justin wine! However, they have a full wine list on the back of the menu that looked amazing. They also had a moscow mule (in the copper cup!) and some other interesting cocktails that I’ll have to try next time!
The FOOD
–We got the fried shrimp and calamari appetizer. It was good, but really light on the shrimp (3 pieces) in comparison to the calamari. It’s what you would expect from fried calamari.
–The steak special was a hangar steak with mashed potatoes and pearl onions. Very tender and delicious! The whole thing disappeared!
–The cioppino seafood stew was ok. It was a lot more greasy than what I was expecting and I felt like a fool trying to crack the crab legs to get the meat out. The legs were softened, so they weren’t really cracking. There was only one shrimp in there and tons of white fish and salmon though. Very tasty, although I’d have preferred less oil floating on the top.
–The bread pudding dessert. Wonderful! How can you go wrong with bread pudding?
Overall a great first experience and we’ll be coming back!