Sometimes, it’s just beautiful to sit and reflect on how lovely time and friendship pass. When Johann and I made plans to meet up for the first time in the New Year, we decided to turn that reflection into a dining excursion at Deda Restaurant in Pasadena. As a spot known for Georgian cuisine, we were eager to see how they handled the classics.
We began with tastes of Smoked Skewered Khachapuri (Smoked Sulguni cheese wrapped in crisp dough, skewered and cooked over an open flame) and Megruli Khachapuri (Megrelian-style cheese pie topped with an additional layer of melted cheese).
Personally, I prefer the smoked skewered khachapui. It was more savory and well rounded in flavor than the Megruli Khachapuri.
For my main entree, I ordered the Khinkali Kalakuri (five hand-folded soup dumplings filled with Snake River Farms Wagyu beef). I ordered them fried.
Johann ordered the Khinkali with Cheese (Five hand-folded dumplings filled with a blend of Georgian cheeses).
We waited about an hour for our khinkali, with our waitress checking in on us, giving us more water and saying that she would check the kitchen. In honesty, the menu states that it would take 30+ minutes. I just didn’t expect exactly how much it was.
The Khinkali Kalakuri was juicy and full of flavor. I could only eat one before I called it quits on eating more.
In the end, lunch at Deda was a mixed bag. The quality of the ingredients is undeniable. While the food was tasty, the hour long wait for our main course made the meal feel more exhausting than energizing. It was a fine lunch, but not a flawless one.
Deda Restaurant
55 S Lake AvenuePasadena, California 91101
