"TLDR: charming Italian restaurant in Pasadena, farm to table, pricey considering the small portions, homemade pasta, must try: charred octopus and polenta w/ mushrooms, easy affordable parking Schoolhouse Garage $1/hour for 1st 2 hours), online reservations available I recently had my first experience at Union, the Italian restaurant in Pasadena, and it lived up to the wonderful reviews I've heard. It's definitely a popular spot, so I'd recommend making a reservation to avoid any lengthy waits. My reservation was on a Saturday evening at 4:15 PM. The restaurant's ambiance is quite lovely, with an intimate atmosphere. However, it's on the dim side, and I personally wouldn't have minded a bit more lighting. For those wondering about parking, the Schoolhouse Parking structure has two entrances, one on Green Street and the other on Raymond. The best part is the affordability just $1 per hour for the first 2 hours. So, parking is one less thing to worry about. Union is known for its farm to table approach and commitment to making its pasta in house. One unique aspect is that they take your entire order all at once. This means that you won't be able to order additional dishes later on due to the constraints of their small kitchen, except for dessert. My party of two decided to go all in and ordered four dishes to share. Here's the rundown: 1. Charred Octopus: It was a tasty choice, but a tad on the salty side. The salad at the bottom provided a perfect balance with chickpeas, mint, tomatoes, and cucumber. If you're a fan of octopus, this is a safe bet, although the texture was a touch chewy, which I didn't mind. 2. Polenta with Wild Mushrooms: This dish was a real standout. The tanginess of the vinaigrette, with a hint of truffle flavor, was absolutely delicious. The mushrooms were a highlight as well. 3. Bucatini: Cooked to a perfect al dente, the pesto, made with pistachios, was a pleasant surprise. The creamy burrata complemented it nicely. A pro tip: Add a squeeze of lemon for a zesty twist. 4. Torchetti: This dish had a little spicy kick to it. Some pieces of pasta were al dente, while others were slightly hard, but the flavor more than made up for it. NOTABLE FAVES All the dishes were in relatively small portions, but the beauty of it was that everything was shareable, allowing us to try a bit of everything. It's certainly worth a visit, especially if you appreciate farm to table cuisine and house made pasta. Just be sure to make that reservation to secure your spot."
