The Old Pasadena Group, owned by Jack and Karen Huang, a former aerospace engineer and a former investment banker, has created a collection of three enormously successful and inventive restaurants that frame historic Colorado Boulevard in Old Pasadena.
The initial, overwhelming success of WOK n ROLL, their popular Pan-Asian Sushi Bar, now in its' ninth year of business, led to the reinvention of neighboring SORRISO ristorante and martini bar. SORRISO, an Italian supper club currently enjoying its' eleventh anniversary, is renowned in the Pasadena area for its Northern and Central Italian cuisine as well as its lively Martini Bar and Late Night Lounge. Their latest venture, Bar Celona, a Modern Spanish Restaurant & Tapas Bar, will be unveiled in Old Pasadena in early 2004. Their unique catering division, Old Pasadena Caterers, draws on the resources of all three restaurants to deliver creative special event menus. The Old Pasadena Group's corporate mantra, the ancient Chinese maxim "Eat, Drink, Play, Have Fun!" infuses their catering company and all of their restaurants, dictating style and design, from menu development to interiors.

The Huang's passion for food and design, and especially creating that spark of "having fun" that sets a restaurant apart, defines their sensibility as restaurateurs, and is clearly evident in all three locations. That "spark" comes alive in the person of Jack Huang. Growing up amidst his own family's restaurants, he worked his way through college, earning not only his credentials, but also gaining a breadth of restaurant experience, ranging from casual concepts to four star dining rooms. Today, Jack lives and breathes restaurants and everybody knows Jack! He has become so well known in Old Pasadena that whether it be valet parking attendants, business and property owners, city council members, or customers that work and dine in the area, he can't walk from one end of the district to the other without stopping and talking, every few feet, to his neighbors and friends.

Aside from the business of their own restaurants, Jack believes in being vitally involved with the community, currently serving on the Board of the Old Pasadena Management District, and is a past President of the Old Pasadena Business & Professional Association, Parking Commissioner of the Old Pasadena Parking Meter Zone Commission, and as a director on the Board of the Pasadena Senior Center. Working 'behind the scenes,' Karen Huang handles everything from negotiating leases, contracts, and financing, to overseeing public relations and the catering division, to researching and developing new restaurant concepts and business plans. Together, this creative pair share a passion for food and design, evident in their menus with the "Ahi Tuna and Two Caviar Napoleon" appetizer, served on an upturned martini glass at SORRISO, to the wildly flavorful "Burnin Down the House Roll" at WOK n ROLL, the signature dish of the house, which defines THE Spicy Tuna Roll to end all spicy tuna rolls!

In December, SORRISO is relocating into a larger, one-of-a-kind location at the western gateway to Old Pasadena and will transform into the Villa SORRISO. Picture a Mediterranean Villa with a lush, sunlit patio, a splashing fountain, a crackling, outdoor fireplace, and romantic, outdoor cabanas. Downstairs, the perfect location for catching up with friends, whether in the glowing Martini Bar and Lounge or in the warm and inviting dining rooms. Upstairs, a velvet rope guards the way to a sanctuary for a members-only private club reminiscent of the private library of an exclusive residence, furnished with plush leather sofas and ottomans, fine wood paneling, library collections, and an intimate, private bar space.
An elegant portal will grace the entryway to the Villa, formerly occupied by Clearwater Seafood and the Old Town Bakery (168 West Colorado Boulevard), the two spaces now combined into the Huang's vision of a luxurious, modern villa, the new Villa SORRISO. The new space will feature live entertainment, dancing and DJs to liven up the late night lounge, outdoor bar and patio. In addition to classic Italian favorites, Executive Chef Jeff Rowley and Chef de Cuisine Raul Mercado will be broadening the menu to include an oyster bar, hot and cold seafood platters, grilled lobster and king crab legs, as well as daily fresh fish specials and a wide selection of steaks and chops. And yes, the very popular Martini Bar will most definitely be a part of the equation for the new Villa. The same wonderful architectural team responsible for the unique design at the original location, Akar Studios, has developed an equally stunning new design concept for the Villa.

Now just to make Old Pasadena that much more fabulous, Jack and Karen will be unveiling Bar Celona, a wonderful Modern Spanish Restaurant & Tapas Bar, in the former SORRISO space. Calling it a "modern Tapas restaurant" with roots firmly in the tradition of the great tapas bars of Spain, the restaurant will feature the popular concept of "small plates." Set in a soaring, art gallery-like space with brick walls, the restaurant will feature a lively Tapas Bar with an assortment of Spanish-Mediterranean charcuterie and tapas frias (cold tapas) in glass and steel cases from which diners can make their selection as well as tapas caliente (hot tapas) served from the open exhibition kitchen, and a variety of paella and Spanish entradas (entrees). Tapas will range from $4 to $12 and will rotate seasonally. A wide selection of Spanish, Italian, French and California wines will be offered by the glass, carafe and bottle, as well as specially-blended house sangria. Monthly wine tasting dinners will be featured. Late night lounge will feature live Spanish music and dance performances, as well as DJs in the evenings. Diners can choose between the beautiful, candle-lit dining room, an late night bar and lounge, the flower-filled outdoor patio, sidewalk dining, or the lively tapas bar. Look for the Grand Opening of Bar Celona in early 2004!

Three culinary jewels in Old Pasadena. So whether you're in the mood for Asian, Italian or Spanish, stop in and say hi to Jack!