Russell's Restaurant, the Home of Pasadena's Best Vegetable and Cheese Omelette

Russell's Restaurant has been around for 17 years, so it's no surprise that they are one of Pasadena's favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner places. As you walk into this elegant little restaurant you'll immediately notice the gorgeous mini-chandeliers and paintings decorating the walls. On one wall there is a big screen VISIO television that provides an art slideshow featuring the likes of Van Gogh and other classical painters. Russell's is located at 30 N. Fair Oaks Ave. in old town Pasadena, serving the local business owners and employees with unique combinations for breakfast like the Croque Monsieur (a French ham and cheese sandwich made with grilled sourdough, ham, melted Gouda cheese and Mornay sauce, which is a Béchamel sauce with shredded or grated cheese, and served with hash browns or fresh fruit), or their special spuds (hash browns mixed with chopped onion, real bacon pieces, bell peppers and topped with melted cheddar cheese, sour cream and avocado slices), as well as more common fare like their egg scramblers, breakfast burrito, pancakes, waffles and French toast or cooked oatmeal.

But the creme de la creme are their fluffy three egg omelettes that are mixed with a variety of ingredients and served with hash browns and your choice of toast, English muffin, or bagel and cream cheese. The vegetable and cheese omelette features fresh diced bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, broccoli, fresh spinach and your choice of either Gouda, Swiss, Jack or cheddar cheese. The other omelettes that they have include: cheese omelette; ham, sausage or chicken and cheese omelette; classic Denver omelette; mushroom and cheese omelette; mushroom spinach and cheese omelette; fresh spinach and cheese omelette; the BCT omelette (bacon, cheese and tomato); the ABC omelette(avocado, bacon and cheese); the meat lover omelette (bacon, sausage and ham topped with your choice of cheese); the chili cheese omelette and the Mexican omelette (ground beef with onion, topped with your choice of cheese, avocado and sour cream), which range in price from $8.50 to $10.95.

For lunch they serve a variety of appetizers, burgers, salads and sandwiches, including: the Croque Madame; the Croque Monsieur; roast beef, mushroom and Swiss melt; the New York strip steak sandwich; the meatloaf sandwich; hot New York pastrami Rueben; ham and Swiss melt; grilled chicken breast sandwich; chicken Parmesan sandwich; the avocado, bacon, Swiss cheese and chicken club sandwich; the triple-decker clubhouse sandwich; breast of turkey sandwich; albacore tuna salad sandwich; the albacore tuna melt sandwich and the California BLT ($9.25 -- $10.95). All their sandwiches are served with your choice of French fries, gourmet potato salad, mashed potatoes, brown rice salad, coleslaw, a cup of soup or green salad.

Dinners offerings include: spaghetti, fettuccine and ravioli pastas; stir fried rice with chicken, salmon or New York strip steak (and a vegetarian plate); they have low carbohydrate platters of grilled chicken, pork loin, salmon, hamburger patty or New York strip steak; and their bistro classic plates ($11.00-$19.00).

They have a large variety of wine, champagne, sparkling wines, bottled and draft beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks.

Russell's is located at 30 N. Fair Oaks Ave. in old town Pasadena, telephone (626) 578-1404, their hours of operation are: Monday- Sunday from 7am- 10pm and they validate parking at the Union Street garage.