Every time I drive down Lake, headed toward downtown Pasadena, I notice the sign for Teri & Yaki. I have a sister named Teri and I always giggle at the spelling of the name of this particular food establishment. So I figured I would stop giggling and actually stop in to check it out.
I took the Metro Gold Line over to Lake (I want to make sure I get the most out of my monthly pass) and walked down to the store. The weird thing about Teri & Yaki is the entrance. You cannot actually enter the restaurant from the street. You have to walk behind the building and enter through the back door in the alley. There were very few customers so I didn’t have to wait for service. Not knowing what to really order, I decided to just stick with the basic Chicken dish with broccoli as my side.
I sat on a stool waiting for my order, taking in my surroundings. I thought the decor was interesting. You could sit in booths or at counters. It has a unique Zen type decor where they used the glass rocks that would be used in floral decorations. I guess it is a modern, more colorful take on the Zen style that usually goes for river rocks and bamboo.
I didn’t have to wait very long for my food. I grabbed my order and headed out the door, through the alley, back up Lake and hopped on the Metro. In retrospect, I probably should have stayed there to eat my meal. By the time I returned home, it was cold and I was too tired to make my way down stairs to heat it up in the kitchen. I was starving so I ate it cold. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best either. It was just OK, in my humble opinion. Maybe it is better when it is hot and fresh. But I can’t imagine I will be going back any time soon to find out.
Define Normal 