POP Updates.

So it has been awhile since my last post. Things have been going well at POP. Restaurant Week brought a lot of new guests, and staffing changes kept Matt and I busier than ever. Things seem to be mellowing a little, all positions have been filled and we are looking toward the rest of summer and how to get people in here.

Katie our "hostess with the mostest" has been promoted to server but will still be making occasional chalking appearances, here is some of her last work as host. Nallely our new hostess is luckily eager to chalk it up as well, so when she starts I will post some of her work as well. We have new bussing staff and a new cook who will make our cheese & charcuterie even more amazing, so stay tuned.

Music has been going well, we had a musician booked every Sunday in June and I think it worked out well.

Our first Sunday we had Jessica Fichot, a wonderful artist who sings in many languages and styles. She is a great performer and super fun, her music transforms you to a smoky Parisan cafe and makes you want to dance, champagne in hand. We will definitely have her back sometime this summer.

Our next group was Tom Farrell with Ms. Julia Gottlieb. Again a fantastic group, they brought their own following from the Westside and I would love to have them again. A great match for our bar, Julia's voice was rich and reminiscent of singers from the 40's but with a modern flair.

For Make Music Pasadena, the second annual free music festival we had Shawn Kirchner and Ryan Harrison Duo. Together they perform jazz standards and croon the night away, transforming our bar into a 2o's speakeasy.

Our last Sunday in June we had Dafni, she is great. I cannot wait to have her perform again, she played mostly original material and has a folk/blues/jazz feel. I highly recommend purchasing her music.

So June was a great month for POP, we got a lot of new exposure and quietly celebrated our six month anniversary. We instituted new changes as well.

We now have Speakeasy Sundays. Between 8-10pm every Sunday we give guests with the password $5 glasses of bubbles, it could be Champagne, Prosecco, California, Cava and more. In order to get the password you must follow us on Twitter. It is gaining a following and I can't wait till the bar is filled with whispers of Mumm and Krug.

We have also changed our Sunday Brunch to Bottomless Bubbly & Beer Brunch. For set prices including an entree you can now get bottomless i.e all you can drink, sparkling wine, draft beer or champagne. I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday morning!

July has started out a little slowly for us. We opted to be open on the fourth, because it is better to know than not know if we would be busy. We were slow but had some fun playing with bubbly cocktails. Ralph created a Sauternes Sour, POP Island Iced Tea and Mojito di Asti they were delicious and may make it onto the menu soon. Emily made amazing 4th of July specials such as "Red White & Blue Pie", a slice of cherry pie & blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream, you can seem them baking above! We also had a delicious firecracker burger with red, white & blue potato salad, and an apple pie soufflé. We offered 40% off all domestic bottles, and sold a bunch! I have never felt more festive!

Our first Sunday in July we had a great duo perform, Shangani . They sang in French and English, and even performed La Vie En Rose for my mom. We will have them back as well. Because it was a slow weekend we decided to make the most of our Sunday as our family was all there. We enjoyed three prestige cuvées, Schramsberg J Schram 2000, Pommery Cuvée Louise 1998, and Gloria Ferrer Carneros Cuvée 1998. It was an overwhelming experience and I will write about it later. After our third glass a group of 35 walked in, so we had to get back to work! Goodbye bubbly buzz!

With the warmer days and summer nights comes menu changes. We have new slider flavors; chorizo, and goat cheese with date (a must try). We will have a pie of the week, inspired by Emily's farmers market visits. Our new dessert is roasted peaches with champagne sabayon, delicious, and our new summer soup is a chilled roasted tomato with cucumber.

We are looking forward to later nights filled with new guests chilling out with cold bubbles. Cheers for now.