Monrovia Old Town Report (12/7/17)

– Courtesy photo / Terry Miller / Beacon Media News

By Pam Fitzpatrick

Last weekend a young man, a father, lost his life in our town. It was a tragedy beyond measure, and yet Old Town Monrovia remains one of the safest community gathering places anywhere. With love and support for all in need, we continue: the stores are open, Gem City Grill is open, as are all of our other businesses. For all of our desire to carry on with the holiday cheer, it would be heartless not to take a moment to pause…

And though it may seem like a small thing compared to that tragic loss, the cancellation of our first Santa Breakfast at Jake’s Roadhouse was sad for lots of little kids. How do you explain why Santa couldn’t come with their gifts…? What you do is have a great Santa Breakfast this coming Saturday, not only at Jake’s (9:00 a.m.), but at the Peach Café (8:00 a.m. – call for reservations), and at Oh Mulberry Bush (10:00 a.m.) and at Rudy’s Mexican Food (11:00 a.m.). Santa will also be on the streets right after the breakfasts are finished, and don’t forget this Friday night by Kattywompus String Band! The carolers will be strolling and singing throughout the week, and the Holiday Parade is this Thursday, the day this paper publishes. Tree Lighting is at 6:00 p.m. and the Parade begins at 7 p.m.

Last week I promised another “date night” suggestion, and my choice for this round is Café Mundial in the 500 block. Described as a “dimly lit Italian restaurant with a patio and cocktail lounge,” Café Mundial serves everything from pasta to seafood and steaks. Its longevity speaks volumes; when others have come and gone, this café has remained a staple in Old Town. Want a treat? Order a “Donnatina,” named in honor of our own Donna Baker, long-time Monrovia realtor!

Continuing on the subject of restaurants: it’s confirmed — Basin 141 is taking over the Craft Hill corner spot at Lime and Myrtle. I spoke with the City this morning and they do have to go through the CUP (Conditional Use Permit) process since Craft Hill has been gone for more than 30 days. However, I’m told that’s not a problem at all, and maybe we can see them open sometime in January. Basin 141 is described as a “New American Restaurant” serving “American chow,” brews and cocktails.

Still restaurant-related, we’ve had a speaker at City Council many times requesting support for a ban on Styrofoam take-out containers. Apparently, Styrofoam is not only environmentally unfriendly, but it’s not healthy to humans, either. Brian Tindall has done some research which he shared with me: check out the EcoChoice products – very interesting sugarcane and palm leaf alternatives.

And let’s end with our sincere thank-yous to our Monrovia PD and surrounding agencies who helped us out last Saturday – and, to our wonderful Monrovia Fire Rescue who is now helping out with that terrible Thomas Fire just north of us. Our prayers are with you.

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