"An aspirational new restaurant is heading to Pasadena’s coveted Playhouse venue called Saso, and the perspective is clearly Spain’s Basque country. Chef Dominique Crisp, who worked at the popular L&E Oyster Bar in Silver Lake, is hoping the charcoal Josper oven will be the driving force behind the menu of Navarra-style grilled bone-in wagyu steaks and mussels with fennel, charred leek, and Basque sausage. Seafood will be a major part of the menu too since Crisp spent time at Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica. The restaurant’s Instagram account hints at a mixed shellfish pasta, roasted oysters, grilled Santa Barbara prawns, and locally-caught fish. Opening date is scheduled for November 11." - Matthew Kang