Union Cattle Company

I have been to this place a couple times now and the crowd here is always ready for a good time. The drinks are made well here and they have a decent selection of beers on tap as well. And of course if you are feeling bold you can RIDE THE MECHANICAL BULL!!! You pay a couple dollars to ride it and embarrass yourself in front of random people that gather around you in the bar, and who wouldn’t want that kind of attention, eh??? Come on, you know you do! Make sure you get here early enough to get in and dress decently otherwise you could get turned away

In October 2007, I met up with a few people in my foodie group for Happy Hour.
Since Union Cattle Company opens at 5:00 pm there wasn’t much of a crowd when I got there. One table mate ordered sweet potato fries with an assortment of dipping sauces. I ordered the onion ring mountain to go with my caramel apple martini and melon martini. The onion rings were a little greasy. Another table mate ordered a martini straight up.
At first we thought the woman that got up on the mechanical bull was in the ride of her life, but it turned out she was just posing for a birthday photo op. Towards the end of happy hour, another woman did take a 10 minute ride on the mechanical bull and survived.

OK I am closing my eyes from all the negative reviews about this restaurant and just write how I feel.
I loved this place. And going back this friday. I order my steak medium rare. If you order a steak thats well done, then don’t complain about it too tough. Maybe the chefs were different. But my NY came out to perfection along with my sides. My friend ordered the ribs and another a salad. Another BBQ sauteed shrimp, Rib eye and everything came to perfection along with my Shirley Temple.
When I came here I wasn’t expecting too much. But a nice steak. And i got what I wanted. This place is kind of dark. but hey come on, they have smores that you can make!!! And a mechanical bull you can ride on. Free if its your birthday!
This place is NOT bad. I like the flavor of steak, I don’t like it with strong sauces so I got what I wanted. Give it a try. Honestly this is one of my favorite steak houses.
And don’t forget, if you don’t want to stay for desert, there are plenty of deserts around like 21 choices, pink berry, coldstone, heck hop into cheesecake factory for cake!
O and since im going again this friday (2÷8÷2008) I will take some pictures of the place so those of you who plan on visiting this place can have a idea so check up on it! and they have a website with a menu:
But yes do give it a try, look at me *thumbs up*
–daisy

Happy Hour! That’s what we come for. Although I have friends who also come for Friday nights. But happy hour has $ 2.50 pints, $ 4.00 wine, and $ 3.00 well drinks as well as some great priced appetizers. Ribs. Period. Get the ribs. You can get an onion ring mound for 3 bucks or steak tacos for $ 1.50 each.
I can’t say I have ever been here when Happy Hour was poppin’, but its a great place for cheap drink and grub. I guess if you stick around for a weekend evening, it will be a bit more happening and I was told they recruit peeps to dance on the bar and give out free shots at midnight? I dunno. But there’s a bull. If you drink enough and have the balls for it…

The happy hour here is unbeatable.
UNBEATABLE.
I’m not usually a rib guy, in fact it’s pretty rare that I would ever order ribs anywhere, but these ribs are so tender, meat falls right off the bone — and the sauce — dang, all sitting on a plate of fries. God it’s great.
The beers they’ve brewed are middle of the road, but good enough and certainly reasonably priced.
If you’re so inclined you can ride the mechanical bull if you’ve had enough beer. Don’t be fooled — how long you last depends on the mood of the operator, not on your skill-​set. And ladies, be on watch for the meathead pervs who lounge in that area to watch cute girlies ride a bull.
Happy hour — unbeatable.

Came on a rainy Friday night for a 8pm reservation for 15 people. The place never got crowded — probably because of the rain.
I ordered the Tri-​tip Avacado sandwich with french fries. Since it was such a large group, my food was cold when it came. The meat was a bit dry and a little too chewy. The sandwich was also a bit bland. They give a generous portion of tri-​tip though. My fries were disappointing as well — they came out all soggy and limp, almost mushy. I asked the waiter for a plate of fresh, crispy fries. He is happy to oblige, but comes back with a plate of twice fried french fries that just tasted burnt. =(
The staff was attentive and came by frequently to check on the group. Drinks were flowing the entire night — the staff did a great job making sure you always had beer in your glass. Our waiter was funny and always had a smile. They also added a 20% gratuity when the bill came. Maybe that’ s why his smile was so big haha.
I would give 2 stars for the food and 5 stars for service, so overall 3 stars. There is also a mechanical bull that you can ride for $ 5.
Metered parking or parking structure across from the restaurant. The parking structure gives you 90 mins free and then it’s $ 2/​hr, $ 6 max.

This is a place I go to, but will never go back.
My friend & I were shopping that day, and we were going to head over to Houston’s until we saw this place. We were two girls that had an appetite so when we saw steak our eyes glistened.
We walked in, it was dimly lighted, but the atmosphere was great. We browsed through the menu & we both opted on steak. The steak comes with two sides of your choice. My friend got the fillet Mignon & I had the rib eye with creamed corn & Gorgonzola mac & cheese.
Everything sounded amazing, but once it touched my taste buds I frowned. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I was so disappointed.
My steak was horrible, and for around $ 30 I felt sad. Sad that such a good piece of meat was over seasoned. I had three pieces, and I couldn’t eat anymore.
It wasn’t worth the money, I would have rather waited at Houston’s for 2 hours then eat there again. The only item that caught my attention was the creamed corn.

I was ready for a 5 star review for a 5 star experience. Sadly, I was disappointed where it really mattered. Place was cozy which i liked. Service was friendly and prompt at most times but you left us hangin’ in the beginning after the hostess told us that they’ll have the table cleared out in 10 mins. 30 minutes later– we were still standing next to «our» table wondering if anything is to happen. All that didn’t matter once we sat down and got situated. I’m pretty tolerant of «busy» restaurant waits. Ain’t no thang. To be fair, i give this ½ a star.
As we were looking over the menu. We wanted to order EVERYTHING. We were starving and everything just sounded so good. We got the spinach artichoke dip in a sourdough and fried calamari. Pretty standard and great starters, right? Well, the dip was bland. Salt please. It was just lacking in taste. We agreed even the local TJ’s dip was better. Then the dip for the calamari was crazy salty. Remedy. Dip the chips from the spinach dip into the calamari dip. Eat the calamari as is and break the sourdough bread up and eat it as spinach artichoke dipped bread. This earned about ½ star.
Now main course. Medallion Ardon. Two bacon wrapped medallion steaks with 2 sides. Wasabi Mashed Potato and Special Mac N’ Cheese. Uhh, I’ll give it ½ a star for an ok dish. No fireworks going off as I was eating but it was an average ok.
We also got a Lettuce Chicken wrapped appetizer to complete the meal. And this was refreshing in comparison to everything so far. 1 Star.
I did like the service since some non-​busers came over a few times and «got dirty» to help clear our tables. I appreciate the extra effort. And Finally, the bull of course was an extra plus. It was fun and staff was friendly to help us make fools of ourselves. Another Star.
So, 3.5 if I eat here. 4 if eat first and come hang.
Good times good times

I loved this place. I was there on a Sunday evening, sort of on the early side, but I imagine when it’s packed with nightlife and drunken happiness, it’s a blast.
The food, which I sampled a lot of, is delicious. They make everything from the beer to the meat to the salad dressing held to the highest standards, in house. Do you like bleu cheese dressing? They should bottle and sell theirs. And the shrimp is amazing.
I didn’t experience happy hour but I looked it up and that’s pretty impressive. It’s pressumed the best deal in LA and I can see why (
). Check that out. And ride the mechanical bull for $ 5.

The club portion of this place blows, but it’s the happy hour that wins this reviewer’s heart.
The food, and drink specials are pimp!!! I consider Union Cattle the bastard son of Saddle Ranch. Saddle Ranch does rock harder than this place, though.
If you want some dee-​lish food, some cheap premium drinks head on over, I forget the happy hour times.

From my experience, UC is the best happy hour spot in Old Town. Their appetizer specials include delicious barbecue ribs, seared ahi tuna salad, crab dip, stuffed mushrooms, and chicken lettuce wraps. Decently priced and much better than the usual cheap bar food fare. Most drinks are half priced, with a full bar and wide selection of beers on tap.
Also, if you’re in the mood for riding dirty, their mechanical bull is always ready to play!

I’m not the YeeHaw type so minus a few stars for the whole country western theme. Aside from that the food, drinks and service are very good. I first ordered a very well made whiskey and coke. So I had another. Then I ordered the Heart of Artichoke dip. People… now listen… we are talking some serious foodporn here. I have had many artichoke dips, spinach dips, spinach and artichoke dips… this appetizer, by far, is the best I’ve had. I then ordered the Union Company salad in which I was almost tempted to lick the plate clean… followed by the Company steak with two sides, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. What the hell can I say? Every fucking thing I ate at this place made my mouth water for more. If I could recreate this meal in my own home it would have to be the only thing on my menu. Every night.
This place does not suck. But cowboys do.
Ditzy waitresses suck though… but I’m willing to talk slower for them… but only for that meal.

It’s too bad the hours I keep make me miss all the happy hours, which means I miss out on the best happy hour that happens at this place, according to some reputable reviewing someplace or another I don’t remember which. I remember going here as the Pasadena Brewing Company, and never tried this space’s new incarnation, so when the boyfriend was down and had two requirements of food and playoff game, I thought it’s time to give this place a try.
They have the western look to it, but in a swanky kind of way (and I guess that’s possible, because they’ve done it). The bar has a decent selection of stuff, I had some brew that wasn’t so memorable so I guess I wasn’t that impressed. The bartender did leave us with empty glasses for a while, but was gracious enough to make the next round on him.
As for the food — it was pretty good. What I liked was the little meat cook-​o-​meter, that actually describes what it means to have your meat cooked a certain way. Not that I don’t know, but I loved how they described it. I had an appetizer for dinner; the BBQ chicken lettuce wraps. Now, I tend to shy away from those things as not to be pegged as some Atkins diet fiend, but the description made it appealing, so I ordered it. Much to both our surprise, it wasn’t smothered in some generic BBQ sauce as we expected, but had a nice, spicy sauce lighly coating the nicely chopped pieces of chicken and water chestnuts. Very enjoyable, even though I also shy away from lettuce wraps because I can never elegantly eat the things without the food winding up all over my hands (alright, I’ll admit it). The cut of steak had for the meal was good too; I had a small piece. I’m not a big steak person, but I thought it was good.
Beware, however, of the sleaze factor. We sat next to these totally superficial boys talking about inane things. Had I a better view of them, I’m sure they would have been poster boys for LA superficiality supreme. I had to apologize to my «Yay Area» born and raised boy for their antics, because it’s for people like that who make me embarrassed for proud Angelinos (like myself).
It must be the mechanical bull in the back that attracts them to this place… or something… so maybe it is a good thing I miss out on happy hour here.
We wound up leaving after the first half of the ball game and made sure our plates and glasses were empty. The Union Cattle Co. isn’t bad, but it’s definitely not the first place to go for a meal in Old Town by far.

Appetizer
At first glance, the place was nice and roomy. We chose to sit in the bar area for happy hour. Funny thing, we weren’t very happy in the end. Nobody helped us for at least 10 minutes. When someone finally came around, I ordered the CRAB AU GRATIN. It was visually pleasing but the crab was completely bland. And the toasted bread pieces that came with, cut up the roof of my mouth! Ouch!!! It was a microbrewery so I figured the beer would be good. I had their Heff and that too was weaker than a normal Heff.
Main Course
After about what seemed to half an hour of waiting for our food, a busboy finally came out with our food. I had the Rib eye steak, medium, with Green beans Almondine, house onion rings and a Bearnaise sauce.
The steak was grilled nicely with a warm pink center. The green beans needed salt, but were sauted nicely with a soft yet crisp texture. The Bernaise sauce was most likely from a can. It was very watery and did not taste as Bernaisey as it should! Every so often our server would scurry by and shout, «Is everything okay?» and she would disappear into the kitchen before we could answer. It was actually kinda funny.
Dessert
Smores! Smores! Smores! It was a great idea, but overall… yeah let’s not go there again. They brought out a nice plate with two skewers of marshmallows, six pieces of Hershey’s chocolate and twelve graham crackers. So in total, we would each get three Smores. In the center of the plate was a small Sterno. The chocolate was almost frozen which made it really difficult to assemble. It was also very nice of the bus boy to clear our plates and napkins and everything from the table. And I mean everything! We ended with no dessert plates or napkins. Every time we tried to wave someone down so that we could have clean plates, they didn’t see us. So we actually ended up having to assemble our desserts on the dirty table. My fingers were sticky from the marshmallows and I had nothing to wipe my hands on.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back.

I can only review Happy Hour because I’ve never been here otherwise. So don’t apply those 5 stars to Friday-​Saturday nights or dining there in general.
But Happy Hour is fantastic! Appetizers, cocktails, beer, and 3 house wines are available for half off.
All the appetizers I’ve tried (pretty much all of them) were delicious. Particularly the seared ahi, baby back ribs, and artichoke dip. Plus at $ 3.50-$ 6 each, you can’t go wrong!
Our waiter (who beared a close resemblance to sexalicious Edward Norton) also mentioned that they’re adding a sushi chef soon, and will have sushi plates for happy hour as well!
The service has always been pretty good (although M-​W isn’t very crowded during happy hour, which is great) and the drinks have a decent amount of alcohol in them.
Décor is as you’d expect for a place named «Union Cattle” – a lot of antlers and wood and cowboy crap. But I can deal with it. The furniture and general «niceness» of the place is better than you’d expect for the happy hour prices.
Only downside is that there’s a freaking mechanical bull. I think we could all do without the bull. Or all bulls in general.

Pretty fun place, but I’m from DC, the land of no cover charges, so I expect a rockin’ good time when I’ve got to pay one.
The crowd was okay, but I felt like it was lots of attractive women and lots of men, but very few of them attractive. The mechanical bull in the back costs $ 5, but I don’t think anyone actually paid.

My girl Tita felt like steak last night, and seeing how she drove to see me from Palms, I wanted to make sure she got it. Unfortunately, our preferred pick (Ruth’s Chris) was booked solid, and backups Houston’s and Smitty’s were busy as well. I figured we would try something new.
Everyone on staff was incredibly friendly: the hostess I spoke to when calling around, the manager who welcomed us in, and our waitress, Élan, who made good menu recommendations. The vibe was different than I expected — I sort of felt like I was in Texas, but that may have had to do with the weird red lighting and the mechanical bull.
I wasn’t that hungry, so I had a chicken Caesar salad and a baked potato; Tita ordered a petite filet mignon with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. The bread Élan brought out before we got our meals was really tasty, warm with a good crust.
The salad was an excellent choice; UCC makes their own dressing and it’s garlicky-​good. The chicken was also very flavorful. The baked potato — well, what can you say about a baked potato? It was fine. I also ordered a chocolate martini, which was good and strong and knocked me on my ass for a little bit during the meal.
Tita let me taste her food (like she had a choice) — I didn’t think the steak was great quality, though that’s supposedly what UCC is known for. The mac and cheese was not much better than Kraft and tasted a little like elementary school cafeteria food.
We finished up with coffee (not bad, not great) and a special dessert, deep-​fried bananas wrapped in pastry and drizzled with chocolate, with two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. It was super-​rich and I actually enjoyed the ice cream more than the bananas (which may be why my lactose-​intolerant stomach hurts today.)
Towards the end of our meal, we noticed the television had started showing two girls riding the bull together. It was sort of like a Paris Hilton video in that it was filmed in night vision (creepy) and the girls were both skinny blondes. After they were thrown off, which was pretty funny, they got back on a few minutes later FACING EACH OTHER. I’d say I was disgusted that they objectified women by filming this and showing it on their TVs, but quite frankly, I was mesmerized and forgot mid-​sentence what I was saying. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be a guy and see that. Yeah, it was hot.
Anyhow, I’d probably come back for lunch for the salad, but for steak, there’s a lot of other good places in town and for girls riding a mechanical bull, I can probably find that on-​line.
Parking in the Delacey Street garage right across the street.

Wow… Brock put it so well… «sausage and chorizo» fest for sure. Although, I have no opposition to either, it’s just that it’s not a desirable sausage and chorizo fest at all.
This place is like Saddle Ranch but in Pasadena. I’m going to be honest here… I think it’s Lame. I’m ashamed Pasadena opened a place like this up… and they are even more lame for not letting Kieran in for wearing a plain white T-shirt…honestly…

My first review ever.
I’m here like every other week … because its close by. Sometimes I just don’t feel like driving to hollywood, and dealing with that whole scene.
I’ve only eaten here once. A hamburger and fries. The burger was DAMNED good, the fries were wack. They keep the kitchen open fairly late so if you get hungry from, whatever, you can recharge.
On to a review of what most people come here for though, the social scene:
Pros:
A lot of people show up on the weekend. There are usually a decent number of attractive women. The women here are typically the best looking you will see in pasadena — take that for what you will.
The drinks are fairly cheap. $ 4.50 for Newcastle? That’s awesome! Cocktails range from $ 5 to $ 10 depending on who’s making the drink. The one tall dude will charge you $ 5, the short brunette girl will charge you $ 10. Because obviously I look like I’m made of money. USE THE CHEAP LIQUOR PLEASE, FOR F’S SAKE.
The cover is only $ 5
All the bartenders are very friendly, have NO attitude, pretty much down to earth. Also, they usually remember what you are drinking, which is cool and commendable.
Cons:
The overall ratio of men/​women tends towards horrible on most weekends. I find this a common theme at EVERY bar/​club in pasadena though. Sausage and chorizo fest in this city, I swear.
It gets too crowded, hard to move around. Usually at least 1 asshole per night will want to pick a fight with you. No dude, I’m not eyeing your girl, she’s like 5’2″ and shaped like a pear.
They only have like 5 beers.
The overall layout sucks. Its a bit too small, and they should remove some of the tables or something to give it a little more floor room.
It doesn’t attract the classiest clientele.
Its pretty much the same people here every week. Not much new blood.
Overall, this place kind of «wins» by default on account of everything else around it being utterly horrible, and since its close by. Its the kind of place to go when its 10:30 at night and you haven’t bothered to put yourself on any guest lists in hollywood, want to keep the night cheap, and be in a lively place with cheap drinks.
peace

I love steak and scotch, and I don’t play around when it comes to good meat. This place was an excellent find, though I wish there was one closer to my hood. I typically take my nephew and after we’ve stuffed ourselves with meat, he will ride the bull and try not to vomit. Good times.
I’ve yet to finish an entire meal, but that doesn’t stop me from ordering more and more each time I visit.
The Meat:
You can specialize each dish with a choice of classic sauce, steak, sauce, Dijon pepper sauce and many other choices. Try the blue cheese glaze. Everything taste better with blue cheese on it – meat is no exception.
All entrees come with TWO sides, and believe me, if you eat meat, you may not even be able to make it to the side dishes before you feel ‘bloat belly.‘
I recommend the Porterhouse (it’s worth it’s weight in gold, which is convenient because it cost just about that much!),. Also try the Rib eye and the New York Steak. If you have room, or frequent eating competitions, don’t forget the sauteed squash, but ALL of their sides are delicious. Their salads are hefty (and come in cool bowls), and if you’re thinking you can order meat with two sides AND have a salad — call me, so I can watch you explode.
If you’re with a group (or just a fat ass like me) try the Smores Platter for dessert.
For the boys: They’ve got flat screens playing sports of all types situated in prime viewing locations all around the joint.
The prices are a bit on the high side, but this a great date place, or a great place to get over a bad date with your home girls… or a great place to go if you eat alone/don’t have a date at all.
I can’t believe I was the first to give this place 5 stars!