A warm November late afternoon, I find myself starving as I drive back from walking downtown Claremont. Deciding to cruise by an old house I lived in a long time ago near downtown La Verne, CA (it’s haunted by the way). So as I drive down 3rd ave. I notice people sitting in the patio of Chase’s. Perfect, I had been wanting an excuse to try this quaint place. The sign reads please seat yourself, so I grab a table on the shade filled patio and order a glass of house Merlot. I settle in and start to mellow.

The slight smell of wood burning becomes evident, not sure if it’s coming from the kitchen or if in fact a fire is going, but the aroma puts me deeper in relaxation mode. The sound of water from the water wall, small talk from the various, mostly women customers in the back ground. Ashley comes by, cheerful and appropriately timed and asks if I was ready to order. I decide to try the Chicken pesto panini and to my surprise it comes with a side salad and choice of dressing. Poppyseed vinaigrette sounds awesome and it was a perfect match. The sourdough bread for my panini was nothing too special and was a little too cheesy for me, however the taste of the chicken was excellent, with the pesto sauce and tomatoes balancing it out nicely.

I find out that the smell of wood does in fact come from there outside grill, which is what they cook there meat on providing a unique smokey flavor. For the evening there is fire pit seating as well which I will be sure to come again and try. My total bill by the way comes to $15.50 including tax, which remember included my glass of wine, so a perfect stop for my Friday afternoon. I recommend Chase’s for anyone who is in downtown La Verne, CA or nearby. http://www.chaseslaverne.com/