Monday, November 30, 2009

THE LAST PARTY INVITES

"Welcome to ix tapa!"
The following lucky souls should expect to hear those words when they arrive for our OPENING CELEBRATION tomorrow in Pasadena! As well, each will be entered into the drawing to win the FREE TRIP TO IX TAPA and each will soon be receiving gift certificates for Dinner For Two! Congrats to...

Kristen M
Jimmy F
Kaman Ng
Liz KM
Jose M
Erica W
Susan E
Jamie H
AndNod
Albert D
For questions or press inquiries, please contact DAN@DANCOXPR.COM

Sunday, November 29, 2009

THE LAST CALL (but not the last chance to win a free vacation trip to ix tapa mexico!!)

Just a few short days ago, we began this "Opening Celebration Blog" with ALMOST EIGHT HUNDRED PEOPLE responding to our first daily give away with the words "I WANT TO GO TO MEXICO!" If you are here to WIN A FREE VACATION TO THE MEXICAN RESORT TOWN OF IX TAPA, please stay tuned....you have until Friday, December 11 to enter as many times as you can win a daily contest with this blog or with one of our partners, such as Urban Daddy, Thrillist, Brent's Pasadena Mixers, FaceBook and Twitter (@ixtapaPASADENA). Tuesday is our OPENING CELEBRATION and we hope that you will join us! Sadly, here is your last opportunity to join us tomorrow. (Remember, however, we will continue with daily prizes, random drawings, and chances to win dinners and THE FREE TRIP TO IX TAPA until Friday, Dec 11!! Sooo, check back and play along! The prizes will get BIGGER AND BETTER every. single. day!!)

THE MONDAY CONTEST

& Your Last Chance For VIP Party Invites To The ix tapa Cantina Opening Celebration!!!

Today, we will up the ante for all of those that have played along each day & those that have just joined the fun.

TEN WINNERS will be RANDOMLY SELECTED today, with each winner receiving

*A CHANCE TO WIN THE FREE IX TAPA MEXICO VACATION

*VIP INVITES TO OUR OPENING PARTY FOR YOU & YOUR FOUR (YES FOUR!) GUESTS (Complimentary food, cocktails, entertainment...and "several surprises that will make you glad you arrived!)

*DINNER FOR TWO TO IX TAPA CANTINA, ANNNNNNND...

*DINNER FOR TWO TO EITHER BAR CELONA OR VILLA SORRISO!!!

Today's drawing is completely up to lady luck...

We'll take every name that responds to RSVP@DANCOXPR.COM
WITH "IX TAPA PASADENA" written in the subject line...
We'll put them in a hat (or a salad bowl) at 7pm Monday night,
and randomly draw TEN LUCKY WINNERS!!

Good Luck...and, we hope to see you Tuesday night!!

REMEMBER, the ix tapa Mex resort vacation drawing will be held on Friday, December 11 LIVE AT IX TAPA Cantina!! Check here EVERY DAY UNTIL THEN for chances to enter your name into the drawing!

For all questions and press inquiries, please contact DAN@DANCOXPR.COM

AIN'T NO TURKEY IN IX TAPA

Saturday's Winner of "Ain't No Turkey In Ix Tapa"? Samantha P!

The picture made us smile, but the poem (which we can NOT reproduce here!) made us blush! And, we're still laughing.

CONGRATULATIONS, Samantha! You have won dinner for two to the new ix tapa Cantina, a VIP invite to our opening Celebration this Tuesday, and ENTRANCE INTO THE DRAWING FOR THE TRIP TO IX TAPA, MEXICO! Good luck. And, thanks for making us all smile while working through the holiday weekend!

Friday, November 27, 2009

THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS (AKA The Saturday Edition of "Who Wants To Go To Mexico?")


TODAY'S CONTEST??

Send us a pic of you and your turkey...you and your mom and your turkey...you and your tofurkey....A fake picture that you are not in, but there is a turkey and you think it might win...You "get the picture!"

Send pic to RSVP@DANCOXPR.COM. In the subject line you MUST write the words: "AIN'T NO TURKEY IN IX TAPA!"

We will very dramatically place them in a hermetically sealed mayonaise jar...oh wait, that's another contest. WE WILL put them in a stack and draw FIVE PICS RANDOMLY (and by random, we mean the funnier, the wittier, the turkey is burning...the dog is eating the turkey...that kind of "not really random, but we laughed and it will make a great blog post, so we randomly chose it to win"...is most likely to WIN today!)

FIVE of you lucky souls that send pics today will win:

*VIP INVITE TO THE OPENING PARTY

*DINNER FOR TWO AT IX TAPA

*INCLUDED IN THE DRAWING TO WIN THE FREE IX TAPA RESORT VACATION!

This "post holiday-no one is reading a blog on Saturday-opening restaurant celebration-Mexican resort give away-Send us your best turkey picture - Please make us laugh because we're working today and you're not" offer IS ONE TIME ONLY. And, that time is TODAY.

So, send us your best Turkey shots!

And, GOOD LUCK!
(PS. TOMORROW the prizes get more, bigger, better...but the chances to win them a little slimmer. Why? Cause we loves us some suspense!)


URBAN DADDY ROCKS ...and the friday winner is

CONGRATULATIONS to today's Winner, Cherry D!!

Cherry has been entered into the IX TAPA MEXICO VACATION DRAWING & wins Dinner For Two and a VIP invite to our opening party next Tuesday!

Today's contest was "URBAN DADDY ROCKS!" Because... THEY DO!

CONGRATS, Cherry! And Good Luck with the Ix Tapa Vacation Grand Prize!!

Hint: Tomorrow, we will have a random drawing of WINNERS. Watch our Twitter and FaceBook (@ixtapaPASADENA) for details!

And, congrats to the eleven other winners today, each of whom received an invation to the Opening Celebration on Tuesday and a chance to WIN THE TRIP TO Ix Tapa, Mexico!

Have A Great Holiday Weekend!



WOW!! WHAT A PIC!


Yesterday's contest was "SEND US A PIC OF YOU AT THE BEACH!"

And, WOW...Tsz WON

Dinner For Two

VIP Invite to our Opening Party

And, a chance to win a FREE VACATION TO IX TAPA MEXICO


Congratulations, Tsz!!



THE FRIDAY DRAWING!!

We can't wait to WELCOME the twenty five winners from Wednesday's URBAN DADDY to our opening celebration!! However, for all those that tried and did not win, we bring one more URBAN DADDY installment...
The first TWELVE PEOPLE to respond to RSVP@DANCOXPR.COM
with the following subject line: "URBAN DADDY ROCKS!"...
WINS A VIP INVITE FOR TUESDAY'S OPENING CELEBRATION (for you & one guest) PLUS entrance into the IX TAPA MEXICO VACATION DRAWING!!!
The FIRST PERSON TO RESPOND WINS DINNER FOR TWO, PLUS AN INVITE FOR FOUR OF YOUR BEST, MARGARITA DRINKING FRIENDS TO OUR OPENING PARTY!
Good Luck!
Today's contest begins....NOW!

THE URBAN DADDY WINNERS

Wednesday kicked off the opening celebration for ix tapa, with the daily informational email URBAN DADDY offering its readers a chance to win VIP INVITES for the ix tapa Grand Opening Party, as well as a chance to win the FREE VACATION TRIP TO IX TAPA, MEXICO!

The first twenty five winning responses arrived within four minutes, with HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS continuing to arrive throughout the weekend.
REMEMBER, prizes and a chance to win WILL BE GIVEN AWAY EVERY DAY UNTIL Friday, Dec 11 via Facebook & Twitter (@ixtapaPASADENA) and this daily blog!

The winners were:
1. Albert D
2. Elizabeth T
3. Grace L
4. Sasha O
5. Claire B
6. Carol O
7. CSlum@
8. Adam D
9. Mariana B
10. Juhree F
11. David K
12. Juliet B
13. John M
14. Elissa R
15. Mahdi J
16. John SC
17. Marc P
18. Raquel A
19. Danielle W
20. Jessica L
21. Marissa R
22. Fred M
23. Shivani S
24. Tawnya A
25. Hillary R

CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! We hope to see you all Tuesday!!


From our friends at URBAN DADDY...
In Mexico, there's a beachside oasis called Ixtapa. Some might call it paradise.And you can find it…in Pasadena.Welcome to ix tapa Cantina, bringing wild nights of tacos, margaritas and dancing to a stretch of road not known for any of those things. The grand opening is Tuesday, right when Thursday's leftovers will run out.This is the kind of place where the sidewalk bleeds into the indoor-outdoor bar, where Watermelon Margaritas and Coconut Mojitos accompany the beautiful Pasadena sunset.And the bar bleeds into the dining room, where you'll start with Roast Corn and Tomato Salad, then move on to the classics—tacos, enchiladas, tequila-lime chicken—and maybe finish up with a Banana Split in a Deep-Fried Tortilla.And beyond that, there's a dance floor with a DJ and sunroof. All the way at the back is a balcony with a view of it all, and a second bar.This is the latest spot from the owners of Bar Celona and Villa Sorriso, both now bustling neighborhood institutions, so it's a safe assumption that this one will be around for a while. And if you're not quite convinced this all holds up to the actual Ixtapa, they're giving away a trip for two to the real thing.But trust us, it's exactly the same.
For all questions and press inquiries, please contact DAN@DANCOXPR.COM








Thursday, November 26, 2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
























Don't want to cook?

Check out Villa SORRISO! All the trimmings, turkey & prime rib carving stations. D.Lish.



VILLA SORRISO 626.793.2233
168 W. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105
http://www.sorrisopasadena.com/



PS. Today's winning clues for TRIP TO IX TAPA MEXICAN RESORT (and other prizes)
will ONLY appear on FaceBook and Twitter.



Follow & Friend us @ixtapaPASADENA



And, Happy Turkey Day! :)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

AND THE WINNERS ARE

The first THREE RSVPs to arrive today were from

DOMINIC C, ESTER T & DINO H !!!

Congratulations!!

Each winner receives an invitation to the Opening Celebration of ix tapa next Tuesday,

A Dinner For Two gift certificate,

AND EACH WAS ENTERED INTO THE DRAWING FOR
A FREE VACATION TO IX TAPA MEXICAN RESORT!

Today, Urban Daddy also linked to our RSVP lines, with HUNDREDS responding. The first twenty five will also be invited to attend the Opening Celebration as our personal guest, as well as entered into the IX TAPA Vacation Resort Drawing!

Remember, you may enter the drawing as many times as you win a daily prize contest!! To increase your chances, Follow us on TWITTER & Friend us on FaceBook! (ixtapaPASADENA)

GOOD LUCK!

For all questions or press inquiries, please contact DAN@DANCOXPR.COM

WIN A TRIP TO IX TAPA MEXICO: The Grand Prize Contest Day One!!

The first daily prizes go to THE FIRST TO RESPOND to this post!

NOW!!! Shoot an email to RSVP@DANCOXPR.COM with the words "I WANT TO GO TO MEXICO!" in the subject line!!

The first THREE recipients will recieve :

*Invites for you and your guest to our Grand Opening Celebration next Tuesday!

*Gift Certificates for Dinner For Two at ix tapa!

*Your name entered into the drawing for A FREE VACATION TO THE RESORT TOWN OF Ix Tapa, Mexico!
(Drawing to be held on Friday, Dec 11. And NO, you do not need to be present to win! We will call you from the restaurant the moment the drawing occurs and invite you to come out and celebrate your upcoming vacation with us!)
GOOD LUCK!! I hope we see you soon at ix tapa!!
For questions or press inquiries, please contact DAN@DANCOXPR.COM







ITS BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE A RESTAURANT


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

EXPANDING AN EMPIRE

ix tapa owner, Jack Huang, profiled in the recent Food & Wine Edition of Pasadena Magazine:
EXPANDING EMPIRE

With three new restaurants, Jack Huang is transforming Colorado Boulevard
Story by Janeen Christoff
Photos by Orly Olivier

How is it that a Chinese aerospace engineer from Taiwan came to host Michael Jackson’s burial reception at his Italian villa-style restaurant? Simple: a passion for good food.

Jack Huang, entrepreneur and restaurateur, lives by a simple mantra: eat, drink, play, and have fun.

While he may have started a career in aerospace, restaurants are in his blood.

“I grew up working in restaurants,” says Huang, sitting in his trendy Italian restaurant, Villa SORRISO. “They are in my family.”

Villa SORRISO, Huang’s largest restaurant, is situated at the “entrance” to Old Town Pasadena, at the corner of Pasadena Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

“Some people used to call this the end, but now everyone thinks of it as the beginning,” says Huang.

The Mediterranean-style villa offers Old World charm with its crackling fire pit, landscaped courtyard and airy dining rooms, the menu is filled with classic Italian favorites, as well as seafood, steaks, chops, and more. Guests can make a night of it, starting with cocktails in the martini bar and lounge and finishing the evening with live music, dancing, and DJs in the privacy of a patio cabana.

Before deciding to open his own restaurant, Huang honed his management skills with Panda Management Company, owners of Panda Inn and Panda Express, for two years, running its workers’ compensation program. Then he and his wife, Karen, had the idea for Wok ’n’ Roll Sushi, and, for nearly eleven years, it was a successful, fun-loving, fusion sushi restaurant where diners could pay homage to their favorite musicians by eating rolls named after music icons including Elvis Presley and Bob Marley. Eighties music blared from the speakers, and there was excitement in the air.

It’s this excitement that spurs Huang to create the next big thing and to tackle the next challenge.

“I am competitive, and I like to provide food in an innovative concept,” says Huang.
With Villa SORRISO, Huang offers a unique take on the supper club, combining a restaurant and bar with a clublike atmosphere. Areas of the restaurant, like the Zebra Lounge and the patio cabanas, offer dining opportunities unlike anywhere else in Pasadena.

“It’s unique,” says Huang. “Every room offers a different feel.”

However, he’s careful to note that, ultimately, it’s all about the food.

“We are a restaurant first,” says Huang. “People are going to love our food.”

This atmosphere carries through to the development of Bar Celona, Huang’s next venture after Villa SORRISO.

Bar Celona opened in SORRISO’s first space, at 46 East Colorado Boulevard. The restaurant is a stylized take on a Modern Spanish tapas bar. Diners can try tapas (small plates) and paella or sip sangria while enjoying flamenco music. The restaurant features patio dining, an exhibition kitchen, live music, and a late-night lounge.

This year Huang has faced a different challenge: the opening of his newest restaurant venture, ix-tapa Cantina, during an economic downturn.

“I am very fortunate,” says Huang. “Pasadena has been very good to me. We are about to own three of the largest restaurants on Colorado Boulevard. We are creating 250 jobs and are looking for opportunities to expand while other places are going out of business.”

With ix-tapa Cantina, as with everything he does, Huang has taken a hands-on approach, including choosing the name of the restaurant and hand picking lighting fixtures with architect and designer Sat Garg. The 7,500-square-foot location, at Arroyo Parkway and Colorado Boulevard, will combine a restaurant, sports bar, and club with Mexican cuisine. “I always want to have that fun factor, and this restaurant feels like a beach resort, which fits into the theme we wanted to carry out,” says Huang.

Now that ix-tapa Cantina is opening soon, Huang is close lipped about what he has in mind for his next venture. However, when you ask him, you can see the wheels churning as he gets a playful look in his eye. It’s sure to be somewhere where people can eat, drink, play, and have fun.

Villa SORRISO, 168 W Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 793-8008.
Bar Celona, 46 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 405-1000.
ix-tapa Cantina, 119 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, (626)304-9955
For questions or press inquiries, please contact Dan Cox
DAN COX for public relations
323.481.0983 DAN@DANCOXPR.COM

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

IX TAPA ON TWITTER

FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN, FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!!

EVERY DAY A NEW TWEET WINS :)

www.twitter.com/ixtapaPASADENA





For questions or press, please contact DAN@DANCOXPR.COM