Top 5 on the West Coast according to Travel and Leisure

Travel and Leisure says Violets is top 5 on the West Coast

The Place

Beyond the curtained storefront of Violet’s Cakes, on Holly Street in Pasadena, Denise Weber leads her staff and daughter Olivia through the steps of baking and decorating as cheerfully as Snow White inculcated her dwarfs. Violet’s has become a popular destination for Old Town workers and residents, especially on Fridays, when people of all ages, and men in particular, swing by for a weekend reward. “We call it handsome-guy Friday,” says Denise. Will cupcakes supplant flowers as the new love token or mea culpa?

The Goods

Flavors for the inner kid: PB&J, French toast (Denise’s favorite), s’mores, and the candy-based Butterfinger, Snickers, and Twix. 21 E. Holly St., Pasadena; 626/395-9821.