Pulpo Gallego is beer-braised octopus with fingerling potatoes and pimenton. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Los Angeles Times)
Ración is a Basque-influenced tapas restaurant in a narrow storefront in Pasadena. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Los Angeles Times)
Teresa Montano, left, a chef at Ración, opened the restaurant with Loretta Peng. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Los Angeles Times)
The wine list includes three Txakolinas, as well as the hard-to-find Rueda from Belondrade y Lurton, a delicious Spanish white. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Los Angeles Times)
Arroz con Gambas, crispy whole prawns, lobster rice and bouillabaisse, is a kind of deconstructed paella. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Los Angeles Times)
Duck sausage-stuffed squid with brava and squid ink sauces. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Los Angeles Times)
Loretta Peng of Ración. (Katie Falkenberg / For the Los Angeles Times)
