January 2009 Archives

Dear Diary: Today's the day I lost my dim sum virginity.

Why, it's Mikan, of course!

How do I know this?

Am I fluent in Japanese?

No.

I read David Cohen's review of the restaurant of that name at the corner of Pearl and Eureka streets (at the end of the eastbound Orange Street offramp of I-10...how appropriate).

He seemed to like it well enough, except for the loud, tipsy folks who came down from the upstairs bar to dine.

I have yet to dine at Mikan, but in general, I find most of the Inland Empire Japanese restaurants a little samey.

OK, so now the state Department of Public Health has expanded its warning about potentially-Salmonella-tainted peanut butter cookie dough to include another source -- Dough-To-Go, Inc., of Santa Clara.

Dough-to-Go, Inc., distributed frozen peanut butter cookies and dough in 30 California counties under the Dough-To-Go and Jane Dough labels.

They were mostly sold as fundraisers for schools and AYSO groups.

Here in the Inland Empire, you might have purchased the dough from:

• McKinley Elementary School in Redlands
• AYSO San Bernardino, Beaumont or Hemet
• Bell Mountain Middle School (and band members) in Menifee
• Growing Place Preschool in Riverside
• Diamond Valley Middle School, Hemet or Tahquitz high school cheer squads, or Little Lake, Valley Vista or Whittier elementary schools, all in Hemet

Nestled between Cold Stone Creamery and Verizon Wireless in Redlands' Citrus Plaza, Z Pizza opened last week in the spot formerly occupied by Blimpie.

Nothing against Blimpie, but I think we got a better deal with Z Pizza.

Z Pizza's shtick is that they offer a healthier pizza, with organic wheat dough and tomato sauce.

I'll have to admit, I'm not generally a thin-crust pizza kind of guy, but I liked what I tried at Z Pizza.

The occasion for visiting Z Pizza was to get free pizza and to see (and hear) Allan Borgen's Let's Dine Out Show live broadcast.

Many of us mourned the closure of The Whole Enchilada on Foothill Boulevard in Rancho Cucamonga this past summer.

It turns out we didn't have to wait that long for a replacement to appear.

Don Marcos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina opened earlier this week.

This will be the third Mexican restaurant in that location. Remember Socorro's? I do.

First it was November, then it was January, now it's anybody's guess.

According to this story on The Sun's Web site, the opening of the Loma Linda fresh & easy has been pushed back to who knows when, due to the shriveling economy.

The building at the corner of Mountain View Avenue and Redlands Boulevard is complete and ready to be stocked (it appeared that way when I drove by last year), but there's no telling when it will open.

Spokesman Brendan Wonnacott indicated that they generally don't announce new store openings until about a month prior, which means the Loma Linda store won't open until late February at the earliest.

Also in opening-date limbo are stores in Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario and the two stores in Rialto, not to mention planned openings in Mira Loma, Pedley, Riverside, Moreno Valley, Calimesa, Beaumont, Corona, Menifee and Lake Elsinore.

Stay tuned to Dine 909 for more updates.

Good news -- sort of -- for those of us worried about the potentially-Salmonella-tainted-peanut butter cookie dough.

The number of schools which received and sold the potentially dangerous dough is down from 13 to three, but the lone San Bernardino County school is among them.

The three schools:

• Barstow Intermediate School, Barstow
• Fremont Elementary, Alhambra
• 93rd Street Elementary, Los Angeles

So, if you happened to have purchased some Sweet Success Frozen Peanut Butter Cookie Dough recently from someone who goes to school at Barstow Intermediate School, you are asked to dispose of it.

Read the updated press release here.

This week's restaurant review for The Sun and the Daily Bulletin is Allan Borgen's review of Joe Chicago's Italian Kitchen in Upland.

He practically raves about it and rates it 4½ stars out of 5. You can read his review here.

But what does that have to do with free pizza?

You see, Allan is doing a live broadcast of his radio show from 3 to 6 p.m. this Saturday, the 24th, from Z Pizza at Citrus Plaza in Redlands.

And yes, you can get a free slice of pizza if you stop by during the broadcast.

So there.

I haven't had a chance to try Z Pizza yet, so the chances are highly likely that I'll swing by.

There are other Z Pizzas in the Inland Empire in Upland and Chino Hills, and if you count the low desert, Palm Desert and La Quinta -- but they're not giving out free pizza, are they?

In case you, like me, are sad about the closure of Pei Wei last year, there's a new place for you to try.

Iron Chef Cafe in Ontario.

The Daily Bulletin's Elaine Lehman went to lunch there recently and offers her comments here.

Looking over the menu, it seems a lot like Pei Wei's pan-Asian mix, although probably a little heavier on the Japanese side than Pei Wei.

Here's a couple of little gifts for readers of Dine 909: First, a coupon for 50% off your second item. Download it here. Of course, it expires at the end of January, so if you want to check out Iron Chef Cafe, you better do it soon.

It's a rare day when we here at Dine 909 become potential lifesavers, but the nationwide peanut butter Salmonella outbreak has touched down here in the Inland Empire.

The state Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to handle or consume frozen Peanut Butter Cookie Dough distributed by Sweet Success Fundraising Inc, of Ontario, because of potential contamination with Salmonella.

The Department also recommends that any dough that has been thawed or baked should also be discarded.

The potentially-contaminated dough was distributed to several Southern California schools between December 8, 2008 to January 8, 2009 as part of school fundraising activity, including Barstow Intermediate School in Barstow.

The dough was packaged in a white plastic 3-pound tub labeled "Sweet Success Peanut Butter Cookie Dough."  The tubs contain no lot codes or use by dates. The dough was not part of the school meal programs.

John has told you his tale of Mill Creek Cattle Co., and I shall now share with you my own experiences with this legendary place of flavor, and, most certainly, meat.

My apologies to my vegetarian and vegan friends in advance, I'm going to wax carnivore for a moment.

As the name implies, Mill Creek Cattle Co. is true to form in both food and decor. Stuffed deer heads on the wall are a testament to the fact that MEAT is served here, not quivering blocks of pale tofu and the like. You want meat? You're gonna get meat. The rustic cowboy and indian art on the wall says so, too. This is BBQ. This is WESTERN.

Let me start by saying I'm not a huge BBQ person. I don't eat a lot of red meat in general.

However, I will likely be returning to the Mill Creek Cattle Co. in Redlands.

After a suggestion from a reader, reading about it in the Redlands Daily Facts, and hearing the owners talk about it on Allan Borgen's radio show, Bren and I were just too curious not to give Mill Creek a try.

So on a recent Monday, we went.

It's a pleasant enough place -- a brand-new building -- with lots of western-style decor.

We stepped up to the register and ordered. I opted for the "Real Deal" turkey sandwich with sweet potato fries and a soda. Bren ordered the Triple Threat Treat BBQ platter.

We sat down and almost immediately, our food was brought to the table.

From the Daily Bulletin's blogs (mostly David Allen's), we hear of more restaurant closings over in the West Valley:

• First up is someplace that's been closed for a while...Old Baldy Brewing Company in downtown Upland. I used to frequent the Old Baldy Brewery when I lived in Claremont. In fact, I think I still have an empty growler from there in a box somewhere at home...perhaps it'll be a collector's item someday. Click here to read David's post.
  

• Also on the list are three Victoria Gardens eateries: Nathan's Hot Dogs, Sisley Italian Kitchen and Wapango. Of the three, I'd only been to Sisley, and only a couple of times, but it was really good. I'll miss it. Wapango had only been open since July, according to David. During his visit this summer, he ranked it in the top half-dozen of Vicky G's restaurants. Read his post here.

• Lastly, from Wendy Leung's RC Now, we learn that another Rancho restaurant, Bobby Baja's, shut down mid-December. I never made it to Bobby Baja's, but I've been to the Souplantation in that same center (Vineyard Avenue & Foothill Boulevard) more times than I can remember. It just seems like the food there is somehow better than the one here in San Bernardino. Strange, isn't it? Read Wendy's post here.

Things are not looking good over in the West Valley. Let's hope that things will turn around in 2009 and that we'll at least see more restaurant openings than closings.

In the meantime, please support your favorite restaurants. You don't want them to suffer the same fate as the ones mentioned above.

That's because they're closed due to construction until January 26, according to this article in the Redlands Daily Facts.

If you can't wait 'til then to get your Blizzard fix, there's another DQ just a short trip up the 210 on Base Line in Highland.

And there's certainly no shortage of frozen treat shops in Redlands itself, with at least five frozen yogurt places (Golden Spoon, TCBY, Ohana, Nubi and Hogi Yogi), the old standbys (Baskin-Robbins, Cold Stone Creamery) and even frozen custard (Theron's).

Of course, there's no Handel's, but it just goes to show you -- even in Redlands, you can't have everything.

After a nice Sunday afternoon late lunch at P.F. Chang's in Victoria Gardens and driving down to Ontario Mills to see if Virgin Megastore was still in business (they were, but only selling store fixtures and such), we decided to go to Handel's Ice Cream in Upland.

Instead of the usual review from Allan Borgen, this week we get his culinary wishes for the new year.

You can read them in their entirety here.

I'd like to add my two cents worth by including my own five New Year's Restaurant Resolutions:

5) Please be original.

It amused me how quickly everyone -- from Wendy's to Jamba Juice -- seemed to start serving breakfast after Starbucks started offering breakfast sandwiches. It was like a tidal wave of morning food. Be a trendsetter, not a trend follower.

4) Please educate your employees.

Good employees, if they don't know the answer to a particular question, will tell you so and try to get an answer for you. They know the rules of the restaurant. They don't ask if you want to be seated and then tell you that they can't seat you since your entire party isn't present.

3) Please be flexible.

Allow groups to split the check. Allow substitutions. Offer vegetarian options. Diners will thank you for it, trust me.

According the Redlands Daily Facts, the Gourmet Pizza Shoppe is having an anniversary special this Saturday, January 10.

From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., all 7-inch pizzas are $5 each. Wow!

Also, this month, any two 12-inch pizzas are $20.09. Double wow!

The specials are available at both their Redlands restaurant at 120 E. State St. and their Yucaipa restaurant at 13661 Calimesa Blvd.

Read the original blurb here.

If you've never been to the Gourmet Pizza Shoppe, you are truly missing out. Their unique (and I do mean unique...check out their menu on their Web site) pizzas are delicious and the folks that run it are very friendly. It's definitely a Dine 909 favorite, and probably the best pizza I've had in the Inland Empire.

Really, where else are you gonna find mashed potatoes and gravy and fried chicken on a pizza?

Pulling out of the San Bernardino 99¢ Only store I glanced across E Street and noticed something missing.

The old Buffalo Ranch restaurant has been razed.

OK, so it had been empty for years, but still...it was kind of reassuring that it was there, with the hope that one day it might turn into a new restaurant.

For those who are too young (or too old) to remember, Buffalo Ranch was an offshoot of Sizzler where the employees would sing and do line dances between the tables every half hour or so. In fact, that building had originally been a Sizzler.

I recall eating there only once.

I don't remember Buffalo Ranch lasting very long.

Do you remember the Buffalo Ranch restaurant? Did you eat there when it was open? Did you work there? Feel free to comment below.

Spotted tonight at the San Bernardino 99¢ Only store...Mother's Circus Animal cookies!

Old Spaghetti Factory is a Dine 909 favorite and I'm probably going to take them up on the offer, so I'm a little hesitant to share this tidbit from The Bizz:

The Old Spaghetti Factory is rolling back prices on classic pasta dishes to celebrate its 40th anniversary nationwide.

On Tuesday at dinner, a complete meal - including a salad, entree and dessert - will cost about $3. The Old Spaghetti Factory's kids' meals will cost about $2.

Guests will have their choice of six dinners. The special anniversary menu features spaghetti with tomato, meat, mushroom or clam sauce, and the signature spaghetti with mizithra cheese or the Manager's Favorite, all for about $2.35 to $3.45 per person.

But wait, there's more...

From the OSF Web site comes more bargains throughout the month: 40% off select dinners on Mondays and Tuesdays January 12th to the 27th.

Spaghetti with browned butter and Mizithra cheese for only $5.99? You'll see me there!

Only one question remains...which IE location will be less mobbed? Riverside or Rancho Cucamonga?

So, the fine folks at the Redlands Daily Facts finally heeded the word of Dine 909 and went to the Mill Creek Cattle Co.

Well, I'm not exactly sure that they heeded the word of Dine 909, but they did head over to Mill Creek, and according to Managing Editor Jennifer Dobbs' review, had a pretty good meal.

Hats off to Mill Creek for updating their Web site to include the menu for the new drive through restaurant.

One discrepancy, though, the review mentions sweet potato fries, and the online menu does not. Funny, Bren and I were both craving sweet potato fries just the other day...I think it's worth heading over to see if they have them or not.

Elsewhere, resident compulsive David Allen has conquered all 144 items at the Mix Bowl Cafe in Pomona. Read all about the sordid tale here.

And in reviews, Elaine Lehman also heads to Redlands to check out someplace I've seen many a time, but never visited...McDuff's. Now I know why. They only serve breakfast and lunch. Guess I'm not usually in Redlands early in the day. I may have to make an effort. Read her review of the long-established eatery here.

Also, David Cohen enjoyed some Indian food at Taal, which took over the spot formerly occupied by Bamboo Garden, in San Bernardino. Read about it here.