Monthly Archives: February 2009

Happy birthday, Kazama

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The quaint sushi spot at the Village Expansion in Claremont is marking its one-year anniversary on Saturday. All beer and house sake at Kazama will be 50 percent off.

Kazama is one of the better Japanese restaurants in the 909. The eatery, which used to be in Upland, is owned by the husband-and-wife duo Shushke and Jenny Kazama. On most days, Shushke Kazama, a Tokyo-trained sushi chef, runs the joint behind the bar. Kazama is located

101 North Indian Hill Blvd. near the Coffee Bean.

Information: (909) 450-2505

 

Get a history lesson…and really yummy olives

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Arcadia Press will be holding a book signing from 1 to 3 p.m. this Saturday (February 21) at the Graber Olive House, 315 E. Fourth St., Ontario.

Donald Laine Clucas, author of “Upland,” and
Kimberly J. Creighton, author of “Mt. Baldy,” will be on hand to sign their books.

While you’re there, you can explore the wonderful world of Graber Olives, which are the best olives I’ve ever tasted. They’re plump and flavorful and just plain mmm!

And they’ve been a part of the Inland Empire since 1894.

Life is too short to settle for Olive Number 3.

For more information, call the Graber Olive House at (909) 983-1761.

Smallish crowd meets at Fontana Mimi’s

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Sometimes you have to suffer for your art.

In this case, the suffering is operating on very little sleep after having worked the late shift and then deciding to get up early (7 a.m. is early for me) to attend the grand opening of the Fontana Mimi’s Cafe.

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Was it worth it?

Having scored a $25 Mimi’s gift card for my efforts, yes.

The restaurant was scheduled to open at 9 a.m., and I arrived about an hour before that. There were very few cars in the parking lot, so I figured I had a good chance at getting one of the 75 gift cards they were giving out.

Continue reading “Smallish crowd meets at Fontana Mimi’s” »

Hawaiian coffee joint closes

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Maui Wowi, the Hawaiian coffee and smoothie spot at Claremont’s Packing House, has closed. For whatever reason, caffeine addicts in town have gravitated toward Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which had every one of its chair occupied on this rainy Monday afternoon. I liked the Maui Wowi in Claremont, which was run by a nice family who remembered my order a week after my first visit. According to its Web site, their locations in Rancho Cucamonga and Phelan will be opening soon.

Good buy, Ruby Tuesday

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OK, so I had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for Ruby Tuesday, and it was expiring in a few days.

Now I had been there twice before. The first, on the day they opened, went OK, considering the circumstances.

The second, a couple of weeks later, didn’t go as well. We had problems from the time we sat down to the time we left after getting our entire meal comped.

Since I had the coupon, I thought I’d give them one more chance. I decided not to get my hopes up, though.

I called a friend and had him meet me at the restaurant, which is on Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino.

For those who haven’t been to Ruby Tuesday yet, the phrase that keeps coming to mind is “Upscale Coco’s.”

I mean that in a good way.

Continue reading “Good buy, Ruby Tuesday” »

San Bernardino is Wendy’s-free again

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So as I was on my way to Ruby Tuesday for dinner the other night, I noticed that the Wendy’s on Tippecanoe Avenue had shut down.

That makes the fourth Wendy’s that I can recall that has opened and closed in San Bernardino.

There used to be two Wendy’s (Wendy’ses?) on Highland Avenue back in the ’80s. The one on West Highland Avenue is now Michael’s Burgers. The other on East Highland Avenue is Union Bank of California.

Around that same time, there was also one on E Street. It’s now a Juan Pollo.

I’m not at all shocked about the one on Tippecanoe closing. It was in a terrible location.
Continue reading “San Bernardino is Wendy’s-free again” »

Glad because it’s Friday…

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…and Friday always brings new reviews.

Well, that, and the obvious.

This week, we’ve got David Cohen’s review of AK Lotus Garden on Hospitality Lane in San Bernardino.

Don’t know where the “AK” came from, but Lotus Garden is a longtime mainstay on Hospitality Lane. I haven’t been for years, but from what I remember, it was pretty good.

Cohen agrees…he gave it four stars.

However, I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’d consider $25-35 per person “relatively economical.” For that price, and a sampling of 10 dishes, I’m sure you’re going to be carrying home lots of those cardboard take-home cartons though.

My last visit to Lotus Garden was with a vegetarian friend, and he ordered all faux meat dishes for us. They were very delicious and if nobody told you they weren’t meat, you probably wouldn’t guess.

Read David’s review here.

Out in Fontana, Elaine Lehman reviews Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, on Sierra Lakes Parkway (just down from the brand-spankin’-new Mimi’s Cafe…more on that later).
Continue reading “Glad because it’s Friday…” »

Set your clocks…Fontana Mimi’s opens tomorrow

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Mimi’s Cafe at 16933 Sierra Lakes Parkway (just north of the 210 at Sierra Avenue) is finally opening!

They’re celebrating with a “Meet Me at Mimi’s” party beginning at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday, Feb. 12).

What’s a party without gifts?

In this case, that means more than $3,000 in gift cards given out to the first 75 adult (18+) guests in line. Also, they’ll be handing out valuable coupons throughout the day.

Of course, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the usual dignitaries…Tim Pulido (the president of Mimi’s Cafe), folks from the Fontana Chamber of Commerce, etc., but really…free Mimi’s gift cards!

I didn’t think I needed to say it twice.
Continue reading “Set your clocks…Fontana Mimi’s opens tomorrow” »