May 2009 Archives

TGIF!

It's been a really long week for me, having worked the holiday, so I am ready for the weekend!

Before I head out, however, I've got to point you to that Friday fixture here at Dine 909...reviews!

First up is the oft-reviewed Monalisa (or is that Mona Lisa?) Italian Food in Redlands.

Elaine Lehman tackled the 6-inch meatball sandwich ($3.95 for the sandwich, chips and soda? Wow!) and lived to tell.

Click here to read her full review.

David Cohen also headed out to Redlands for his review. He reviews Heska's Soup and Sandwich, which is located in a strip mall at Lugonia and Wabash avenues.

It's been there over 11 years and I've never heard of it until now.

And despite being called Heska's Soup and Sandwich, they also sell salads, breakfast items and other entrées, such as teriyaiki chicken.

Click here to read David's take on Heska's.

Redlands brewery Hangar 24 is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a mystery brew which will only be available this Saturday.

What's in this mystery beer, you might ask?

You'll have to wait until Saturday to find out. The only clue to the anniversary ale is that it's made of local ingredients that are only available for two weeks out of the year.

Hmm.

The beer will be served during the brewery's anniversary celebration from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday (May 30). Hangar 24 is at 1710 Sessums Drive in Redlands.

No, that's not a typo in the headline above. Omaha Jack's Grillhouse & Brewery in Rancho Cucamonga is hosting a fundraiser for the Ontario Reign Booster Club from 5 to 9 p.m. this Thursday (May 28).

The Ontario Reign Booster Club, according to their Web site, "is a group of hockey fans, dedicated to supporting the team, its fans, and the community by demonstrating team spirit, showing a commitment to volunteerism, serving as a resource, and promoting hockey as a fun and enjoyable experience."

If you've ever been to a Reign game, you know that it is a ton of fun and well worth supporting.

During the event, the club will have a raffle for various Reign memorabilia, including a signed Reign poster.

If you're thinking of heading over there, click here to print out a flier to bring to the restaurant.

Omaha Jack's is at 11837 Foothill Blvd., at Rochester Avenue.

For this week's reviews, we get a diverse pair of West Valley restaurants -- Bento Box Japanese Grill in Ontario and Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers in Upland.

Elaine Lehman follows the Ontario police to the Bento Box Japanese Grill (2910 S. Archibald Ave., Suite C) and enjoys their "affordable," "delicious" food.

You can check out her review here.

Let's Dine Out Show's Allan Borgen, on the other hand, visits Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers (969 W. Foothill Blvd.), which offers much more than just burgers.

Allan mentions the following menu items: chicken fried steak and eggs; Western omelette; pastrami sandwich; fried chicken; pastrami, chili and cheese burrito; Polish sausage sandwich; shakes; and pancakes.

I guess they're called Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers because Jim's World Famous Charbroiled Hamburgers, Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs, Western Omelettes, Pastrami Sandwiches, Fried Chicken, Pastrami, Chili and Cheese Burritos, Polish Sausage Sandwiches, Shakes and Pancakes just wouldn't fit on the sign.

Or perhaps because only their burgers are world famous.

Whatever the case, Allan gives them four out of five stars...not bad.

Jim's is legendary...I remember my uncle talking about them being one of his haunts back when he was working for Caltrans.

I've been there before, but not for a long, long time. I think it might be time for a return trip.

Click here to peruse Allan's review.

With the Memorial Day holiday upon us, many here in the Inland Empire and elsewhere are heading out to the beach, to the park or simply to the backyard to barbecue or have a picnic.

Dine 909 is watching out for you, because we don't want you to spend your long weekend dealing with a bout of food poisoning.

To that end, we're passing along some tips from the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, Environmental Health Services:

The Rancho Cucamonga fresh & easy (12188 Foothill Blvd. at Day Creek Boulevard) is finally going to open.

When?

Um, we don't exactly know.

But it will, soon.

And you know how much we love fresh & easy here at Dine 909.

Here's yet another reason why: Whenever they open a new store, and again at that store's first anniversary, they donate $1,000 to a local charity.

Which charity will benefit when the Rancho Cucamonga store opens its doors?

That's where you come in.

I know Diamond Bar is only Inland Empire-adjacent, but it's definitely within driving distance for some of you, so...

If you want a free sample of Domino's Pizza's new BreadBowl Pasta, head on over to the store at 1383 S. Diamond Bar Blvd., in Diamond Bar.

But not yet.

From 4 to 6 p.m. next Wednesday (May 27), that location (and perhaps others?) will be handing out samples of its latest creation.

According to the press release, "Domino's BreadBowl Pasta is a lightly seasoned bread bowl baked up around the pasta, surrounding it with tasty oven goodness.  It is perfect for dipping, ripping, sharing and tearing!  Domino's BreadBowl Pasta is available in five classic combinations, including:

In a somewhat schizophrenic event, Dickey's Barbecue Pit at 9670 Haven Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga, is hosting an Ontario Reign night this Wednesday (May 20), beginning at 6 p.m.

Fans will receive 15% off all food and kids 12 and under will eat free during the event.

Beer will be $2.75.

They also will have an ice cream eating contest, with the winner taking home a limited edition Reign affiliate jersey.

I'm getting an ice cream headache just thinking about that.

The evening will culminate with a question and answer session with Reign head coach Karl Taylor.

Still not getting the whole ice cream-barbecue-hockey connection, but it should be a fun event nevertheless.

Click here to read the Reign's press release.

Went to Las Vegas earlier this week.

Of course, other than gamble, the other thing I like to do in Vegas is eat. And eat I did.

It's also the first trip since finding out about the Grand Lux Cafe that I didn't eat there.

For the uninitiated, Grand Lux Cafe is an offshoot of The Cheesecake Factory. In fact, I think of it as a slightly more upscale version of The Cheesecake Factory, with better food. Not that the food at The Cheesecake Factory is bad, in fact, I think it's quite good...it's just that I feel that the food at Grand Lux Cafe is that much better.

There are two Grand Lux Cafes in Las Vegas, in adjoining casinos, no less -- one in the Venetian and one in the Palazzo. I've heard that the one in the Venetian is always crowded, while the one in the Palazzo is hardly ever crowded. I can't compare...I've only been to the one in the Palazzo.

So this trip, I have a couple of recommendations and a couple of places you might want to pass on.

If you haven't redeemed your coupon for your free KFC two-piece grilled chicken meal, you're already too late.

The response to the free offer was so overwhelming that Thursday the poultry purveyor issued a press release apologizing and explaining that they have stopped accepting the coupons.

The offer had already bamboozled many consumers who had difficulties getting to the Web site to actually download and print the coupon, which involved installing software before being able to print them.

KFC will be honoring the coupons, however.

So, if you were able to: a) get to the Web site, and b) install the software, and c) successfully print a coupon, you'll now be able to d) go to KFC with your coupon and get a rain check, and e) fill out the rain check and and hand it back to the manager, and f) wait for your rain check coupon to arrive in the mail.

In return for your time and effort, not only will you receive the two-piece grilled chicken meal (with two sides and a biscuit), but you'll get a free Pepsi as well.

You've got until May 19 (the original expiration date of the coupon) to head to KFC and get your rain check.

And if you want a little bit of a shock, you can click here to watch a You Tube video in which KFC President Roger Eaton discusses the snafu. It's more than a little odd to hear an Aussie talking about Kentucky Fried Chicken.

The person I feel most sorry for in all this mess? The person handling KFC's Twitter account.

The staff of the Redlands Daily Facts went to the new Romano's in Redlands recently. (Without even inviting Dine 909? Ow.)

Anyway, the crew had good things to say about the food. No surprise there, right George?

Their biggest complaint was about the service. And if you're thinking about getting a pizza from Romano's, but you've only got a half-hour for lunch? You're gonna go hungry...there's about a 40 minute wait for pizza orders.

The gang ended up spending about an hour and a half there on their lunch hour. Good thing the boss was with 'em.

Most of them were impressed with the food, though, and vowed to return at dinner time, when they wouldn't be under a time constraint.

I imagine, with time, Romano's will fix the service issues. Let's hope so.

Click here to read the Facts' take.

As read in David Allen's column today, Charles Phoenix's first book, "Cruising the Pomona Valley: 1930 Thru 1970," is enjoying its tenth anniversary.

To celebrate that momentous occasion, the Ontario native will be "cruising" back to his hometown tomorrow (May 9) to sign copies of his book at the Graber Olive House (315 E. Fourth St.).

He'll be signing from 1 to 3 p.m.

For those of you unfamiliar with Charles Phoenix and his wonderful books, delightfully droll slide shows or infamous "Disneyland" tours of downtown L.A....just where in the heck have you been?

Drop whatever plans you had for Saturday afternoon and stop by the Graber Olive House to meet Charles and have him sign your book!

You don't want to miss out and end up paying $60+ for it on Amazon.

And while you're there, pick up a can or two of those Graber olives, 'cause they're really, really yummy.

Click here to read David's interview with Charles.

It's Friday, and you know what that means...

Elaine Lehman stayed close to home base this week and went to Giuseppe's on Euclid in Upland.

Giuseppe's is unique in that they offer both Italian and Persian cuisines.

Elaine went out of her sphere of familiarity and opted for Persian.

She ordered the Koobideh kabob special and liked it.

So next time you're in the mood for a little hummus with your ravioli, you know where to go.

Click here to read more about Elaine's experience at Giuseppe's.

Allan Borgen mixes things up this week and discusses the breakfast items available at Buckboard Barbecue and Grill, also in Upland, on Foothill Boulevard.

I've heard Allan talk about Buckboard before, and if I remember correctly, he's even broadcast his radio show from there.

So it's no surprise that he enjoyed their breakfast offerings, giving them them four of five stars.

If you're thinking of heading over there to check out their breakfasts for yourself, you might just want to click here first.

Click here to read the entire review.

Inland Emperor John Weeks has taken time out from his busy schedule to inform us all of some of his favorite vegetarian eateries.

His proclamation can be found here.

It's a pretty good primer if you, like me, occasionally like to dip a toe into the veggie food pool.

So far, I've only been to a pair of the restaurants on his list, though -- Veggie Era in Upland and the Patio Pantry at Loma Linda Market.

I'd also recommend Native Foods in Palm Springs or Rancho Mirage.

Most of these eateries offer meat substitutes that, if you didn't know what you were eating, you would swear you were eating meat. Veggie Era, for instance, has a delicious lemongrass chicken...that's chicken-free, of course.

So, carnivores, don't be afraid to step out and go veggie today.

Just in time for National Beverage Day comes this good news for good beer fans!

According to this story in yesterday's Redlands Daily Facts, Redlands' Hangar 24 Brewery's tasting room is now open every day.

The brewery -- whose offerings are available at such "fine" establishments as the Pink Flamingo in Redlands and the Party Doll in San Bernardino -- has been open a year. The expanded tasting room hours are in response to public interest.

Their new tasting room hours will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This weekend will be the first that the brewery will open for regular tasting on a Sunday.

As one who has had the privilege of sampling some of the Hangar 24 brews at the Gourmet Pizza Shoppe in Redlands, I encourage those of you who like good craft beers to go check them out. As a plus, beers in development are sometimes offered at the brewery before they are available elsewhere.

Hangar 24 is also one of the participants in UCR's "Primavera in the Gardens" on May 17.

The brewery is at 1710 Sessums Drive, across the street from Redlands Municipal Airport.

In the growing list of odd holidays: International Talk Like A Pirate Day, Pi Day, Ninja Day, Festivus, et al; National Beverage Day seems to have previously slipped by unnoticed.

So here it is.

Feel free to celebrate with the beverage of your choice.

I've already celebrated with a Diet Pepsi Lime and a hot Good Earth Chai Tea, but then again, that's nothing out of the ordinary.

If you haven't had your fill of beverages from yesterday's festivities, or perhaps because you have, you can celebrate for free at Arby's.

They are offering a free FruiTea -- Passion Fruit, Mandarin Peach, Diet Peach or Diet Blackberry -- for anyone who utters the magic words: "I'm parched. FruiTea Me!"

The offer is, of course, one per customer and is valid today only.

Click here to view the invitation online.

As apparently announced on the Oprah show (the TV above my desk is usually turned off), KFC is continuing to hype their grilled chicken.

This time, they're offering a free two-piece meal, with two sides and a biscuit. All you have to do is click here.

But you have be quick about it. No dilly-dallying.

You've got until 7:59 9:59 p.m. PDT tomorrow (May 6) to do your clicking.

The coupon is good until May 19, but not on Mother's Day.

So no taking your Mom to KFC on Mother's Day and using your coupon, you cheapskates!

Said the pot to the kettle.

Get ready...they're doing it again.

Tomorrow morning, May 5.

9 a.m.

Mimi's Cafe, Corona.

If you're a regular follower of Dine 909, you know the drill: Get there early, get gift certificates.

In the past, Mimi's has given $100 gift certificates to the first 10 adults (18+) in line, $50 the next 15, and $25 to the next 50, for a total of 75 gift certificates worth $3,000. Not bad for just standing around.

They have been handing out gift certificates to celebrate their grand openings of new restaurants or remodels of older locations. Corona happens to fall in the latter category.

With this remodel, the Corona location gains a full bar and gets a refreshed look.

After 17 years, I believe they're due.

Why not come out and join the celebration? You might just walk away with a free gift card as a Cinco de Mayo present!

The Corona Mimi's Cafe is at 2230 Griffin Way, at McKinley Street. They're open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m daily.

Dine 909 likes to practice what we preach.

Sometimes it pays off.

Like a couple of Thursdays ago, when I decided to show up for the grand re-opening of the Upland Mimi's Cafe.

Of course, it's not the first time I attended a "Meet Me at Mimi's" event. It may not be the last.

Mimi's Cafe has been celebrating their grand openings and remodelings by handing out $3,000 in gift cards, with $100 going to the first 10 in line, $50 for the next 15 and $25 to the next 50.

So I set my alarm for 6 a.m., which is really early for me.

Then I inexplicably woke up at 5 a.m., which is extremely early for me.

I got ready and was out the door about 20 to 6 or so.

Drove down the 210, got off at Mountain Avenue and headed south. I got to the restaurant about 6:15.

Saw a small group of people waiting at the front door. I wandered up just as a couple was pulling into the parking lot.

I was number...

Another Friday, another pair of reviews of places I've yet to visit.

Elaine Lehman made her way out to Grand Terrace to try Bonello's New York Pizza.

She got more than she bargained for when she ordered the lunch special.

Click here to read it for yourself.

On the dinner side, David Cohen reviews Riverside's Restaurant Omakase.

He gives it five stars out of five.

Looking at the current menu on their Web site, most of it sounds incredible:

• bisque of fairytale pumpkin, house cheese, bacon, brioche
• japanese tai, sashimi style, a pickle of persimmon, apple & hot mint
• butternut gnocchi, glazed with tart apple, reggiano, balsamico
• roquefort 'cheesecake', preserved quince, pumpkin seed oil
• apple-yogurt souffle, brown sugar-sea salt anglaise

Then you look at the prices. David opted for a five-course tasting menu, with wine pairings. Each course is $13, with the wine pairings costing another $6.

Let's do the math...let's see...carry the 5...that's a $95 dinner! Wow.

For me, that would be a once-in-a-decade treat.

There is a bright side, however. For us cheapskates, David writes that the restaurant has been offering a special tasting menu on the last Tuesday and Wednesday of the month.

Courses during the special tasting are only $10 and $5 for the wine pairing. For a three-course meal (the minimum), that's only $45, and down to a paltry $30 if you forgo the wine.

Hmm...that's within reach. Pity we've got to wait nearly a month for the next one!

Click here to read David's glowing review.

I drove past the Rancho Cucamonga fresh & easy (at Day Creek and Foothill boulevards) today and noticed they have a "Now Hiring" banner up.

Does this mean they'll soon be opening?

Don't get your hopes up.

Just as the opening of the Loma Linda fresh & easy has been in a holding pattern (see Steve Wall's story here) since last year, the Rancho store also has no opening date.

In fact, in speaking with one of the employees at the Fontana store, I was told that the Rancho store's opening -- originally slated for this month -- has been pushed back to July.

Also, I was told the also-completed-but-waiting-to-open store just north of the 210 at Riverside Avenue in Rialto wasn't opening until October.

We'll see.

But even if I didn't pick up some solid information on new fresh & easy stores, I did pick up a good deal on some Activia yogurt. Only $1.50 for a four-pack. You should get some.