January 2011 Archives

Courtesy of Michael J. Sorba, we've got an update on the negotiations to bring In-N-Out Burger to Rialto.

The city is interested in bringing the classic Southern California fast-food restaurant to the site of a former fire station on the east side of Riverside Avenue, just south of the 210 Freeway.

New information from the update? They're looking to bring Corona-based Miguels Jr. to fill one of the other spots at that location. A third, sit-down restaurant has not been named.

Click here to read Michael's story, and head to the comments below to put in your guesses as to that third, unnamed sit-down restaurant.

Helping Out Pets Everyday will be hosting a fundraiser from 4 to 9 p.m. Monday, February 7, at the Outback Steakhouse, 530 N. Mountain Ave., Upland.

Here's how it works: Tickets are $20, which includes your choice of soup or salad and either a 7-ounce Sirloin and a side; an 8-ounce chicken breast and a side; or the Walhalla pasta with vegetables.

To purchase tickets, call HOPE at 800-811-4285 and leave a message. A volunteer will call you back. You can also email Margaret at macc219@aol.com.

Tickets will also be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the next two Saturdays (January 29, February 5) at the Colonies Crossroads PetSmart, 1935 N. Campus Ave., Upland.

Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be sold the day of the event.

A full $10 of the ticket will go to to HOPE to help provide medical services and boarding for rescued dogs and cats and to support their free (for Upland residents) spay/neuter program.

Click here for more information.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the supermarket, here come the Girl Scout cookies.

There goes your New Year's resolution.

If you remember from last year, there are two official bakers of Girl Scout cookies: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers.

The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council (which covers most of the Inland Empire) gets their cookies from ABC Bakers. Their cookie sales begin Saturday (January 29) and run through March 14.

This year's offerings from ABC Bakers are:

• Thin Mints
• Peanut Butter Patties
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches
• Caramel deLites
• Shortbread
• Lemonades
• Thanks-a-Lots
• Shout-Outs

The Shout-Outs are new this year, replacing last year's Daisy-Go-Rounds. Shout-Outs are described as a "Belgian-style caramelized cookie with fun cheer-themed messages."

Mmm, caramelized cookies.

For more information, call 800-400-4475 or visit The Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council's website and click on the Cookies Now image.

OK, I've said before that there are some food experiences that just can't be found in the Inland Empire.

Those oh-so-trendy food trucks are pretty common in Orange and Los Angeles counties, but here in the Inland Empire, they're pretty much non-existent.

My theory is that they don't want to spring for additional permits to operate in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

So, if the trucks won't come to you, I guess you gotta go to the trucks.

This week brings us not one, but two food truck gatherings just beyond the western edge of the Inland Empire.

The first is the Food Truck FASTival tonight (January 27) at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

From the OC, we have Chomp Chomp Nation, Louks Greek Gourmet To Go, Auto Creamery, Barcelona On the Go, Tropical Shave Ice, Bacon Mania and the Greasy Wiener.

Representing L.A. County are Ahn-Joo, Kabob N Roll Mediterranean, Komodo, Fresh Fries LA, White Rabbit, Vizzi, Ludo Bites, Sugar Babies and Cuban Café Mobile.

The event runs from 5 to 10 p.m. at the speedway, 500 Speedway Drive, just west of the 605 Freeway.

The best part? Parking and admission are free!

We like free.

For more information, click here.

I'm not sure how long this deal has been going, or how much longer it's going to be offered, but on Tuesdays, Magic Wok is offering a single-entrée bowl for only $2.

That's right...$2!

I discovered the deal when we went to Redlands' Citrus Plaza to check out the new Cafe Rio.

As crowded as the new restaurant was, the older one next door was equally so.

I guess to compete in this economy, you've got to be willing to slash and burn your prices.

For one day, anyway.

The regular price for the bowl is $4.64, so on Tuesdays you save 57 percent.

Yesterday I went to check it out for myself.

Panda Express will be celebrating the return of its Firecracker Chicken Breast by offering a coupon for a free single-sized portion of Firecracker Chicken Breast to its Facebook fans on Thursday, February 3.

February 3, not coincidentally, is the first day of the Chinese New Year celebration.

The entrée consists of strips of marinated chicken breast, red, green and yellow bell peppers, sliced onions and red chili peppers cooked with Panda's original "firecracker" sauce.

The limited-time menu item is available now and will only be available until March 1.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Congregation Emanu El is hosting its 13th Annual Food and Wine Ecstasy beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, February 5, at the Congregation's interim synagogue, 1473 Ford St., Redlands.

The evening features hors d'œuvre and wine tasting as well as samplings of port wine and fine chocolate.

Redlands food goddess Martha Green will conduct the evening's live auction along with Sun/Daily Bulletin food critic David Cohen. They will also hold a silent auction.

Tickets $35 per person prior to the event or $40 per person at the door.

To purchase tickets and for more information contact Congregation Emanu El at 909-307-0400.

Funds raised during the event will benefit the full service Jewish programming the synagogue offers.

Mexican food places are a dime a dozen here in the Inland Empire.

Some are better than others, obviously.

Based on what I had the other day, I'm willing to think Pepe's Mexican & Seafood Restaurant in Banning is one of the better ones.

All I had was a combination plate -- a chicken tamale and a cheese enchilada ($8.99) -- but the tamale was one of the best I've ever had in a restaurant.

It was moist, not too firm and loaded with flavor...in a word, delicious!

The enchilada wasn't quite as spectacular, but still good.

Both the rice and beans were fresh and tasted homemade.

My dining partner had the flautas dinner ($9.99). I thought the flautas could've sat in the fryer a little longer, but weren't bad otherwise.

I'm looking forward to returning and exploring their menu further.

The restaurant itself was recently renovated and is very modern, comfortable and inviting. It's a stark contrast to the more dated exterior. They added a full bar during the renovation.

Pepe's Mexican & Seafood Restaurant is at 2579 W. Ramsey St., Banning. You'll find pictures of the renovated interior and a link to their full menu on their Tumblr blog.

Last week, I stepped out of my food comfort zone, something I haven't done in a long while.

Back in November, food critic David Cohen had written a review of the Tempe House Spicy Food Indonesian restaurant. I'd been wanting to try it since then.

I finally went last week.

The San Bernardino restaurant is similar to your typical Chinese take-out place, with the food displayed in a steam table.

There's no real menu to speak of. You just step up to the counter and order.

And no, it has nothing to do with the city in Arizona. Tempe is the Indonesian spelling for tempeh, a fermented soybean-based protein cake, somewhat akin to tofu. Don't worry, it tastes much better than my description makes it sound.

It's a little daunting your first time there, but the employees are more than happy to let you sample what looks interesting to you.

A three-item combo is $8.

I've been wanting to try Euro Grill in Redlands for a while now.

Monday I finally got the chance.

They specialize in pizzas, pasta and Mediterranean dishes: falafel, gyros, kabobs, shawarma and the like.

Befitting the name of the restaurant, their pizzas are named for European cities and their pastas are mostly named for European countries.

For my first visit, I decided to try try the "Spain" pasta.

Just in case a Starbucks Venti beverage isn't enough to get your engine going, the ubiquitous coffeehouse is going bigger.

After test-marketing in Phoenix, Tampa, Fla., and Atlanta, the coffee giant is rolling out a giant coffee -- the Trenta.

The Trenta (30 in Italian) is 31 ounces of your favorite iced brew, tea or lemonade, and is seven ounces larger than their current largest offering.

It'll be a 50¢ upcharge from the Venti.

The new size was made available yesterday in 14 states.

Inland Empire residents will have to wait until February 1, when it becomes available here in California.

It'll be available nationwide by May 3.

The Pizza Factory, 12273 Highland Ave., Suite 132, Rancho Cucamonga, is hosting a fundraiser for Summit Intermediate School on Tuesday (January 18).

Pizza Factory will donate 15% of proceeds from all orders, either dine-in or delivery, for those who present a flier with their order.

You can download the flier here.

The fundraiser will run all day, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

John Weeks' column of a few days ago told of Tony Trozera's talk at the January meeting of the San Bernardino Historical and Pioneer Society.

Trozera, along with his mother and brother, founded The Mug in San Bernardino way back 1948. It's still in business today.

It's an interesting glimpse into the history of one of San Bernardino's landmark restaurants.

Click here to read John's column.

The Mug is (still) at 1588 W. Highland Ave.

Redlands-based Hangar 24 Craft Brewery's offerings will soon be widely available in Los Angeles County thanks to a distribution deal with Ace/Mission Beverage. This is their first deal with an outside distributor.

The first Ace/Mission truck stopped by today to pick up a shipment of Hangar 24 beer.

The brewery will continue to sell and distribute here in the Inland Empire.

In other Hangar 24 news, their new patio is complete, and they're celebrating with a party and a new beer, unsurprisingly called Hangar 24 Patio Beer.

The celebration begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday (January 15) at the brewery, 1710 Sessums Drive. Guests are encouraged to wear beach and summer clothes. They will have extra heaters on hand in case the weather doesn't live up to the mid-70's forecast.

In still more Hangar 24 news, this Friday's (January 14) Cask Night brew is their Alt-Bier with locally grown tangerines added. Yum! Cask Night begins at 4 p.m.

I drove by the remaining San Bernardino Long John Silver's on Highland Avenue the other day and noticed it's still "closed for remodeling."

Um...yeah...it's been "closed for remodeling" for months now. However, the signage was still up, so I thought for a split second that they might actually be doing work inside the boarded-up restaurant.

When I got home, I checked the restaurant's website for nearby locations.

The San Bernardino location was no longer listed.

They are closed.

Through a Google search I found a couple of listings which indicate to me that they might be trying to sell the franchise and keep it as a Long John Silver's, perhaps combined with a KFC. I think that's a good move.

For those of you who are now craving fried seafood, just down the street from the closed LJS is the H. Salt Fish & Chips at 1484 E. Highland Ave. They've been there for ages and the folks that work there are the best.

"Put on your party pants" says a small sign planted in Citrus Plaza advertising the newly-opened Cafe Rio.

OK.

The Utah-based restaurant opened for business Monday. I dropped in for a visit Tuesday evening.

The décor was inviting, with punched tin mirrors and lampshades and colorful crackle-paint furniture.

The restaurant was packed. Every table was filled. The line, however, was fairly short.

As I stepped into the ordering line, I was mesmerized by the rotating grill on which one of the employees was cooking fresh tortillas. Yum!

I ordered a grilled chicken burrito, which was made right in front of me and dropped onto a conveyor belt to be heated in a small oven.

It was a decent enough burrito, but at $7.25, I was expecting perhaps a little something extra.

For that price, I could get seven Beefy Crunch burritos over at Taco Bell, or 14 bean and cheese burritos at Del Taco, and still have change left over. Not that I would want to, mind you.

For a closer comparison, Chipotle's grilled chicken burrito will set you back $5.85.

As I moved toward the register the dozen or so employees in the kitchen sang a song to first-time diners behind me in line.

Whew...dodged that bullet!

My dining companion remarked that it was like Cold Stone Creamery meets Chevy's Fresh Mex.

You've been to the Thursday night Market Night on State Street in downtown Redlands.

But have you been to the Saturday morning Certified Farmers Market?

Begun in 2009, the Farmers Market had only been in operation during the spring and summer. However, there was a demand for fresh fall and winter produce, so the city, the Downtown Redlands Business Association and the market's other sponsors decided to go year-round.

The city council approved the change last month.

As of last Saturday, the Farmers Market will operate from 7 to 10 a.m. every Saturday, excluding holiday weekends. It's held in the city parking lot on the south side of Redlands Boulevard, between Fifth and Sixth streets.

The Saturday Morning Certified Farmers Market is sponsored in part by the Downtown Redlands Business Association, the University of Redlands, Bon Appetit, the Redlands Daily Facts, the Redlands Conservancy, CapitalSource Bank, Citrograph Printing Company and Emerson-Farrar Jewelers.

And yes, that is proper English.

Since Monday, the Italian restaurant has been raising funds for the victims of the recent Highland flooding.

You've still got today (January 9) and tomorrow (January 10) to do your part.

There are several ways you can help:

• Pay $10 for a food certificate worth $20. Half of your $10 will be donated.
• Give any size donation and receive a $5 off coupon.
• Dine there on Monday, when 10% of all sales will be donated.

Two Guys Pizza and Pasta is at 2566 E. Highland Ave., Highland.

I was bummed when Rancho Cucamonga's Taco Hut (Foothill between Archibald and Hellman) nearly burnt down in September. There are many other Mexican eateries in the Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario area and some just as tasty but Taco Hut is the only place I know where they play Madonna's "Like a Virgin" for first-time customers and the only place that serves fish tacos so big, I feel like a glutton for eating two.

Taco Hut closed after major fire and smoke damage. They're in the process of remodeling.

But in the meantime, they've opened a new location at the site of El Loco Cantina on 11815 Foothill Boulevard. Their Ontario location is on 1150 E. Philadelphia Street

According to this tweet, the Redlands location of Cafe Rio Mexican Grill will open Monday (January 10).

I drove by yesterday to check on progress and discovered that they were on the last day of their hiring process. There was a long line of potential employees queued up outside.

I'm curious to see what they're all about...and to see how the Utah-based chain stacks up against Chipotle and Qdoba, both of which also have locations in Redlands.

It'll be the chain's first Inland Empire location. It currently has six restaurants in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The soon-to-open Cafe Rio is in Citrus Plaza, 27510 Lugonia Ave, Suite B1A, across from Famous Dave's.

Wienerschnitzel has kicked off it 50th anniversary celebration (it began as a single stand in Wilmington in 1961) by lowering the price of its original chili dogs to 99¢ for a limited time.

The promotion began January 1.

Who doesn't like Wienerschnitzel's original chili dogs? Vegetarians, I guess.

Combine this with their ongoing 79¢ corn dog deal and you could get the best of both worlds and be in hot dog heaven for $1.78, plus tax.

Take that, recession.

You'll find Wienerschnitzel restaurants throughout the Inland Empire.

Sure, it's been going on all day, but I just found out that today's Tommy Tuesday is happening at the Original Tommy's at 12205 Mountain Ave., in Chino.

Say the secret phrase "hot chili" and you can get a hamburger for 65¢.

I am so there.

The deal is on until 10 p.m. tonight.

In a story on this morning's business page, writer Andrew Edwards (who I hear has a "Habit" habit himself) wrote about the upcoming opening of The Habit Burger Grill in the Chino Hills Marketplace.

This will be their first restaurant in the Inland Empire, although in 2008 they opened a location in La Verne.

They serve sandwiches and salads as well as burgers.

Click here to read Andrew's story.

In less happy news, City Broiler announced a short while ago on Twitter and their Facebook page that they were shutting down as of today.

Click here to see the tweet.

I never had a chance to visit City Broiler. I only knew of them through their involvement in the Taste of Chino Valley and Chino Valley Restaurant Week events.

The restaurant had been open just shy of four years. Online reviews were mostly positive.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Winter Open House will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today (January 4) at participating locations.

Show up and you can pick from a Scottish Breakfast Tea Latte, an English Breakfast Tea Latte or a Vanilla Latte, all in 12-ounce sizes, just for the asking.

They'll even let you substitute their no sugar added powder. How generous!

The usual restrictions apply...one complementary drink per customer, etc. The offer is not available at locations inside Ralphs.

You'll find The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations throughout the Inland Empire, including Redlands, Fontana, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont and Chino Hills.

Through Saturday (January 8), you can make a reservation to try Chick-Fil-A's new spicy chicken biscuit for free before it's added to the menu on Monday (January 10).

Reservations are limited, and only available during breakfast hours, 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. They're also timed in one-hour blocks.

A quick glance shows over 1,000 reservations available for the remaining four days for most Inland Empire locations, with the Chino Hills location on the low end, with a little more than 700 available.

Follow this link to begin the process.

Um, yeah, we're a couple of months behind the curve on this one, but the Riverside branch of Citrus City Grille (in Riverside Plaza) has closed.

I'd only been to that location once, but had a decent meal.

The Corona and Orange locations remain open.

I had previously only seen Sun Drop citrus soda while on vacation in Minnesota, and didn't get a chance to try it while I was there.

Last week I was able to pick up pair of two-liters at the Super Wal-Mart in Banning Beaumont.

To me, it tastes (the diet variety, at least) like a toned-down Mountain Dew.

The regionally-popular soda, a Dr. Pepper/Seven Up brand, will be available nationwide this year.

In addition to the regular and diet varieties, it's also available in cherry lemon and caffeine-free regular and diet.

Miraculin.

Miracle Fruit.

The Miracle Berry.

Whatever its name, when taken, it alters your taste perception.

And I received some for Christmas from my blog buddy, Bren.

Don't worry, it's totally legal.

We have had several conversations over the years about the berry of Synsepalum dulcificum, which contains miraculin, a glycoprotein which bonds to your taste buds and makes sour foods appear sweet.

Needless to say, we were both curious to try it.

You can chew on the berry itself, or as in this case, a tablet made from miracle fruit powder.

So-called "flavor tripping" parties came into vogue a couple of years back, where participants would ingest the miracle fruit and then snack on a variety of sour and/or bitter foods and beverages.

Last week, Bren and I had our own flavor tripping party.