October 2011 Archives

We're in the midst of a Aussie chip giveaway at Oporto, the Australian chicken burger restaurant whose sole American locations happen to be right here in the Inland Empire.

To celebrate Halloween, Oporto is giving away orders of Aussie chips (no purchase required, limit one per customer) until 8 p.m. tonight (October 31).

Oporto is currently located in Rancho Cucamonga at 8220 Haven Ave. and in Ontario at 4295 Concours St., so if you're in the area, stop on by!

Quick! Grab the kids! Put 'em in a costume. Head over to Cici's Pizza and the kids (10 and under) can eat for free.

Through Halloween, anyway.

First, you gotta get the coupon, which is available here.

Cici's Pizza has Inland Empire locations in Chino Hills, Murrieta and Corona.

The 17th annual Law Enforcement Ontario Wine Auction will be held next Friday (November 4) at the Pierre Biane Winery on East Eighth Street in Rancho Cucamonga.

Wine tasting and hors d'œuvre will begin at 6 p.m., with the auction following at 7 p.m.

Among the items up for bid are a pair of private suite passes for an Arizona Cardinals game (including airfare), Disneyland tickets, celebrity memorabilia, golf trips, artwork (including an exclusive piece drawn by Dave Stevenson), cigars and, of course, fine wines.

You can even bid on a ride-along with the Ontario Fire Department or fly-along in the Ontario Police Department's helicopter.

Tickets to the event are $25. Proceeds from ticket sales and the auction will benefit L.E.O., a non-profit organization which provides charitable aid to residents in and around Ontario.

L.E.O. has made financial donations to youth programs and sports and scouting programs; given scholarships at Ontario high schools; and has provided emergency assistance to families who are victims of crime or disaster.

For tickets (or to donate), call Barbara White at 909-395-2493.

John's Incredible Pizza, with Inland Empire locations in Montclair, Riverside and Victorville, is offering an incredible Halloween deal.

On Monday (October 31) only, $5 will get you an all-you-can-eat buffet, unlimited fountain beverage, coffee or ICEE, and a free $5 Fun Card.

Wow!

To take advantage of the deal, first click here, then click the "Get Spooky Special" link and print out the coupon.

The coupon is good for up to six people. And yes, I've already printed mine out.

The Third Annual Hangar 24 Halloween Party, presented by the Optimist Club of Redlands, will be held from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. tomorrow (October 29) at the Fox Event Center, 123 Cajon St., Redlands.

Admission includes hors d'œuvre, desserts and two Hangar 24 craft beers.

Participants must dress in costume and bring a valid ID.

Advance tickets sales ($30) end at 10 p.m. tonight and are available online here and at the Hangar 24 tasting room. If available, a limited number of tickets will be sold for $40 at the door.

For more information, click here for the Facebook event page.

Here's your dilemma: You wanna bring some KFC to the Halloween party but you don't want to look like a cheapskate.

Well, KFC has the solution to your problem.

Today (October 28) through Halloween (October 31, duh), Southern California KFC locations (yes, that includes the Inland Empire) are offering a coupon good for two large sides free when you purchase an eight-piece (or larger) meal.

So, you'll be able to show up at the party with some KFC, some mac and cheese and some potato wedges and look like a big spender.

Except that you haven't spent any extra money.

The usual caveats apply...not good with any other offer, it's good today through Halloween only at participating KFC locations in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties and one coupon per person per visit.

Oh, and you gotta have the coupon, which you can get right here.

KFC restaurants can be found throughout the Inland Empire.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday (October 28), participating International House of Pancakes restaurants are giving kids 12 and under a free Scary Face pancake, which is an oversized signature buttermilk pancake with a whipped topping mouth and strawberry nose, served with two mini Oreo cookies and candy corn to decorate.

No purchase is necessary.

IHOP restaurants can be found throughout the Inland Empire.

Halloween is almost here, and you know what that means: Easter Seals and Baker's Drive-Thru are offering "Safe Halloween" coupon books.

They're available for only $1 at your local Baker's through midnight on Halloween, and they contain 32 free and discounted deals valued at more than $420.

This year's books include discounts and free offers from Baker's, Krispy Kreme, Ontario Mills, Knott's Berry Farm, Fiesta Village, Scandia Amusement Park, Perris Auto Speedway, Cal State San Bernardino athletic events and others.

All proceeds will benefit Easter Seals Disability Services and will be used to support local children and adults living with disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.

Since the inception of the "Safe Halloween" campaign in 1989, Baker's Drive-Thru has raised more than $2 million for Easter Seals in Southern California.

Baker's Drive-Thru restaurants can be found throughout the Inland Empire.

For a complete list of this year's coupons, click here.

And we can almost guarantee you won't end up in court.

The Beaumont Applebee's, 1585 E. Sixth St., will host a Tip-A-Cop event from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday (October 27).

Officers will assist Applebee's staff in serving customers and any tips collected by them will be donated to Special Olympics.

For more information, click here.

Regular followers of this blog know that Original Tommy's celebration of it's 65th anniversary has been continuing with a string of Tommy Tuesday events throughout the chain.

This week it returns to the Inland Empire!

If you're driving to Vegas tomorrow, you're in luck, 'cause it's at the Tommy's in Barstow, at 2610 Fisher Blvd.

The deal today (October 25) is in honor of founder Tommy Koulax's birthday, which is tomorrow.

Just say the phrase "Happy Birthday, Tommy" at the Barstow location and you can get up to five chiliburgers for just 99¢ each.

And if you happen to be in the Hollywood area today, the special price at the location at 5873 Hollywood Blvd. is just 65¢!

The deal is good from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is available at three other locations.

For more information, click here for the Facebook event page.

The Rotary Club of Apple Valley is hosting the 10th Annual Happy Trails Chili Cook-off, presented by Valley-Hi Toyota Scion and Victorville Motors, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today (October 22) at the Lenny Brewster Sports Center is at 21024 Otoe Road, Apple Valley.

In addition to chili tastin', the event will feature live music by Main Stream Band, a kids' area with a bounce house, a car show and horseshoe tournament.

Over 40 cooks will compete in the International Chili Society sanctioned cook-off, with the winner qualifying for the World Championships to be held in West Virginia in 2012.

The (Der?) Rancho Cucamonga Rotary Club is hosting an Oktoberfest food truck festival from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday (October 23) at Etiwanda Gardens, 7576 Etiwanda Ave., in Rancho Cucamonga.

In addition to a beer garden, German food and live bands, they will also be hosting several food trucks.

The current lineup includes Tapa Boy, Del's Lemonade, OG Tempura, Curb A Peel, Macho Nacho, the Dim Sum Truck, Me So Hungry, Crepe'n Around, and one of my favorites, Waffles de Liege.

Tickets are $5 presale, and children 12 and under are free. For tickets and more information, click here.

Update: What a difference a day makes. After writing this post (and my column for the week), the event's website was updated and most of the trucks had been removed. However, in addition to Del's and Waffles de Liege, we also get local food trucks Stella Pierre's Gourmet Grub and My Delight Cupcakery. Plus Temaki Truck, and, (perhaps) Short Rib Truck. Sheesh...this event has seen more changes than Cher's costumers...however, they've been updating their website dutifully. Click here to see if the lineup changes yet again.

Calling all chocoholics!

The Spa Resort Casino Hotel's newly-renovated Canyon Conference Center will be the place for you from 6 to 9 p.m. this Saturday (October 22) as Cliff Young's Out To Eat television show presents the Chocolate Affair Palm Springs.

The event will feature tastings and samplings of the finest chocolate desserts, baked goods, confections, beverages and specialty items from some of the best artisan chocolatiers, businesses and restaurants in Southern California.

Your $25 ticket grants you unlimited samplings from such famous names as Los Angeles' Choclatique, Brandini Toffee, See's Candy, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, ChocoVine, Over the Rainbow Cupcakes, Kiss My Cakes, Azul Restaurant and Lounge, Lulu California Bistro, Red Tomato, Sherman's Deli and Bakery, The Steakhouse, Billy Reed's Restaurant, David Bacco Chocolatier, Harry and David, Java Caliente, Lindt Chocolate RSVP, Marsatta Fancy Chocolates, MetroMint, Sisters Cupcakes by Design, Three Sixty North and Xoçai Healthy Chocolate.

Proceeds from the event will benefit AIDS Assistance Program, a non-profit organization that feeds low-income men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS in the Coachella Valley.

Tickets are available online by clicking here.

The Canyon Conference Center is at 100 North Indian Canyon Drive in Downtown Palm Springs.

The forecast calls for 80° temperatures all week, so what better timing for Baker's Drive-Thru to offer free Cool Creations?

Each day for the next week, the chain will offer a different flavor Cool Creation, beginning today (October 17) with a Cherry Bomb, to its Facebook fans.

No purchase is necessary, but there's a limit of one free item per person, or per car, per visit.

As with past giveaways, you can print the coupon, or just display it on your mobile device.

For more information, head to Baker's Facebook page. To access today's coupon, click here for the Facebook event page for today's giveaway.

Baker's Drive-Thru restaurants can be found throughout the Inland Empire.

Update: Tuesday's offer is for a free Baker's Blast. Facebook event page link is here. Wednesday's deal is for a free Lemon Berry Click here for the Facebook event page. Thursday's freebie flavor is the Annie Palmer. The Facebook event page is here. Friday's free flavor is Rootzilla. Click here for the Facebook event page. The free flavor for Saturday is caramel iced coffee. The Facebook event page is here.

Surreal.

That's the best word I can use to describe it.

To be sitting in a smallish restaurant in a nondescript strip mall in La Verne.

And having camera crews roaming the restaurant, and Chef Gordon Ramsay running in and out of the kitchen and through the dining area.

Yes -- the Chef Gordon Ramsay -- the notoriously short-tempered British culinary and television star.

The dinner took place at Charlie's Italian Cafe on the final day of filming for Ramsay's Fox reality show, Kitchen Nightmares.

Ever wanted to be a zookeeper when you were a kid?

Well, perhaps you grew up and didn't become a zookeeper, but how would you like to be a Zoo maker? Or how about a Zoo server?

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour is looking for a few hundred good men and women for its Rancho Cucamonga location, which is now set to open sometime near the end of November.

The hiring event will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday of next week (October 18, 19 and 20) in the parking lot of the future Farrell's, 10742 Foothill Blvd.

Positions include ice cream fountain "artisans," servers, hosts, cooks, bussers and dishwashers.

Potential employees can get a jump on the rest of the applicants by clicking here to fill out an application online to print out and bring with, or fill one out at the event.

Hosts and servers who get called back will participate in group auditions on October 21 and 22.

For more information, click here, or click here to visit the Farrell's blog for the Rancho Cucamonga location, with updates on construction progress and other news.

Good luck!

Update: If you want a leg up on the competition, you might want to practice the hokey pokey...and read this article by Senior Business Reporter Andrew Edwards.

The Lazy Dog Cafe will open its newest location on Fourth Street in Rancho Cucamonga early next year. Shown here is the Temecula restaurant.








Courtesy
of Lazy Dog Cafe


Lazy Dog Cafe, a chain of Southern California restaurants, is opening its 10th location on Fourth Street between Richmond Place and Buffalo Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga. Construction of the restaurant is expected to be complete in March or April.

The Planning Commission last night gave the green light on the cafe, which will have a bar and outdoor dining space. Moni Dosanjh of RSI Group, which represents the restaurant, told the commission the menu includes everything from meat loaf to calamari to kung pao chicken.

"I like the look and feel of the restaurant. It has that kind of craftsman bungalow look that fits very well with Fourth Street," said commission Chairman Lou Munoz. "I'm partial to Not Your Mom's Meatloaf. It sounded pretty mouth-watering."

Not Your Mom's Meatloaf was among the more standard items on the menu. Lazy Dog also dishes up some unique items such as spicy fried chicken lollipops and sweet potato tater tots.

The 9,400-square-foot restaurant will be built on an empty parcel near where the Mel's Drive-in used to be. Dosanjh said this is the first time the restaurant is building from the ground up, as opposed to moving into an existing space.

"We're looking forward to go under construction," he said. "This building will be our prototype."

Tomorrow, the restaurant is expected to wrap up construction of its West Covina restaurant.

Tomorrow (October 8) evening, the Redlands Chamber of Commerce will present "Cruisin' Cuisine: A Taste of Redlands' Fare," featuring samples from 15 restaurants.

The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Participants will be given a wristband, a "passport" and a map of participating restaurants and businesses who are hosting restaurants that are not located downtown.

In addition, participants who visit ten locations and get their "passport" validated can enter to win a 42-inch television.

The event, a fundraiser for the chamber, costs $35 for chamber members and $45 for non-members. Call the chamber office at 909-793-2546 for tickets.

For more information, click here to read Kristina Hernandez' story as it appeared in the pages of the Redlands Daily Facts.

Original Tommy's continues to celebrate its 65th anniversary with a series of Tommy Tuesday deals at various locations.

Next week, Tommy Tuesday returns to the Inland Empire, with a twist.

Instead of the usual 99¢ chiliburgers deal, we're getting 99¢ chili fries, which is just fine by me.

Tommy Tuesday will take place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. this Tuesday (October 11) at the Chino location, 12205 Mountain Ave., just north of the 60 Freeway.

All you have to do to get your deal is say the phrase "chili fry," which, if you are ordering chili fries, would be a little tricky not to do.

There's an extra charge if you want chili cheese fries, but it's totally worth it in my book.

You can also pick up the deal at locations in Eagle Rock, Long Beach, Simi Valley and Westminster.

For more information, click here to get to the Facebook event page for next week's Tommy Tuesday.

What a perfect way to spend a sunny fall afternoon: Relaxing lakeside, sampling beer from a variety of brewers.

Sound like fun? You can do just that at the second annual Lake Arrowhead Brewfest this Saturday (October 8).

The festival will take place lakeside from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Arrowhead Lake Association's Tavern Bay Beach Club, 28399 North Shore Road.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the event. A $10 designated driver ticket is also available. Click here to buy tickets online and avoid the possibility of getting turned away at the door.

Your admission price to the fest, a fundraiser for the Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce, includes a commemorative beer glass.

The event will feature a live how-to beer brewing demonstration, and John Palmer, author of "How to Brew," will again take part in the event.

Participants include Redlands' Hangar 24 Craft Brewery, Big Bear Brewing Company, Riverside's Inland Empire Brewing Company, Carlsbad's On The Tracks Brewery and Escondido's Stone Brewing Co.

In addition, Riverside's Beer, Beer, and More Beer is partnering with the Mountain Brew Club for the event.

If you love beer, and want to sample from over 60 craft brews, while listening to live bands and chowing down on delicious grub, then you've probably already gotten your ticket for Saturday's (October 8) return of the California Beer Festival to Claremont.

You can skip the remainder of this post and continue on with your day.

For the rest of you beer lovers...what are you waiting for? The tickets ($40) for the festival have nearly sold out!

Not only do you get to sample the best local (and not-so-local) breweries have to offer, but the event is a fundraiser for the for the Gen Giammanco Foundation, which provides financial support to student athletes.

The event will take place from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at the Claremont Packing House, 532 W. First St.

Tickets (if still available) can be purchased online, and in Claremont at Rhino Records and Eureka Burger.

A $25 designated driver ticket, which includes a free meal, is also available.

Follow the jump to see the participating breweries.

It may be raining right now, but the forecast is for sunny skies on Saturday for the I.E. Food Truck and Brew Fest, set for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday (October 8) at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario.

The inaugural event, simply called the I.E. Food Truck Fest, attracted 11,800 people to dine al fresco at the arena back in June.

V.I.P. tickets, which were $25 and included early admission and other perks, sold out several weeks ago.

Today (October 5) is the last chance to purchase advance tickets at $8. Starting tomorrow (October 6) and continuing through the day of the festival, general admission tickets will be $10.

Also available are $14 "Truck and Puck" tickets, which include the festival and seats for a pre-season Ontario Reign game that follows at 6 p.m.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and at the Citizens Business Bank Arena box office, if you want to avoid those "convenience" fees.

The big change for this event is, of course, the addition of local brewers, which at this point numbers six.

Locally, Redlands' Hangar 24 Craft Brewery will be there, as will Upland's Dale Bros., and Riverside's Inland Empire Brewing Company. B.J.'s Brewhouse, with nearby locations in Rancho Cucamonga and Chino Hills, also will attend. From farther out, Orange County's Bootleggers Brewery will be in attendance, as will Escondido's Stone Brewing Co.

Dine 909 will be there. Will you?

Follow the jump to see the current truck lineup..