In case you didn’t catch it…

In Friday’s paper, Allan Borgen reviewed Christophe’s of Upland, which was greatly anticipated when it opened last year.

Perfect timing, since Upland’s Lemon Festival is this weekend. What a way to kill two birds with one stone…visit the Lemon Festival and dine at Christophe’s!

Did Allan like Christophe’s? I’ll say! Five out of five stars.

Read his review here.

Elsewhere, Elaine “Lunch with ‘Lainey” Lehman heads to Yucaipa to have lunch at the Kopper Kettle Kafe. From her review, it seems like a perfectly fine place to have lunch.

You can read for yourself here.

Speaking of Yucaipa, Friday I had lunch at one of that city’s most honored restaurants for the first time…but you’ll have to wait a couple of days to find out which restaurant and to read my take on it. Stay tuned!

A trio of reviews…and eating slow and raw

Features Editor John Weeks waxes slow and raw this week, and we’ve got all three of our food reviewers out there chowin’ down.

In his column earlier this week, he pondered the Slow Food movement and the impact it might have on the Inland Empire’s domination in the growth of the fast food industry.

In today’s paper, he discusses raw food recipes, and gives you some tips on how to “go raw.”

Click here to read his Slow Food column. His raw food article can be found here.

Elsewhere in today’s paper, we’ve got restaurant reviews from Elaine Lehman, Allan Borgen and David Cohen.

Elaine visited the tantalizing Pomona Baking Co. Funny thing, though. I thought P-town was on the East Coast. Hmmm. You can read her review here.

Allan Borgen goes Italian at Fratello’s Pizza & Pasta in Upland. Sounds like he found lots to amore at Fratello’s. His review can be found here.

And finally, David Cohen found Italian food of a different kind at Palermo Pizza in Banning — the kind with a Middle Eastern twist. Click here to read his review.

When it rains, etc.

So I was watching Cliff Young’s Out to Eat show on KVCR the other day, and one of the segments he had was on The Fat Greek in Yucaipa.

Looked like an interesting place…someplace I’d want to check out the next time I’m in that neck of the woods.

So imagine my surprise when I saw which restaurant Allan Borgen was reviewing in today’s paper.

Yep, The Fat Greek!

Coincidence? Perhaps.

But guess who was the first to review it? Neither Cliff nor Allan, but Elaine “Lunch with ‘Lanie” Lehman!

Back in April, Elaine stopped in for lunch at The Fat Greek and wrote a review.

Way to go, Elaine!
Continue reading “When it rains, etc.” »

Yet another take on Mill Creek

Well, it appears that food critic/radio show host Allen Borgen and Dine 909 have something in common…our love for Mill Creek Cattle Company in Redlands.

Allen’s review hits the pages of the Sun and the Daily Bulletin today, and he gives it an astounding 4 stars out of 5.

Wow! I think he liked it even more than we did.

I’ve been back to Mill Creek several times since I did my initial review, and have had a great experience each time.

I’ve tried a couple of their sandwiches, one of their breakfast burritos and, out of curiosity, their chili cheese fries.

All good. All filling.

I really appreciate restaurants that serve breakfast all day, and Mill Creek is one of those.

If you like BBQ, do yourself a favor and check them out if you haven’t already done so.

If you, like me, are not a huge BBQ fan, don’t despair, they have plenty of other treats there as well.

Click here to read Allan’s review.

Not to be forgotten, also appearing in today’s Sun and Bulletin is Elaine Lehman’s review of Rancho Cucamonga’s Stuft Pizza Cafe.

Elaine tried an 8-inch sub filled with cheese, veggies and Italian meats, along with a salad and a soda, all for only $6.25. Sounds like a really good deal and a great alternative to Subway/Togo’s/Quiznos.

You can read Elaine’s review here.

A review and more fancy food

On Fridays, we normally get a lunch review from Elaine Lehman and a dinner review from either Allan Borgen or David Cohen.

Well, today is different. We do get a lunch review from Elaine, but this week, as last week, we don’t get a dinner review.

More on that later.

Elaine “flew” over to San Bernardino to have lunch at the Airport Express Cafe, near the entrance to the San Bernardino International Airport. According to Elaine, they have a mix of items including Asian, Korean and Mexican dishes.

Hmm.

I thought Korean was Asian.

They also serve American and Mexican breakfasts.

They do serve one of my favorites for lunch: the Monte Cristo sandwich, which was one of two options Elaine was pondering. She chose the veggie sandwich.

I guess I’ll have to “fly” over and check it out for myself.

You can read her take here.
Continue reading “A review and more fancy food” »

Finally Friday…

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 entres, such as teriyaiki chicken.

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

Friday reviews favor the West Valley

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.

Redlands Romano’s reviewed

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.

Upland reviews, times two

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.

Friday reviews etc.

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.