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Ole

Portillo’s Hot Dogs – Moreno Valley, CA

July 20, 2009 by Ole Leave a Comment

Portillo's Hot Dogs

Thanks to Portillo’s Hot Dogs, I no longer have to travel to the Chicago area to get the awesomeness that is the Italian beef sandwich. Portillo’s began in Chicago in 1963, and opened its first California restaurant in Buena Park in 2005. The second California location opened in Moreno Valley in 2008.  The first time I ate here was for lunch… and I went back for dinner on the same day.  I think I was just making up for lost time since I hadn’t visited the Chicago area in about 6 years.  Since that first day I’ve tried to moderate my Italian beef sandwich consumption, but we’ve been back to Portillo’s many times.

As the name implies, Portillo’s is known for its hot dogs. If you are a Chicago-style hot dog lover, this is your place. The hot dogs are served on a steamed poppy seed bun, and come loaded with mustard, relish, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle and peppers. My kids like the hot dogs, but they just stick to mustard or ketchup.

Portillo's Hot Dog

I think this place should really be called Portillo’s Italian Beef Sandwiches.  Thinly-sliced, seasoned roast beef dripping with juices, piled onto baked French bread that is perfect for soaking up the juices. What more needs to be said?  To get the terminology correct, what many people would call juice, Portillo’s calls gravy.  Whatever you call it, Portillo’s lets you control the juiciness factor. You can order the sandwich dry (very little gravy), extra gravy or dipped (yes, they dip the sandwich in the juice – messy, but awesome).  You can also order sweet and/or hot peppers, but I order it plain because I don’t want anything getting in the way of the flavor of the beef.

Portillo's Italian Beef Sandwich

If all Portillo’s served were hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, I’d still go. But they serve much more. Some of our other favorites include the Char-Grilled Italian Sausage, Beef-N-Cheddar Croissant, and the cheeseburger. If you want something lighter, Portillo’s also makes great salads. In fact, they have a separate salad counter where you can watch them make your salad.

Portillo's Salad Bowl

As if the other food isn’t enough to fill you up, Portillo’s also serves desserts including Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Shortcake.  I’m not big on cakes, but the rest of the family loves these desserts.

Go to Portillo’s.

Portillo's Chocolate Cake
Portillo's Strawberry Shortcake
Portillo’s Hot Dogs
12840 Day St
Moreno Valley, CA
www.portillos.com

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: beyond riverside, favorite places to eat, inland empire restaurants, moreno valley restaurant

Dufferin is Closed at McAllister. What Now?

July 16, 2009 by Ole

The City wasted no time closing Dufferin.  Barriers and signs went up the same day as the hearing.  The City should have at least waited until the emergency swing gates could be installed, but I need to remember that they “don’t represent us”.

So what now?  Some suggestions I have heard and/or read:

  • Drive down Stewart and Dufferin even if we don’t need to, just so we can increase traffic.
  • Drive down Stewart and Dufferin and honk our horns.
  • Boycott all businesses in the City of Riverside.

I disagree. Instead:

  • I will drive on Stewart and Dufferin when it is the best route for me to take, such as when I go to or from the Woodcrest area.
  • I will be respectful as I drive through these areas.
  • I will visit businesses that I like in the City, but when presented with options – such as Target on Tyler or Target in Corona Crossings – I will go to Corona.
  • I will pressure the County to build “A” Street (or Street “A”) as promised, and urge others to do the same.

One person who spoke at the July 14, 2009 hearing wondered why we County residents were fighting the Dufferin closure instead of pressuring the County to build “A” Street.  I think that most people did not learn of the closure or the “A” Street option until days or weeks before the hearing.  Faced with limited time, what would you do?  Try to get an existing route to stay open or try to get a new street built?

When I first learned about the pending closure, I called our County Supervisor’s office to find out what he was doing to keep Dufferin open. I was referred to a letter sent by the County to the City that asked for the City to take additional “steps before moving forward with this proposed action”. With limited time, I focused my energy on letting people know about the pending closure and the public hearing.

Now it’s time to put pressure on the County.

The County residents in this area (Victoria Grove, The Orchard, Stone Harbor, Bridgeport, etc.) are in the 1st Supervisorial District, and our Supervisor is Bob Buster.  The 1st District also includes most of the City of Riverside.  A little history about Supervisor Buster from the District 1 section of the County’s website:

  • “represented the 1st District on the Riverside County Board of Supervisors since 1993”
  • “served on the Riverside City Council for two terms, 1980-1983 and 1990-1992”
  • “as a citizen in the 1970s and 80s Bob helped draft, gather signatures and lead the winning campaigns for the initiative laws that protect over 10,000 acres of citrus greenbelt, historic Victoria Avenue, scenic hillsides and arroyos, and the Santa Ana River wildlife refuge.”
  • “has worked to preserve the historical integrity of Riverside’s citrus greenbelts and surrounding hillsides”
  • “still farming the orange and lemon groves his grandfather planted 75 years ago in Riversides Greenbelt”

Supervisor Buster has strong ties to the City and the greenbelt, but he also represents us County residents.  Unfortunately, he was one of the architects of the plan to close Dufferin Avenue and cut off our access to the greenbelt.

From the May 7, 2009 City Planning Commission Staff Report *:

The notes on Exhibit 12 were created by former City Councilmember Ed Adkison who worked directly with the developers, County staff, Supervisor Buster and a Citizens Committee (referred to as the La Sierra/El Sobrante Committee) to create a larger-scale master circulation plan for the area that included the termination of McAllister Street and Dufferin Avenue at the southerly City limits, the extension of McAllister Parkway westerly to connect to La Sierra Avenue and the creation of a backbone street (Street “A”) to connect McAllister Parkway to Van Buren Boulevard.

From Resolution No. 20354 adopted by the Riverside City Council on February 18, 2003:

WHEREAS, County Supervisor Bob Buster formed the El Sobrante Committee, a joint committee comprised of representatives of the City of Riverside, the County of Riverside and respective representative residents of both, to review land use and development in the area directly south of the City; and

WHEREAS, City Councilman Ed Adkison has been a committee member of the El Sobrante Committee; and

WHEREAS, the El Sobrante Committee has recommended that there should be no additional connection to City of Riverside streets within the Greenbelt area of Riverside by the developments being proposed within the unincorporated County

We can try to put pressure on the City and County to reopen Dufferin, but considering that Supervisor Buster was involved in the decision to close Dufferin, I’m not sure that we will be successful. Of course, it can’t hurt to try. Could “we” mount legal challenges to keep Dufferin open?  Even if “we” could, I assume that the cost would be prohibitive unless everyone in the area decided to organize and agreed to pitch in.  I’m not an attorney, so I’ll let any attorneys in the area comment on this if they so desire.

I believe that we need to focus on the fight that we can win, which is pressuring the County to build “A” Street. “A” Street will at least give us access to Van Buren, and both the City and County agree that it should be built.

From the May 7, 2009 Planning Commission Staff Report *:

While staff understands that there was a conceptual agreement that the closure of Dufferin Avenue and accompanying traffic pattern modifications would not occur until after Street “A” was complete, Street “A” is not planned to be constructed any time in the near future.

From the May 7, 2009 Draft Planning Commission Minutes (comments by The City’s Deputy Public Works Director) *:

He referred to A Street and stated that probably three or four years ago the developers in the area approached him and said that they are having problems acquiring the right-of-way for A Street and they wanted the City to help them acquire it. He stated that they came to the City, not to the County for help even though the road is 90% in the County. He stated that they prepared with the City Attorney’s Office all the necessary documentation for the City to acquire the necessary right-of-way under eminent domain, in accordance with the Subdivision Map Act. He explained that is was the City that was prepared to help build A Street not the County Supervisors.

And from the April 23, 2009 letter from the County’s Director of Transportation to the City *:

Due to significant concerns from nearby County residents, both the City and the County agreed to keep the minor, de-emphasized connection between McAllister Pkwy and Dufferin (which is about 2000 ft westerly of where the direct connection of McAllister was) on an interim basis at least until such time as new route (“A” Street) was to be constructed between McAllister Pkwy and Van Buren to the east. The timing of “A” Street, which was to be built by the McAllister Hills Specific Plan, has obviously been affected by the economy and is not apparently moving forward at this time.

This is a safety issue. We need another route out of our area.  We need to pressure the County to build “A” Street.

In fact, I think we need to petition the County of Riverside to build this street. Not an online petition, but a real petition that is signed by residents of the area and delivered to the Board of Supervisors. If you have already started a petition, please let me know so we don’t duplicate our efforts. If there are any volunteers, especially an attorney or people who have drafted petitions before, please post a comment or contact me at astreet@riversideandbeyond.com. Or, if you have a better idea, please comment.

If you would like to contact Supervisor Buster directly, click here for his contact information.

* included as attachments to a June 9, 2009 memo from the City’s Planning Division to the Riverside City Council

Filed Under: Government, Traffic Tagged With: dufferin closure

Dufferin to Close; Council Votes Unanimously

July 14, 2009 by Ole 11 Comments

Update 07/16/09: http://www.riversideandbeyond.com/dufferin-is-closed-at-mcallister-what-now/
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I just got back from the public hearing regarding the Dufferin closure. The room was packed – standing room only packed.

Many residents from the City and the County spoke at the hearing, with County residents opposed to the closure being the majority.

In the end, the Riverside City Council voted unanimously to move forward with the closure.

In my previous post, I wrote about the areas of Victoria Grove, The Orchard, etc. being in the City’s Sphere of Influence.  Being in the Sphere apparently means nothing.  Council Member Chris Mac Arthur made that clear by saying to us County residents very bluntly: “We don’t represent you”.

We never had a chance.  The Council members seem to have had their minds made up prior to hearing from anyone at today’s hearing.

How else would City crews be at the corner of Stewart and Dufferin within about an hour of the City Council’s vote?  Are they that efficient?  Maybe, but that’s not the reason.

As I was driving home (on Dufferin) from the hearing I saw one of the crews putting up a closure sign.  I stopped and asked them how they were moving forward so quickly.  One of the guys said “we were just waiting on the word”.

I’m done for the day.  Time to take my family out to dinner…

In Corona.

Filed Under: Government, Traffic Tagged With: dufferin closure

P.F. Chang’s – Galleria at Tyler in Riverside, CA

July 9, 2009 by Ole 1 Comment

When we moved to Riverside, we tried some of the smaller Chinese restaurants (even one that was voted “best”) but we weren’t impressed.  When P.F. Chang’s opened at the Tyler Mall, we quickly became regulars.

P.F. Chang's - Menu

I first wrote about PF Chang’s back in July 2009. Since we continue to eat here, I update this post from time to time with new or additional pictures. Our favorites have remained fairly consistent over the years, and we usually start with Rick’s Northern-Style Spare Ribs and the Hand-Folded Crab Wontons.

When prepared properly, the Northern-Style Spare Ribs are awesome. Sometimes the ribs are a bit crispy and overcooked, but at their best they are fall-off-the-bone tender and packed with flavor.

IMG_9493-c-u

My wife loves the Crab Wontons, although we have to remember to order them without the plum sauce on the bottom of the plate due to the way they are plated now. I like them too, but I still prefer the Yunnan Wontons that used to be on the menu.

IMG_9486-c-u

Some of our favorite main dishes are the Mongolian Beef, Orange Peel Chicken, Salt & Pepper Prawns and Wok-Fired Filet Mignon.

The Mongolian Beef is almost always tender and delicious.

IMG_9505-c-u

The Orange Peel Chicken is not as crispy as it is at other restaurants, and is best when we ask for a little extra spiciness.

IMG_9500-u

The Salt and Pepper Prawns are just plain awesome.  If you don’t know what a prawn is (which I didn’t), it is basically a large shrimp.  So thank you to my wife’s friend Suzy for ordering something I never would have tried.  It is one of my favorites now.

IMG_9497-c-u

My newest favorite is the Wok-Fired Filet Mignon, which is a newer item we first tried in July 2016. “Sliced 8oz. filet, black pepper butter sauce, rustic potatoes, onion, lime-garlic vinaigrette”. So good.

P.F. Chang's - Wok-Fired Filet Mignon

P.F. Chang’s is definitely our favorite place for Chinese food.

P.F. Chang’s
3475 Tyler Street
Riverside, CA

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: chinese food, favorite places to eat, inland empire restaurants, riverside restaurant, tyler mall

Fast Food Scooters

July 1, 2009 by Ole 2 Comments

rdgOn a recent trip to Big 5 at McKinley and the 91, I noticed two people in red jumpsuits pulling into the McDonald’s parking lot on scooters. Each of the scooters had a McDonald’s logo on the back of a bright red and white storage bin.

A fast food delivery service!  Great idea!  Now I don’t have to walk to my car and drive through the service window when I want fast food since it can be delivered to my door.  If only I had a hover chair like the ones in the movie Wall-E, I wouldn’t even have to walk to my front door when my food arrives.

Yes, I’m kidding.  I figure the least I can do when I want fast food is to burn a few calories by getting up and going to get it.  I do find it funny that the fast food drive-through window is apparently not convenient enough anymore.

After getting a closer look at the scooters, I saw the logos for RedDeliveryGuy.com.

The tagline under the RedDeliveryGuy.com logo is “THE BEST WAY TO SAVE TIME & GAS”.  The company states on its website that it uses “low CO2 emissions vehicles” (the scooters) and that it delivers from 100’s of restaurants.  The home page shows logos for Burger King, Quiznos, McDonald’s, Little Caesars and Del Taco, but to see all available restaurants you have to sign up.

I applaud the low emissions concept.  Although I haven’t used the service myself, it seems that this could be helpful for anyone who wants a restaurant meal but can’t drive, or who can’t get away from the office to get lunch.

So when the drive-through window just isn’t convenient enough, check out RedDeliveryGuy.com.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: food delivery

Chilitos Mexican Grill – Riverside, CA

June 22, 2009 by Ole 1 Comment

Chilitos Mexican Grill - Riverside, CAWe have probably eaten at Chilitos Mexican Grill in Riverside more than any other restaurant.

Chilito's Mexican Grill - Menu

The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and the owners and employees always make us feel welcome.

Chilito's Mexican Grill - chips and salsa

Not only is the food good, but it is consistently good.  We have never had a bad eating experience here.

Chilito's Mexican Grill - Carne asada tacos

One of our prerequisites for good Mexican food is good carne asada, and Chilitos delivers. We skip the cilantro and onions and add some of their great salsas instead.

Chilito's Mexican Grill - salsa bar

At many restaurants, I tend to find one meal that I really like.  At Chilitos, I change up frequently because everything is so good.

Chilito's Mexican Grill - crispy tacos

Chilito's Mexican Grill - Taquitos

Chilito's Mexican Grill - Grilled Chicken Salad

Chilito's Mexican Grill - Cheese Quesadilla

Chilito's Mexican Grill - Sope

Chilito's Mexican Grill - Chicken Soft Tacos

If you want good, fresh Mexican food, you can’t go wrong with Chilitos.

Chilitos Mexican Grill
3847 Pierce St. Suite F
Riverside
chilitosmexicangrill.net

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: chilitos, favorite places to eat, inland empire restaurants, mexican food, riverside restaurant

Dufferin Closure Between Stewart and McAllister: Public Hearing

June 19, 2009 by Ole

Update 07/16/09: http://www.riversideandbeyond.com/dufferin-is-closed-at-mcallister-what-now/
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Update 07/14/09: www.riversideandbeyond.com/dufferin-to-close-council-votes-unanimously/
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dufferin-closure-mapThe City of Riverside intends to close Dufferin Avenue between McAllister Parkway and Stewart Street, eliminating the intersection at McAllister Parkway and Dufferin.  For residents of nearby communities including Bridgeport, Stone Harbor, The Orchard and Victoria Grove, this action will cut off a vital route for shopping, work, school, etc.  More importantly, it will also cut off the only alternate route for residents in this area to “get down the hill” and/or access the 91 in an emergency or if La Sierra is ever blocked.

If this will affect you, the City of Riverside has set a hearing for July 14, 2009 at 1 p.m. (details below).  I plan to be there.

—————————————————————————————————-
Update. New documents July 10, 2009:
– City Council Agenda for July 14, 2009 which lists the 1 p.m. hearing
– City Council Memo dated July 14, 2009 recommending approval of the “traffic modification and street vacation of Dufferin Avenue” (closure)

—————————————————————————————————-
Update. New documents posted July 6, 2009:
– Public hearing notice published in the Press Enterprise on 07/06/09
– Public hearing notice posted on Dufferin Avenue (as of 07/06/09)

—————————————————————————————————-

I first found out about this when I saw bright pink signs posted by residents around the intersection of McAllister and Dufferin announcing the closure of Dufferin.  Since then I’ve found the following documents:

  • Riverside City Council Memorandum dated June 9, 2009 from the Community Development Department Planning Division to the Honorable Mayor and City Council, with attachments  (“The Memo”); read The Memo by clicking here
  • Resolution No. 21836 adopted by the Riverside City Council on June 9, 2009 (“The Resolution”); read The Resolution by clicking here

The County of Riverside sent a letter to the City dated April 23, 2009 (pages 27-31 through 27-33 of the Memo) raising some issues and requesting additional steps before moving forward.  The County is supposed to build a street (referred to as “A” Street) from McAllister Parkway to Van Buren to provide much needed access to the residents that will be affected by this closure, but the street has not been constructed and, according to the letter, “is not apparently moving forward at this time”.  I appreciate the letter written by the County, and hope that our County Supervisor, Bob Buster, actively gets involved to make sure that this vital access is not removed.  If you would like to contact Bob Buster, click here to visit his website.

Why is the City taking this action?  Section 5 of The Resolution states that it “is necessary to minimize neighborhood concerns regarding cut-through traffic, speeding, and public safety.”

Let’s examine these claims (pages cited are from The Memo):

  1. Minimize neighborhood concerns.  According to the Draft Planning Commission minutes from May 7, 2009 (pages 27-73 through 27-80), 20 out of 30 speakers spoke in opposition to the proposed closure.  In addition, this closure directly benefits three properties on Dufferin within the City of Riverside, which will have driveway approaches installed at the “knuckle” so they will have continued access to Dufferin and Stewart (page 27-6).  The rest of us will have no access.  This closure will be for the benefit of a few but the detriment of many.
  2. Cut-through traffic.  Only 39% (556 out of 1,415 trips) of all peak hour traffic entering Dufferin Avenue at Van Buren or McAllister Parkway is cut-through traffic according to a traffic study conducted on February 19, 2009 (pages 27-73 and 27-9).  So, while this closure will take away a vital route from many residents, it will only reduce 39% of the traffic.  Although the “39%” was incorrectly calculated as 51% when the traffic study was first reported, the City’s Associate Planner stated that the mathematical error does not affect the staff’s recommendation to proceed with the closure “as it continues to represent a significant amount of traffic cutting through the greenbelt”.  I would bet that much of the “39%” will end up on Victoria, so I’m not really sure what this closure will accomplish.  Also, this traffic study was conducted while the La Sierra / 91 interchange was being constructed (as pointed out in the County’s letter referenced above), so the 39% very well could be inflated.
  3. Speeding.  At best, this may eliminate 39% of the speeders, but it won’t eliminate speeding.
  4. Public Safety.  Which public?  For many County residents who live in the area, this closure will take away the only alternate route to access Van Buren, Tyler, the 91, etc. in the case of an emergency and/or La Sierra closure.  Removing access to an alternate and more direct route that will be crucial in an emergency does not seem to promote public safety.  One of the speakers at the May 7, 2009 meeting stated that an ambulance used this route to take him to the hospital, and that if the ambulance had taken the longer route, “he would probably be dead”.

The communities most affected by this are within the City of Riverside’s sphere of influence.  I thought this meant that the City would consider the needs of both City and County residents when making planning decisions. From the City’s General Plan 2025 page LU-129:

Riverside’s planning area includes all of the land inside the City’s corporate boundaries plus land within its sphere of influence.  A sphere of influence is composed of adjacent and near unincorporated lands that may be expected to become annexed to a City at some date in the future.  […]

The City will continue to work closely with residents of potential annexation areas to ensure that community character and feel can be preserved to the maximum extent.

Unfortunately for us residents, it seems that being in the sphere of influence means the City of Riverside doesn’t want us to use its streets.

From Resolution No. 21836 adopted by the Riverside City Council on June 9, 2009:

BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Riverside, California, as follows:

Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Riverside hereby declares that in Planning Case No. P09-0205, its intention to modify the traffic pattern at the intersections of Dufferin Avenue and Stewart Street and Dufferin Avenue and McAllister Parkway, pursuant to Section 21101 of the California Vehicle Code and the Circulation and Community Mobility Element of the General Plan to provide for the construction of a permanent knuckle at the Dufferin Avenue and Stewart Street intersection, the removal of access at Dufferin Avenue and McAllister Street by the installation of a six-foot high fence at the southwesterly portion of Dufferin Avenue at McAllister Street.

Section 2: That the City Council of the City of Riverside hereby declares that in Planning Case No. P09-0206, it is the intention to set a public hearing to vacate a portion of Dufferin Avenue between Stewart Street and McAllister Parkway, within the City of Riverside, California, for the reason that the portion of said street is unnecessary for present and prospective use.  […]

Section 7: The date, hour, and place for hearing all persons interested in the proposed traffic pattern modification measure at the intersections of Dufferin Avenue and Stewart Street and Dufferin Avenue and McAllister Parkway, and the vacation of  Dufferin Avenue between Stewart Street and McAllister Parkway, is set as July 14, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. in the Art Pick Council Chambers of the Riverside City Council located adjacent to City Hall at 3900 Main Street, Riverside, California.

I am a fan of the City of Riverside.  We eat at restaurants in the City, shop in the City, go to church in the City, and send my daughter to school in the City.  I even wrote a review of the recent AVP event and complimented the City on a great event.

But in this case, I believe that the City is completely wrong and should consider the needs of all residents in its sphere of influence, not just those within the City.

Note:  Although the City has set the date for this meeting, please refer to the City’s website for any updates.  I plan to post updates here as well under “dufferin closure“.

Filed Under: Traffic Tagged With: dufferin closure

Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon, Corona

June 12, 2009 by Ole 4 Comments

Update 01/24/17: Lone Star is closed.

There are reports that other locations have closed around the country, including:

Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa…

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Steak good. I get a little primitive when I think about steak, and when my inner carnivore growls, Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon in Corona is the place to go.

Lone Star Steakhouse, Corona

If you like to smother your steak in steak sauce, then this is not the place for you.  The steak is too good to ruin it with steak sauce.  This is especially true of my personal favorite, the Cajun Ribeye, which is a 16 14 oz. steak marinated in rubbed with Cajun spices and mesquite-grilled over an open flame.  This is one of my favorite steaks anywhere, and in my opinion, is by far the best steak served at any casual dining steak house I’ve ever tried.

Lone Star Cajun Ribeye

I also like to add a side of Grilled Shrimp.

Lone Star Grilled Shrimp

If Cajun isn’t your style, there are many other steaks to choose from ranging from the 9 6 oz. San Antonio Bacon-Wrapped Sirloin to the 20 oz. Porterhouse.

Lone Star Sirloin

Lone Star Porterhouse

There is also much more than steak.  Prime rib, lobster, Salmon, ribs, pork chops, burgers… I can’t say I’ve tried everything on the menu, but everything I have tried is great.

There are also great appetizers and salads.  My favorites are the Lettuce Wedge and the Wild Fire Shrimp, which are small jalapeno spiced fried shrimp served with a side of ranch Loaded Cheese Fries.  We also love the rolls, which are baked in the restaurant.

Lone Star Chopped Lettuce Wedge

Lone Star Loaded Cheese Fries

Lone Star rolls.

Lone Star is good for all crowds.  There is a full bar in the middle of the restaurant for the grown-ups, and the rest of the restaurant is suitable for families.  Kids get separate menus with activity pages and crayons, and there are TVs throughout the restaurant which usually show sports.  The servers keep it lively by doing a line dance during the dinner hours.  This is a casual restaurant and I’ve seen people wear everything from flip-flops and shorts to suits and ties.

Steak good.  Lone Star steak great.

Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon
955 Montecito
Corona, CA 92879
www.lonestarsteakhouse.com

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: corona restaurant, favorite places to eat, inland empire restaurants, steakhouse

Goodbye Counter, Hello Alibi

June 12, 2009 by Ole Leave a Comment

The Alibi - new sign

The Counter in Dos Lagos is no more.  I drove out there this week to get a burger and found a new sign hanging out front for The Alibi Bar & Grill, along with the following note (click to enlarge).counter-alibi

According to the note, the new restaurant is owned by the same people and will have the same employees.  The note also states that The Alibi will have a more extensive menu, more beers on tap, and a full liquor license in a few weeks.  They will also still serve burgers.

I’ll be back to try it.  I just hope the burgers don’t change.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: corona restaurant, inland empire restaurants

Cafe Orleans, Disneyland

May 30, 2009 by Ole Leave a Comment

cafe-orleans-signWe love Disneyland, and go there often.  Disneyland has many different places to eat, and we’ve tried most of them.  One of our favorite places is Cafe Orleans.

I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food, so I admit that I wasn’t too sure about this place the first time I looked at the menu.  I love Cajun and Creole flavors, but meals such as crepes, gumbo and ratatouille were never on my acceptable foods list.  They had me at “Cajun”.  Since our first visit, we’ve been back about 4 times.

Cafe Orleans - Pommes FritesCafe Orleans - GumboWe like to start out with the Pommes Frites, which are french fries tossed with parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley.  I also like to get a bowl of the New Orleans Gumbo, which I’ve never had any place else.  Good stuff.

Cafe Orleans - RatatouillieOn our most recent visit, my wife tried the Creole Ratatouille.  Before the movie Ratatouille, I never even knew this dish existed.  She really enjoyed it, and, to my surprise, the rest of us liked it too.  I’m not a vegetarian, but I guess this would be a good meal for those of you who are.

monte-cristo-sandwichMy oldest son had the Monte Cristo Sandwich, which was way too big for him to finish… so I helped.  If you’ve never had one, this is like a ham and turkey sandwich inside of a doughnut sprinkled in powdered sugar.  It’s tasty, but a bit too sweet for my tastes.  My youngest son went with the Cheesy Macaroni from the kids’ menu.

Cafe Orleans - Chicken Gumbo CrepeMy daughter and I both ordered the Chicken Gumbo Crepe. Before eating at Cafe Orleans, I don’t think that I have ever tried a crepe, but this is now one of my favorite meals at Disneyland.  The menu states that the crepes are made to order, which I believe since they are always hot and fresh.  The crepes are filled with sauteed chicken, andouille sausage and tasso ham, and covered with a Creole gumbo sauce.

Cafe Orleans is not the least expensive place to eat, but it does provide table service and the food is good.

Cafe Orleans
New Orleans Square
Disneyland
Anaheim, CA

Cafe Orleans (Disneyland) on Urbanspoon

Filed Under: Food, Uncategorized Tagged With: beyond riverside, disneyland, gumbo

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