corona restaurant

Favorite Breakfast Spots – Riverside County

January 5, 2020 by Ole Leave a Comment

During breakfast this morning with my wife and oldest son, I decided to start the year off with a new feature: Favorites.

Not scientific. Not based on polls. Just completely subjective rankings of places / things I (or we) like.

The first category is breakfast:

Cowgirl Cafe, Norco – Friendly service. Best “scrambled” omelet. Good hashbrowns. Drinks come in mason jars.
Brandon’s Diner, Riverside (Magnolia) – Love the small, hole-in-the-wall diner feel. Great pancakes with warm syrup. Good omelets and hash browns.
Corky’s Kitchen, Corona – Open 24 hours. Big menu. Big servings.

Think there’s a better breakfast spot in Riverside County? Leave a comment and make your argument.

Texas Roadhouse Grand Opening – Corona, CA

July 22, 2014 by Ole 1 Comment

Texas Roadhouse in the Corona Hills Plaza is now open to the public. We went for dinner on the day it opened and it was packed… even at 4 PM.

When you walk in, you notice the freshly baked bread in the service window and the display case full of steaks. A nice start.

The hostess brought fresh bread with her when she showed us to our table. A bucket of peanuts was already waiting for us.

We started off with the Cheese Fries ($6.99), which are steak fries covered in cheese and bacon. The fries were seasoned very well and didn’t last long.

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Update: 07/26/14: We went back and tried the Rattlesnake Bites ($4.99). Diced jalapeños and jack cheese. Awesome.

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Between us, we tried the 8 oz. Sirloin ($12.99), the 10 oz. Ft. Worth Ribeye ($16.99) and the steak I’ve been waiting for, the Bone-In Ribeye ($24.99). All of the steaks were tender and well-seasoned, and came out from the kitchen very quickly.

Three out of our four steaks were cooked perfectly. The fourth didn’t quite make it to medium rare throughout, but I chalk that up to it being the first night. It was still a tasty steak.

The Ft. Worth Ribeye was my favorite of the night, and my sons and I are already looking forward to going back and trying the Porterhouse T-Bone and the Dallas Filet. I also see some Rattlesnake Bites (fried jalapeños and jack cheese) in our future.

I also added a Sidekick of shrimp ($6.99).

This is a good family steakhouse. The staff was friendly, the service was very good and the building is brand new.

The steaks are good too. We’ll be back.

370 N. McKinley Street
Corona, CA 92879
Phone: 951-735-7427
www.texasroadhouse.com

Hours:

The Bucket Crab & Crawfish in Corona, CA (Eagle Glen) is Open

July 10, 2014 by Ole Leave a Comment

The Bucket Crab & Crawfish in the Village at Eagle Glen in Corona is finally open. We stopped by to give it a try.

I drove by at lunchtime and found out that The Bucket doesn’t open until 3 PM on weekdays, so I took this shot of the interior through the window.

When we arrived for dinner, we noticed the paper on the tables and realized that this was going to get messy.

The manager and our server were extremely friendly, and helped us with our selections. Since this was our first visit, we tried a few different items:

Fried Catfish:

Fried Shrimp:

Cajun Shrimp and Sausage:

There is a roll of paper towels at each table for good reason… it does get messy if you order the boiled items.

The Cajun shrimp and sausage were our favorite items of the night. We’ll be back to try some crab and crawfish.

Here’s the menu:

The Bucket Crab & Crawfish
2279 Eagle Glen Pkwy Ste D101
Corona, CA
951-549-9700

Texas Roadhouse Coming to Corona Hills Plaza

May 1, 2014 by Ole 2 Comments

Update: It’s open. See our post about the grand opening on 7/21/14.

I’ve never eaten at a Texas Roadhouse, but I’m looking forward to trying this place when it opens in June (according to the company’s website).

Texas Roadhouse is on McKinley near Costco and Home Depot in the Corona Hills Plaza. It looks like they are completely renovating (maybe rebuilding) the building previously occupied by Backwoods BBQ and Honolulu Harry’s.

I hope Texas Roadhouse has better luck with this location.

If you haven’t heard of Texas Roadhouse, here is the boilerplate from a recent press release:

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, with more than 425 locations in 48 states, Texas Roadhouse opened its doors in 1993. The Louisville, KY based company is famous for hand-cut steaks, made-from-scratch sides, fresh-baked bread, and its lively atmosphere. In 2014 Texas Roadhouse was named one of Employee’s Choice Best Places to work by Glassdoor, in 2012 Texas Roadhouse was named Top Steakhouse in the Nation’s Restaurant News’ Consumer Picks survey, in 2007 and 2008 Forbes magazine ranked the company as one of the 200 Best Small Companies and in 2009 the company was ranked “Best Value” by readers of Consumer Reports magazine.

Steak good.

UPDATE 07/09/14:

I stopped by today and there is a big sign on the front of the building announcing that it will be opening on July 21st.

CA – Corona
370 N. McKinley Street
Corona, CA 92879
Phone: 951-735-7427
www.texasroadhouse.com

Wood Ranch – Dos Lagos, Corona

November 2, 2013 by Ole 1 Comment

We have been going to Wood Ranch in Dos Lagos since it opened. Not often, but at least a few times each year. This is a nice place, with good food.

These rolls make me wish I never gave up bread. Fresh, hot and delicious. I ate my fair share before I gave them up. Now I have to watch as my family devours them.

You go to Wood Ranch for the meat, but they also have salads. My wife changes it up with chicken and salmon, while I opt for the Caesar.

One of Wood Ranch’s specialties is tri-tip. It is great on its own, but I always preferred the tri-tip sliders.

My new favorite, which has me visiting Wood Ranch more often, is the beef brisket. It is tender, juicy and spiced with a peppery rub.

If you sit in the back, you also get a nice view.

Wood Ranch – Dos Lagos
2785 Lakeshore Drive
Corona, CA
www.woodranch.com

Where Did The BBQ Go?

January 17, 2013 by Ole 3 Comments

I just found out that two local barbecue restaurants have closed. Although I liked one and disliked the other, I wish the owners and employees of both places good luck in the future.

Hickory Joe’s in Norco – I liked this place and am sorry to see it go.

Radcliffe’s Royal Ribs in Corona – I didn’t like this place.

Anybody know of any good barbecue restaurants in Corona / Riverside?

My favorite barbecue restaurant is Famous Dave’s in Rancho Cucamonga, but I don’t always have time to make that drive.

Steam Haus Gastropub – Dos Lagos, Corona

September 2, 2012 by Ole 3 Comments

Steam Haus Gastropub officially opened for business yesterday in the Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos in Corona.

We stopped by, and are glad we did.

Steam Haus is unique, not only for its food, but also for its theme… Steampunk. Not sure what that is? Google it or just show up to Steam Haus and enjoy. While the servers and a few customers were dressed in their finest Steampunk attire, we and most everyone else wore typical end of summer attire – shorts and flip flops.

On to the food…

I ordered the Pork Belly Po’ Boy, which is served on ciabatta bread with spicy aioli. I have never tried pork belly before, so I decided to be adventurous and try something new. The pork belly was hot, juicy and tender, and the bread was fresh and slightly grilled. The spicy aioli took it over the top. This is a tasty sandwich.

My sons ordered the A.M. Burger, which is a burger patty made with Pat LaFrieda beef, topped with a fried egg, bacon and onion jam, and served between two waffles. I had no idea what a “Pat LaFrieda” burger was, so I consulted Google and learned that he (Pat LaFrieda, Jr.) is referred to as the “Magician of Meat” and is featured on the Food Network show “Meat Men”. We have never seen this show, so my boys were more impressed with the fact that the burger was served on waffles.

Steam Haus has a unique menu. I couldn’t find it online so I posted it here:

Steam Haus also has a lot of beer. I pretty much stopped drinking when I got married and had kids, so I’ll let Steam Haus explain what they have (from the Steam Haus Facebook page):

Hey there Guys & Gals! Today is the Steam Haus Gastropub’s GRAND OPENING!! 101 bottles of beer on the wall, 30 awesome draft beers, a grand wine collection & a mouth watering menu full of such crazy delights as our AM Burger & Ale Floats!! So if you’re into craft brew & pub food with a fine dining twist, come celebrate with us!!

Steam Haus Gastropub
2785 Cabot Drive, Suite 110
Corona, CA
www.steamhausgastropub.com

Shamrocks Mesquite Fired Grill & Pub – Corona

August 10, 2012 by Ole 4 Comments

Mesquite-grilled tri-tip doesn’t seem to be typical Irish fare, but it is at Shamrocks Mesquite Fired Grill and Pub in Corona.

When Chuy’s closed its doors and Austin’s took over, I was glad they kept tri-tip on the menu. When Austin’s moved on, Shamrocks took over and completely renovated the restaurant and brought in a new menu… but they kept the tri-tip.

I like this place. The servers are nice and the food is pretty good.

When they are on their game, the tri-tip is great. The pastrami and club sandwiches are also good.

Although I have only been here for lunch, Shamrocks also has a nice bar, which I bet gets crazy on St. Patrick’s Day.

Shamrocks Mesquite Fired Grill & Pub
1275 Magnolia Ave. Ste 105
Corona, CA

My Favorite Omelettes – Corky’s Kitchen in Corona, CA

July 29, 2012 by Ole Leave a Comment

Corky’s Kitchen and Bakery recently opened a new location in the Stater Brothers shopping center near Cajalco and the 15 in Corona. This has quickly become my favorite place for breakfast.

Corky’s is a nice, new and clean place. The first time we walked in, it was packed and people were waiting. Once we got our food, we realized why. Corky’s serves great food.

The omelettes are amazing. They are made with five eggs and are full of your chosen ingredients. Corky’s makes a point of letting you know that they “crack every egg fresh for your order”. The hash browns are good too.

My boys love the French Toast:

My wife likes the salad:

Corky’s has five locations, and is open 24 hours a day.

If you’re looking for a friendly place that serves good food, give Corky’s a try.

Corky’s Kitchen & Bakery
3811 Bedford Canyon Road #108
Corona, CA 92883
www.corkyskitchenandbakery.com

Urban Thai – Dos Lagos, Corona

May 17, 2012 by Ole Leave a Comment

Urban Thai has been located in the Shops at Dos Lagos for years, but my wife and I didn’t try it for the first time until about a few weeks ago. I imagine that a lot of people miss this place since it is located between two closed businesses in a part of the center that doesn’t seem to get much traffic. I wasn’t even sure it was open when we drove up the first time.

We ordered the beef satay as an appetizer on our first visit, and followed up with the chicken satay on our second visit. Both were tender and tasty.

Urban Thai has very reasonable lunch specials, which are served with soup, rice, salad and an entree. On both visits, I ordered the Fire Beef, which is a slightly spicy mixture of beef, green beans and red peppers. Good stuff.

My wife tried the Chicken Curry with green (mild) curry on our first visit, but decided to go with the Spicy Chicken Ramen on our second visit. She really liked the ramen.

I am not in a position to compare this place to other Thai food restaurants because this is only the second one I have ever visited. What I can say is that I enjoy the food and plan to go back. I hope that more people find this place and give it a try.

There is also an Urban Thai in Aliso Viejo.

Urban Thai
2795 Cabot Dr. #170
Corona, CA 92883
951-277-1298
www.theurbanthai.com