favorite places to eat

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.

The Habit Burger Grill on Tyler in Riverside

November 20, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

The Habit Burger Grill on Tyler in the City of Riverside, California has been open for just about a year, but it has recently become one of my family’s favorite places to eat.

If it weren’t for my oldest son, I might not have tried it. A few months ago, after a long day of water polo, my son wanted a Habit burger. Unfortunately, it was closed by the time we arrived. I promised him another trip.

The view when you hustle from a late #waterpolo game to get your son a Habit burger but you are a few minutes too late… #closingtime #riversideca

A photo posted by Ole (@riversideandbeyond) on Jul 18, 2016 at 7:29pm PDT

The next time we visited, I ordered something too… I was hooked.

The Habit offers more than just burgers, as you can see from the menu:

The food is prepared to order, and I have never seen it wait under a heating lamp to be served. As soon as the food is ready, the buzzer goes off.

Since becoming a fan, we have eaten at a bunch of different Habit locations, including Riverside Plaza in the City of Riverside, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Chino and Pleasanton.

The Habit on Tyler was closed due to a power outage, so hello Riverside Plaza.

A photo posted by Ole (@riversideandbeyond) on Oct 2, 2016 at 12:05pm PDT

We have only had good experiences, but The Habit on Tyler in Riverside is my favorite. One of the reasons is because of the people who work here:

I don’t want to embarrass anyone by posting a picture, but I do want to give a shout out to the extremely friendly and helpful employees at @habitburgergrill on Tyler in Riverside. #riversideca

A photo posted by Ole (@riversideandbeyond) on Oct 26, 2016 at 11:49am PDT

Along with French fries and sweet potato fries, The Habit also has onion rings. They are awesome.

My wife usually alternates between the Chicken Club or the Santa Barbara Cobb salad.

Our kids all get burgers.

I get burgers too, but mine usually arrive in a bowl without a bun. I really like the burgers here even without a bun. The burgers are charbroiled and seasoned, and the bacon always seems to be fresh.

The first time I tried The Habit was a few years ago in Lake Forest, California. I was not a fan. It must have been an off day, because fast forward to today and The Habit is one of my new favorite places.

The Habit Burger Grill
3510 Tyler St, Ste 100
Riverside, California

Baja Fish Tacos – Norco

March 30, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Last summer during a break in a water polo tournament, my oldest son and I found this great Mexican food place in Foothill Ranch. He loved the fish tacos, I loved the carne asada nachos, and we both wanted to try it again someday.

Unfortunately, the next time we were out in that area I got the name wrong and ended up at a Baja Fresh. After a less than satisfying meal, I realized that I should have searched for Baja Fish Tacos instead.

Fortunately, I also found out that there is a Baja Fish Tacos in Norco.

Baja Fish Tacos has quickly become one of our favorite places. We have tried all of the tacos (fish, shrimp, carne asada and chicken), and they are all awesome.

Here are a few pictures of the interior and the food:

Chips are extra, but they are always warm and you get them right when you order. The salsas are great. The roasted tomato is my favorite, but I also like the roasted tomatillo.

During her first visit, my wife ordered a green salad to go along with her meal, but realized that the salad is the size of a meal all by itself.

The carne asada nachos are full of delicious carne asada. They normally come with pinto beans, but I ask for the black beans instead.

The Charbroiled Fish Tacos are my wife’s favorite. You can also order the fish blackened or “Ensenada Style” (beer batter).

I’ve tried the carne asada enchiladas a few times…

… but my favorite items are the carne asada and chicken tacos. As usual, I order them plain and add my favorite salsa. The carne asada is consistently awesome.

In addition to Norco, you can find Baja Fish Tacos in these cities: Costa Mesa, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Long Beach, Mission Viejo, Orange, Santa Ana, Brea

Baja Fish Tacos
2335 Hamner Ave
Norco, CA
bajafishtacos.com

The Hat, Glendora

February 1, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Water polo often takes us out to Citrus College in Glendora. The Hat on Route 66 is our usual post-tournament meal.

If you’re familiar with The Hat in Rancho Cucamonga, Murrieta or any of the other Southern California locations, then you know what this place is all about: Pastrami.

Pastrami on chili cheese fries…

Pastrami Dip…

Onion rings topped with chili, cheese and pastrami…

We are usually at the mercy of the tournament schedule, so sometimes we get to go when it isn’t too crowded. But if you want to go during lunch, expect a crowd.

The Hat
611 W. Route 66
Glendora, CA
www.thehat.com

Templo Del Sol in Riverside – AMAZING Carnitas and Tacos Al Pastor

January 22, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

My first restaurant post of the New Year is about one of my favorite places to get tacos… Templo Del Sol in Riverside.

I opened with almost the same sentence when I wrote about Josie’s Tacos in 2014. Why? Because when Josie’s closed, the recipe for my favorite tacos al pastor transferred over to Templo Del Sol.

Josie’s Tacos and Templo Del Sol shared common ownership…

… so the person who made the al pastor (delicious, marinated pork) at Josie’s is now here.

This makes me very happy because the al pastor is AMAZING.

Unfortunately, al pastor isn’t always available, which I learned on a recent trip. However, after they found out how much I liked it, they made some for me for my next visit. I love small restaurants.

After trying the al pastor at Josie’s for the first time, I never ordered anything else. When the al pastor wasn’t available here, I was forced to try something different. That is when I learned that Templo Del Sol also makes AMAZING carnitas.

Seriously, Templo Del Sol makes the best al pastor and carnitas I have ever tried.

Although I’m focusing on the al pastor and carnitas, Templo Del Sol has much more to offer. Here are a few more items we have tried:

Fried Burrito:

Chorizo and Eggs:

Carne Asada Enchiladas (another of my favorites):

Chicken Taquitos with plenty of meat:

Chips and salsa:

If you like Mexican food, this place is definitely worth a try. PLEASE order the al pastor so they will have to make it all the time.

Templo Del Sol
1365 University Ave.
Riverside, CA
www.templodelsolrestaurant.com

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit – Coming Soon to Riverside Plaza

October 14, 2014 by Ole 1 Comment

I have become a huge fan of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Eastvale. In fact, Dickey’s has overtaken Famous Dave’s as my favorite place for barbecue.

Later this month (hopefully), I will have two Dickey’s locations to choose from… Eastvale and Riverside Plaza. I have heard that the tentative opening date for the new Riverside Plaza location is 10/30/14.

The food at Dickey’s is consistently amazing, and I am looking forward to the grand opening. Here is some of what you can expect:

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
3540 Riverside Plaza Drive, Suite 314
Riverside, CA

Burger Boss, Norco

September 19, 2014 by Ole 1 Comment

A few years ago, I wrote about this amazing burger place in Riverside by the name of Burger Boss. It quickly became my family’s favorite burger place.

Since it is near the border of Moreno Valley, Burger Boss is a bit of a drive for us. Fortunately, there is now a Burger Boss in Norco.

** The Norco location is no longer open, but the Riverside location is still there. **

There are a few things you should know about Burger Boss:

The employees are extremely friendly.
The place is exceptionally clean.
The food is natural, fresh and AMAZING.

From the website: “Always Fresh, Never Frozen GRASS FED BEEF raised naturally without antibiotics or growth hormones.”

Step up to the counter and order your burger… beef, chicken, turkey or black bean. Although the kids and I don’t consider it an actual burger, the wife loves the black bean burger.

Here is a double beef burger with cheese, turkey bacon and barbecue sauce. For my fellow bacon lovers, don’t be discouraged by the turkey bacon. It is awesome.

Here is a black bean “burger” with pepper jack cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Those are sweet potato fries on the side.

If you have given up bread like I have, you can also order your burger in a lettuce wrap, lettuce bowl, or all by itself. I love a good salad, but I can do without the lettuce on my burger.

Bun or no bun, Burger Boss makes our favorite burgers.

~~The shakes are awesome too, or so I’m told by my sons.~~ We learned on our most recent trip that shakes are gone for some reason…

…but they added the option to “boss your fries”.

Burger Boss – Norco
490 Hidden Valley Parkway
Norco, CA 92879
www.burgerboss.com

First Day at Famous Dave’s Riverside

August 30, 2014 by Ole 1 Comment

The first time I ate at Famous Dave’s, I was hooked. I could hardly contain my excitement when I found out that a location was going to open in the Galleria at Tyler in Riverside.

I don’t normally attend friends and family events when a new restaurant opens, but there was no way I was going to miss this. Thank you to Famous Dave’s Riverside for the invitation.

** This location is closed. The first location we ever visited in Rancho Cucamonga is still there.

The first thing I noticed about this Famous Dave’s, is that it doesn’t look like any of the other locations I have visited. I’ll call it modern rustic, because there is a still a lot of wood, but it is definitely more upscale. No checkered tablecloths here.

If you have never eaten at Famous Dave’s, definitely make sure you receive the sauce tour so you can find out which sauce is your favorite. My favorite is the Devil’s Spit, while my wife likes the Georgia Mustard.

In addition to the more upscale interior, this Famous Dave’s also has a nicer presentation. I’m used to Famous Dave’s serving food on platters with checkered paper. Not here.

After our salads, we had Dave’s Sampler Platter – Southside Rib Tips, Chicken Tenders, Sweetwater Catfish Fingers, Onion Strings and Traditional Wings. We were encouraged to order this so the kitchen could get used to making everything, but it was way more than we could eat if we wanted to save room for our lunch.

Famous Dave’s is all about the barbecue. This is a St. Louis Rib-N-Meat combo with a Hot Link Sausage. The ribs normally come with Dave’s original Rich & Sassy sauce, but my wife orders them naked (no sauce) so she can add the Georgia Mustard sauce instead. I stole the Hot Link.

The ribs were big, tender and flavorful, and deserved to have a close-up.

Texas Beef Brisket. This is what keeps me coming back to Famous Dave’s.

The brisket was so tender, that I could break it apart with my fork. I have never visited Famous Dave’s without getting the brisket, and I’m pretty sure that I never will.

Famous Dave’s opens to the public on Tuesday, September 2nd. If you attend the grand opening, I just might see you there.

Famous Dave’s Riverside
3775 Tyler St. (at the Tyler mall by the AMC Theatres)
Riverside, CA

Famous Dave’s Riverside – Coming Soon?

January 20, 2014 by Ole 7 Comments

Update 08/30/14: Click here for a preview of Famous Dave’s Riverside.

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

Could it be true? My favorite barbecue restaurant is coming to Riverside?

Famous Dave’s Riverside… I like the sound of that.

If this sign is any indication, it appears that I will be visiting the Tyler Mall more frequently than ever before:

The sign is in between Robbins Brothers and Yard House:

Although there are currently no doors or windows where this sign is located, there appears to be a vacant spot behind that little sign (according to a map on the Galleria at Tyler’s website):

If you’re not familiar with Famous Dave’s, read our post about the Rancho Cucamonga location (Famous Dave’s – Rancho Cucamonga) or visit www.famousdaves.com.

I am looking forward to my favorite brisket being so close to home.

Famous Dave’s Riverside
3775 Tyler St. # 1B
Riverside, CA

Josie’s Tacos – Riverside, CA

January 11, 2014 by Ole Leave a Comment

My first post of the New Year is about one of my favorite places to get tacos… Josie’s Tacos in Riverside.

Josie’s Tacos resides in its own little building on Magnolia. Although the building has seen better days, Josie’s Tacos still gets an “A” grade.

The interior is also kind of old, but who cares what it looks like if the food is good, right?

Although you order at the counter, they bring the food to you. I opt for the hot salsa with my chips.

There are many choices on the menu, but with tacos in the name of the restaurant, I always choose tacos. My favorite tacos are the crispy al pastor tacos with lettuce and cheese. These tacos make my favorites list in two categories: Best crunchy tacos and best al pastor.

What is al pastor? Pork… marinated, delicious pork.

The bad news is that Josie’s is currently for sale. I have tried to nail down how long it will remain open, but I have only heard that it could be a few weeks to possibly a few months.

The good news is that the same owners own Templo Del Sol on University in Riverside. I have been told that any items on Josie’s menu that aren’t on Templo Del Sol’s menu will be added. That is good news because Templo Del Sol doesn’t serve my tacos al pastor (I checked).

Stay tuned for my post about Templo Del Sol.

Josie’s Tacos
9782 Magnolia
Riverside