favorite places to eat

Famous Dave’s – Rancho Cucamonga

August 11, 2010 by Ole Leave a Comment

Feast! Feast! Feast! If you don’t recognize this chant then you probably haven’t been to Famous Dave’s.

This is our favorite barbecue place, and yes, we like it better than that place that shares the same name as B.B. King’s guitar. What is so good about this place? Pretty much everything.

My personal favorite is the hickory-smoked wonder known as the Texas Beef Brisket. Until I found Famous Dave’s, the only beef brisket I’ve found in our area has resembled leather covered with barbecue sauce. This brisket is so tender that you can separate it with a fork.

Famous Dave’s has won a bunch of awards for its ribs and just about everything else. I definitely agree that they serve the best ribs. We order them naked, meaning that they are served without barbecue sauce. The ribs are great with just the dry rub, but we also like to have the option of trying Dave’s other sauces.

Your server will give you a rundown of Dave’s five different sauces before your meal. My favorite is the “Devil’s Spit”, which as you can imagine is spicier than the other sauces.

We have also tried the Georgia Chopped Pork and Hot Link Sausage. The chopped pork is my oldest son’s favorite, and it is as good as any I have ever tried. Barbecue meals are served with cornbread muffins and corn on the cob, along with your choice of sides. Our favorite sides are the Drunkin’ Apples and the Wilbur Beans, which include pieces of pork, brisket and hot links.

Famous Dave’s also serves chicken, fish, sandwiches, soups and salads. Although we normally stick with the barbecue selections, I always like to start out with a Caesar Salad.

If you like barbecue, then you’ll like this place. If you don’t like this place, then you probably don’t like barbecue.

Famous Dave’s

11470 4th Street

Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730

www.famousdaves.com/Rancho-Cucamonga

Portillo’s Hot Dogs – Moreno Valley, CA

July 20, 2009 by Ole Leave a Comment

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.

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.

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.

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 Hot Dogs
12840 Day St
Moreno Valley, CA
www.portillos.com

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 is definitely our favorite place for Chinese food.

P.F. Chang’s

3475 Tyler Street

Riverside, CA

Chilitos Mexican Grill – Riverside, CA

June 22, 2009 by Ole 1 Comment

We have probably eaten at Chilitos Mexican Grill in Riverside more than any other restaurant.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

I also like to add a side of 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.

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 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

The Counter in Dos Lagos – Corona, CA

May 7, 2009 by Ole Leave a Comment

Update: The Counter in Corona is closed, but The Counter in Irvine is still open.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

My youngest son’s favorite meal is a cheeseburger (yes, it’s one of my favorites too). We don’t eat them all the time, so when we do we want something good. One of our favorite places to get a great burger is at The Counter in the Dos Lagos center in Corona.

The Counter has a few locations, but this is the only one we’ve visited. I like the “simple” look of this restaurant with its concrete floors, exposed ceilings and metallic furnishings (The Counter calls it “industrial decor” on its website).

The burgers are awesome, and I have never seen so many choices. When you are seated, you receive a clipboard with a form that lets you “build your own burger”. First, you choose what type of burger you want (beef, turkey, veggie or grilled chicken) and the size (1/3 lb, 2/3 lb or 1lb). I’m a pretty big guy and the 1/3 lb has always been the perfect size for me. Next, you choose from 10 cheeses, 28 toppings and 18 sauces. You finish up by choosing an english muffin or a bun (you can also skip the bun and have the burger served in a bowl). The Counter’s website states that there are “312,120+ different burger combinations”.

I’m pretty plain when it comes to burgers, so I always opt for cheese and bacon. This seems boring considering the number of toppings I can pick, but the meat is so perfectly cooked and seasoned that I don’t like to drown it with a lot of competing flavors. The way they cook it is also great. The outside of the burger is never greasy, but the inside is amazingly juicy. The Counter states right on its menu that the beef is 100% natural freshly ground angus beef that is raised on a vegetarian diet without hormones or antibiotics, which is nice.

My oldest son, wife and daughter are more adventurous, and have tried various toppings including jalapenos, chili, pepper jack cheese, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce and onion strings.

This brings me to the appetizers. The french fries and onion strings are incredible. I hear that the sweet potato fries are also good, but I don’t do sweet potato fries so you can be the judge. The Counter also makes some pretty good shakes, and features a new shake every month.

If you’re looking for a great burger, The Counter is worth a try (actually, it’s worth many, many tries).

The Counter Corona

The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos

2785 Cabot Drive Suite 110

Corona, CA

www.thecounterburger.com

Update: Goodbye Counter, Hello Alibi

Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler, Corona

April 7, 2009 by Ole 2 Comments

Update: The Corona Chuy’s is closed, but the Chuy’s in Murrieta ~~is still open~~ has closed too. Shamrock’s now occupies this spot.

The next time you’re driving down Magnolia and notice the great white shark sticking out of Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler, do yourself a favor and go inside the restaurant.

This is our first post on RiversideAndBeyond.com, so we wanted to start with a review of one of our favorite places to eat. We have eaten at Chuy’s many times since we first tried it about 4 years ago. We didn’t go quite as much when new management took over, so now that the original owners have returned, we go there frequently again.

I keep going back for the tri-tip and the shrimp skewers. I’m a tri-tip and shrimp fan, so I try it most places I find it. So far, Chuy’s is the undisputed champ. The tri-tip is always well-seasoned and perfectly-cooked, and is not smothered in barbecue sauce. The tri-tip meals are served with rice, beans, cabbage salad and tortillas.

Chuy’s offers much more than tri-tip and shrimp, including chicken, fish, sandwiches, soups, salads, burritos, tacos and breakfast. There are also separate meals for the kids, and a bar for the grown-ups.

The inside of Chuy’s is part comic book and beach shack. The walls and tables are covered with creative murals, and there are a few sharks that pop out of the wall.

The pricing is reasonable for the amount and quality of the food. You can get meals for about $6 – $11, and kids’ meals for about $5.

Chuy’s is one of our favorite places to eat in Riverside County. Check it out.

Chuy’s Mesquite Broiler

1275 Magnolia Ave, #105

Corona, CA