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Looking for a unique place in which to take the family for a meal in the Inland Empire? Here are six hot spots that will be hard to beat 1. Pat’s Kitchen 1217 6th St., #1A, Norco, 951.371.902 Of course you can find the full roster of well-known fast-food places and national restaurant chains as easily in Norco as you can in any other Inland Empire city, but they convey little if anything of the city’s unique charm and character. Take in a meal at Pat’s Kitchen, though, and you will have no doubt that you are in Horse Town, USA. Located in the heart of Norco’s Old Town, Pat’s Kitchen is a favorite for locals. This small restaurant with its rural ambience is a comfortable, friendly place where comfort food is the order of the day. This is a place where customers can ride up on horseback and tie their mounts to a hitching rail. This is also a place where many of the people who walk through the front door will glance around the dining room and wave or call a greeting to the friends and neighbors that they see. Pat’s Kitchen is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is nothing fancy on the menu and you may find that to be a wonderful thing. Breakfast offerings include traditional egg, pancake and waffle dishes. The lunch menu offers an equally non-frilly selection of burgers, hot and cold sandwiches, soups and salads. Dinner is the definition of “home cookin’” with a traditional selection of steak, chicken and pot roast dishes. Portions are generous and the wait staff is friendly. The menu also offers items for senior citizens and kids under 12. Mind the sign on the front door: “Credit cards are not accepted at this chuckwagon.” 2. Temecula Pizza Company 44535 Bedford Court, Temecula 951.694.9453 Although it is easily accessible from the I-15 and is just a stone’s throw from the Pechanga Resort and Casino, the Temecula Pizza Company takes a little bit of effort to find. Across the street from a service station and tucked behind a mini-mart and a fast-food outlet, the restaurant is a hidden jewel that is well worth the effort to seek out. The menu includes 16 custom pizzas, as well as the basic cheese pizza, which you can order with your favorite toppings, and is rounded out with a nice variety of sandwiches and salads. Stromboli is the house specialty _ cheese, spinach and mushrooms wrapped in fresh-baked dough and available with steak, chicken, sausage, or vegetarian style. Whatever your selection, fresh ingredients prepared to order is what you will find here. Order a pizza and it will come to your table piping hot and delightfully gooey with melting cheese. If you choose to dine inside, the piped-in Italian music makes an interesting contrast to the posters on the walls, many of which are from early Hollywood westerns featuring two of the mega-stars of the era, Tom Mix and Tim McCoy. Take a good look at the poster for “Two-Fisted Justice” starring Tim McCoy and, in small print, you will find the name of supporting cast member John Wayne. This theme carries over to the custom pizzas, some of which are named for Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and Zane Grey, as well as Mix and McCoy. The Temecula Pizza Company also has ample outdoor patio seating. 3. Las Campanas Las Campanas at the Mission Inn 3649 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside 951.341.6767 or 888.326.4448 If your family has something to celebrate or is just in the mood for a special dining experience, consider lunch or dinner at Las Campanas in Riverside. It has a casual atmosphere that is family-friendly in the midst of the historic elegance of the Mission Inn. This Mexican restaurant features outdoor dining in a courtyard setting, garden-like with lush vegetation and a bubbling fountain in the center, surrounded by the guest rooms of the Mission Inn. The setting is so tranquil that, unless an emergency vehicle happens to go racing by, you could almost forget that you are only a few steps away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Riverside. The menu offered by Executive Chef Victor Juarez is complete and varied through all categories, from appetizers to desserts. Entrees range from the basics such as tacos and enchiladas, to the creative specialties of the house. For mom and dad, the selection of margaritas is as varied and complete as any other part of the menu. The service is courteous and friendly and your water, soft drink, or iced tea glass will never be allowed to go empty. While not inexpensive, prices at Las Campanas are quite reasonable considering that this is still the Mission Inn. If you get up from your meal feeling stuffed and wondering how you could have done this to your diet, consider exploring the extraordinary history of the inn, either through a guided tour or on your own. 4. Cowboy Burgers & B.B.Q. 11673 Etiwanda Ave., Fontana 951.681.2020, 951.681.3131 (fax) This restaurant may provide the biggest surprise of these selections. Located among the industrial parks and offices of southwest Fontana, Cowboy Burgers & B.B.Q. looks like any other fast-food outlet, complete with drive-up window and a few outside dining tables. Inside, though, you find yourself in a little slice of cowboy paradise. The western atmosphere comes through the knotty pine ceiling and trim, life-size cowboy and Indian dummies, Old West artifacts and, for good measure, Country Music Television on the TVs.The service is as friendly as the atmosphere. The restaurant is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu includes Mexican combinations along with the wealth of burger and barbecue selections. Cowboy Burgers & B.B.Q. also has a complete breakfast menu including omelets, egg dishes, pancakes, breakfast sandwiches and burritos. In addition to its drive-thru window, Cowboy Burgers & B.B.Q. also has take-out service where customers can telephone or fax their orders in advance. 5. House of Korean BBQ 127 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino 909.882.6112. Walk into the House of Korean BBQ in San Bernardino and you move gently into a traditional Korean-style family atmosphere. That is only natural since this restaurant is the pride and joy of the Oh family and they have been providing their customers with a Korean dining experience for more than 10 years. The restaurant’s menu offers a range of authentic Korean dishes including barbecue, seafood, spicy soups and stews, and stir-fry tofu and vegetables. If you are unfamiliar with Korean cuisine, this is a wonderful introduction to a new culinary experience. Heidi Oh and her husband Ha Young Oh, owners of the restaurant, make regular trips to Korean merchants in Los Angeles to make sure that the ingredients in their dishes are as authentic as possible. The friendly, attentive service will make you feel right at home, and do not be shy about asking questions about anything you see on the menu. The House of Korean BBQ is not only an example of an ancient Asian culture, but also an example of the American Dream. It has always been a dream of Heidi Oh’s to own her own restaurant. She came to the U.S. in 1981 and worked many jobs to make that dream come true. In 1992 she opened House of Korean BBQ and has been making other Inland Empire families feel welcome ever since. 6. Ruby’s Locations at Tyler Mall in Riverside; at 26495 Ynez Road in Temecula; at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs; and at 71-885 Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage www.ruby’s.com. If there is one restaurant in the Inland Empire that has the corner on family dining, it’s Ruby’s Diner. Ruby’s has a simple recipe for success: serve high-quality food at reasonable prices in an atmosphere that makes people happy. The Orange County-based restaurant chain has been doing that since 1982, when Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides opened the first Ruby’s (named after Doug’s mother) in a former bait shop at the end of the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach. Ruby’s boasts nearly three dozen diners in Southern California, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Hawaii, with more on the way. Step into any Ruby’s, and you can see why it’s so popular. Bright red booths with white Formica tables, soda fountains and colorful 1940s posters, artwork and memorabilia remind people of a more innocent time. The menu offers traditional American food that appeals to people of all ages. Kids are treated like royalty at Ruby’s. They get a special placemat with their own menu on one side, and on the other are such activities as connect the dots, a maze or word search.m Michael J. Medley is senior writer for Inland Empire Family Magazine. Christopher Trela contributed the Ruby’s report. |
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