Restaurant Reviews
By Lloyd Yabsley
The Bear Creek Chronicle reviews area restaurants including Simply Sharon's, Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill. Bull Pen Burgers & Links, Rodrigo's Mexican Grill, Ravioli's, and Spelly's Pub & Grill, Red Ginger, and Baily Winery.
****Outstanding on every level ***Excellent
Did You Know...
The Center for Science in the Public Interest posts an annual list called Xtreme Eating, listing the fattiest, most calorie-laden meals of the year. This year's winners include:
- California Pizza Kitchen's Tostada Pizza: 1,440 calories and 27 grams of saturated fat
- The Cheesecake Factory's Pasta Carbonera: 2,500 calories and 85 grams of saturated fat; the Tower Truffle Cake: 1,670 calories and 48 grams of saturated fat
- PF Chang's Double Pan-Fried Noodles Combo: 1,820 calories
- Outback's Rack of Lamb: 1,300 calories and 60 grams of saturated fat
Simply Sharon’s
Simply Sharon’s
27464 Jefferson Avenue
Temecula
simplysharons@yahoo.com
Sharon always had a strong love for cooking and a desire to share it. She started cooking for her church and, as her passion grew and the word spread, she began venturing out. She started with catering but her desire wasn’t completely fulfilled. So with the desire and some luck, she ended up in the restaurant business. Simply Sharon’s started in a smaller place and has just opened a larger restaurant at this new location. Her restaurant offers real authentic southern cooked food. It has been quite a while since I have visited New Orleans and not being a connoisseur of Southern food, I asked Glenn Yon and his wife Donna to join Helene and me for dinner. You see, Glenn was brought up on this cuisine so he was crucial to this review.
We made reservations for Friday night to try the place out and we received a warm greeting. We had no wait at all as the restaurant was half full. We were seated at a center table and promptly greeted by our waiter. We ordered cocktails and the sampler platter -- crab cakes, wings, and fried oysters – and it was delicious. They only serve beer and wine as they are going through the liquor license process. While we were enjoying our appetizers, the live music started and it was impressive. I actually felt like I was back in New Orleans. The waiter took our order for the entrée, which consisted of Louisiana Fried Chicken, Fried Shrimp, Big Poman Gumbo and Etouff’ee. We went overboard on sides to taste several. We ordered six of the fourteen choices. All I heard from Glenn was, “Oh My God, this is the best I’ve ever had.” I can tell you my Fried Chicken was simply delicious. We then plowed ahead to the desserts and ordered Peach Cobbler and Bread Pudding. I preferred the Peach Cobbler but both were very good. The entertainment kept us at our table longer than normal as it was excellent.
If you want real good Southern Cooking, you have to try this place.
My Rating is Excellent $$
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
2785 Lakeshore Drive
Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos
Corona
IDeveloped and run by veteran restaurateurs Eric Anders and Ofer Shemtov, the two opened the original Wood Ranch in Moorpark, California in 1992. They have followed that up with 13 additional locations.
BBQ is what this restaurant is all about and at a price point people can afford. The meals are plentiful and tasty. Barbecue meats and ribs are slow-roasted for up to 18 hours and grilled over a mesquite wood fire. Other choices include the roasted chicken salad sandwich, Portobello mushroom burger, and a good variety of salads.
We ordered the pulled pork dishes and they were delicious; the sauce was through the roof. It exceeded my expectations.
My Rating is Very Good $$
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Okay, Bear Creekers, if you haven’t tried the meatloaf at the Bear Creek Golf Club you’re missing out!
Also a new Yogurt Store -- Mmmmm . . . Good!! Next to Baron’s
Bull Pen Burgers and Links
Bull Pen Burgers and Links
26495 Ynez Rd
Temecula, CA 92591
This restaurant, tucked away in the northwest corner of Margarita & Overland east of the Red Lobster, offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. We tried the lunch because I was told they had the biggest and best Gourmet Dogs & Links. Well, to cut to the chase, they do! Helene ordered the Juicy Loosey Cheeseburger (the biggest seller) and I ordered the Big Pollock (1/2 lb. foot-long polish dog), also a top seller. We were not disappointed as the quantity, quality, and flavor were excellent.
The menu is extensive with the main focus on burgers, sides, dogs and sandwiches. They offer a $30 Ultimate Burger Challenge -- for anyone who finishes it in 30 minutes, the meal is free. According to our waiter, no one has met the challenge!
It is a dog-friendly restaurant with seating outside on the terrace. The hours of operation are 11-10 SMT, 11-12 WT, 11-2 FS.
My Rating is Very Good $
Rodrigo’s Mexican Grill
Rodrigo’s Mexican Grill
39562 Winchester Road
Temecula
One of three locations, Rodrigo’s Mexican Grill offers a modern setting complimented by all the old world dishes of Mexico. The menu focus is Sea food, Chimis, Burritos, Sizzling Fajitas, and combinations complimented with margaritas!
It’s a family-owned chain of businesses that dates back to 1949 and now operates under three brands -- Don Jose’s, Rodrigo’s Mexican Grill, and Ricardo’s.
We were seated at once and our waitress was immediately at our table to take our drink order. We ordered a pomegranate flavored margarita at her suggestion. Unfortunately we didn’t like them so she took them back and replaced them without any fuss. The chips and salsa were tasty and kept full. We ordered the Carnitas and the Shrimp Fajitas and both were delicious. The portions are large and tortillas are served upon request. We wanted to try the Kahlua Fudge Mud Pie but were too full. Our service was way above the line. Overall, we had a very enjoyable experience. Try this place; you might be surprised.
The hours of operation are M-Thurs. 11-10, F-Sat 11-11, Sun 10-10.
My rating is Very Good $
Did you know?
3500 calories = 1 pound
So if you average 100 calories per day more than your body needs you will gain 10 pounds per year!!
Raviolis Osteria
Raviolis Osteria
40711 Murrieta Hot Springs Road
Murrieta
This Raviolis’s second restaurant and they are offering slightly different food with this establishment. As it was explained to me, the intention is to have a more rustic approach to the food and atmosphere. This is what I would commonly call an “Osteria” in Italy.
In Italy, restaurants are identified either as a Ristorante, Trattoria or Osteria. If the restaurant was called a Ristorante, for example, you could expect a formal dining experience -- a wine list, white table cloths and, of course, a price tag to match. A Trattoria is more casual, but serves full, hearty meals. And an Osteria is the least formal of the three -- it is more of a gathering place that serves wine and maybe some basic food, often served by the owner. The food choice would be more minimalistic and cheaper. My take is that this new Raviolis is somewhere between a Trattoria and an Osteria.
I like the new restaurant much better because of the layout and the acoustics. It’s much quieter. The seating is divided into three sections: bar, restaurant, and sidewalk (Patio). The menu offered a large selection of choices, including a pizza selection. These pizzas come uncut and are dinner plate sized. The food is plentiful and delicious. The beverage selection is all one would need and, of course, the wine selection is more than adequate.
In my two visits to the restaurant, it has been full of patrons seemingly having a great deal of enjoyment trying all the different menu items.
My opinion is that if Raviolis hits the sweet spots of price, service, and delivery, they will be a big success as the location easily draws customers from the east, west, north, and south. They have a great location.
If you’re into Italian food, then this is a must place for you to try and see if you enjoy it as much as everyone else.
Operating hours, lunch M-F 11- 3, S-S 12- 3, dinner S-Thurs. 4:30- 9, F-Sat 4:30-10
My Rating is Excellent **** $
Spelly's Pub and Grill
Spelly’s Pub & Grill
40675 Murrieta Hot Springs Road
Suite B1 (Next to Raviolis)
Murrieta
It’s another Pub & Grill but maybe, just maybe, a touch above the rest. I’ll let you be the judge of that.
It has just opened and is decorated handsomely with around 27 flat screens, separate dart area, and a large sit-down bar. Twelve great draft beers are available and they offer happy hour specials on beer and appetizers.
The place is immaculate and done in a modern décor. The one thing that is clear is that someone has a bias towards the Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics. Well, it is a sports bar, isn’t it? I would have expected the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers featured! So it’s said “He who had the money makes the rules.” BTW, I like the Celtics and the Red Sox.
I watched this place being put together and thought, “Oh boy, another pub. They, won’t last.” This just teaches you not to make quick judgments about things you don’t have a clear picture of. Sorry, Mr. Spelly.
Besides the bar and sports offerings, they have a great menu. When you bite into one of the Monster Burgers that houses ten ounces of fresh certified Angus beef, you will know how good a burger can be!
It’s the food; my goodness it was just fantastic. We base that opinion on the fact that we believe that if you can’t produce a good burger in a pub . . . well why should we try anything else? Trust me; they produce a great burger. You won’t be dissatisfied.
The menu offers Burgers, 12-inch Franks, Pasta, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Chicken dishes, Steak, Salmon, and Appetizers -- to give you a flavor of what you can expect.
I suppose you’re all wondering what burgers we ordered -- Helene had Joe’s Favorite (ten ounces of beef with three slabs of bacon, Blue Cheese crumbles, and dressing) and I had an XS Burger (ten ounces of beef with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, and three slabs of bacon); all burgers come with homemade fries. Add an order of Onion Rings with Chipotle ranch dressing for a side and you have a meal. To top that off, we ate all of it!
You have to try this place. If its good old American food cooked to the perfection you like, then this could be your place. Open every day 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
My Rating is Excellent **** $
Red Ginger
Red Ginger
40405 Winchester Rd
Temecula
Chinese cooking enhanced with Asian influence. Slightly upscale Chinese Bistro that has contemporary styling throughout, clean, orderly and friendly. We enjoyed our entire dining experience. We were immediately waited on,(and the place was packed) served a table starter of Chinese chips with a sweet sauce. Drinks were ordered and we browsed the menu. We selected dumplings for a starter and they were wonderful. We then ordered our entrée's of lemon chicken and hot braised shrimp with sides of white and brown rice. It was delicious and more than we could eat.
The menu is extensive with a wide variety of pork, chicken, beef and seafood offerings. They also offer some bundled options of multi-course meals at very attractive pricing. This restaurant has to rate among the tops in this area.
My rating — very good $
Baily Winery
33440 La Serena Way
Temecula, CA
Carol’s Restaurant
Live Music Every Saturday and Sunday from 12:45pm-2:45pm
It was graduation day for Jazz! So we just had to go somewhere special. In case you don’t know, Jazz is our new baby. A five pound snow white Maltese puppy that everyone falls in love with! We selected Carol’s restaurant in the wine country for the fantastic location and great food offerings. It’s also dog friendly in case you were wondering.
We were seated on the patio at a wonderful table, live music was playing and the tables were full. Of course Jazz was strutting around and flirting with all the ladies. We were waited on promptly and ordered Champagne and mushroom drops made with Crimini mushrooms stuffed with basil and sundried tomato cream cheese, wrapped in a wonton, deep fried and served with a roasted red
pepper aioli for a starter Of course Jazz was served first with a bowl of fresh ice water and a special dog cookie. That’s because he is so handsome and friendly.
We reviewed the menu that has limited but wonderful selections ranging from complete entrée’s to sandwiches and salads. I selected the Spinach, Gorgonzola and chicken salad made with fresh spinach, red onion, sliced almonds, chopped hard cooked egg and balsamic vinaigrette topped with a grilled chicken breast and crumbled blue and Helene ordered the classic shrimp scampi made with succulent shrimp, sautéed with garlic, butter, Montage, and fresh lemon juice, served on linguine garnished with Parmesan cheese and Italian parsley. We were too full to taste the desserts but will be coming back but not so full we couldn’t have another glass of champagne.
Only open for lunch Wed- Sun 11:30-2:30 until three sat- Sun.
My rating — Excellent $