El Dorado baseball wins battle with Villa Park in Crestview League

• March 24, 2023

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Even though league play is just getting underway, a victory over one of the county’s top teams is meaningful and could pay dividends later in the season when the playoffs draw closer.

El Dorado got that victory over an excellent team, defeating Villa Park 3-2 in a Crestview League game Thursday at JSerra High School.

The game was supposed to be played Wednesday at El Dorado, but was postponed because of the rain.

El Dorado (8-5, 2-0) couldn’t have its grass field ready in time to play Friday, so the contest was moved to the artificial turf field at JSerra.

The Spartans (8-2, 1-1), who are ranked No. 3 in Division 1 of the CIF Southern Section and No.1 in Orange County, scored two runs on A.J. Krodel’s two-run double with two outs in the third to give Villa Park a 2-0 lead.

But the Hawks, who are ranked No. 11 in the county, answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the third to pull ahead.

Brady Abner and Garvey Rumary both delivered RBI singles in a three-run third, giving El Dorado a one-run lead.

“One of the things we try and do is answer back and we were able to,” El Dorado coach Matt Lucas said. “We did a good job putting balls in play.”

Pitcher Nick Sandstedt entered in the fifth for El Dorado, taking over for starter Jack Fishel.

Sandstedt had five strikeouts and allowed two hits as he kept the Spartans off the scoreboard in his three innings of work, pitching out of trouble in two of those innings.

In the fifth, the Spartans had runners on second and third with two outs. Lucas intentionally walked Krodel, who had two doubles in his first two at-bats.

Designated hitter Jake Fuentes worked the count to 3-1 when Sandstedt came back to strike out the senior.

Big time effort https://t.co/YGUbQYWQar

— matt lucas (@EDHawksBaseball) March 24, 2023

“Even with that 3-1 count I had all the confidence in the world in Nick,” Lucas said. “He threw a 3-2 breaking ball to strike the guy out. If we throw a ball there, it’s a tie game.”

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Villa Park had runners on first and second with two outs in the sixth when Sandstedt retired Jake Fuentes on a ground out to end that threat.

In the seventh, Sandstedt gave up a two-out single to Krodel, but then struck out Fuentes to end the game.

“It was a tough lineup,” Sandstedt said. “I knew I couldn’t leave anything over the middle. I really had to work around them. It worked. We got ground balls and the defense made the plays.”

​ Orange County Register 

A tornado in Southern California? Destructive Montebello twister a rarity

• March 24, 2023

As business owners and residents pick up the pieces after a rare tornado tore through Montebello on Wednesday, March 22, many are wondering: How in the heck did that happen?

Cell phone videos of the small but wild storm racked up millions of videos on social media, and the National Weather Service sent investigators to the scene to figure out what occurred. Forecasters were initially reluctant to label the storm one way or another.

RELATED COVERAGE: Montebello moves to recover following rare tornado

Forecasters eventually concluded on Wednesday that the twister spinning through Montebello at around 11 a.m. was indeed an EF1 tornado. Those have winds ranging from 86 mph to 110 mph. It was the strongest to hit Los Angeles since the 1980s.

Tornadoes are ranked on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which uses the amount of damage a tornado inflicts to measure possible wind speed and other attributes. The scale goes from EF-0, a light tornado, to EF-5, with winds of 200 mph-plus.

At about 50 yards wide, with wind speeds of 110 mph, the twister that hit Montebello damaged 17 buildings, including 11 that were red-tagged, uprooted a tree, and snapped a power pole. One person was injured.

Tornadoes are rare in Southern California, which averages one to two per year, with seven to 10 for the whole state.

There were 44 tornadoes in Los Angeles County between 1950 and 2021, according to the LA Almanac. The last one hit in Inglewood as an EF-0 in 2014. An EF-0, with wind speeds between 65 mph and 85 mph, typically inflicts only minor damage to structures and does not result in massive loss of life or property.

In March 1983, an EF2 tornado with peak wind speeds of 113 mph plowed through South Los Angeles, injuring more than 30 people.

A weak tornado hit Sunset Beach back in 2010. And in 2019, Orange County residents were shocked by a tornado warning during a winter storm.

The reason California doesn’t experience tornadoes more frequently is simple. The perfect conditions that create hundreds of them every year in the Midwest, giving it the famous nickname “Tornado Alley,” just aren’t all that common here.

“Cooler air near the surface is not conducive for the formation of tornadoes,” National Weather Service forecaster David Sweet explained. “You need very warm, moist air in place, and cool air aloft to produce a tornado, so this cooler marine air that we get at the surface suppresses the processes that are needed for tornadoes.”

That changed, though, when this week’s bout of severe weather destabilized the atmosphere and brought not one but two tornadoes to the region — the other twister happened in Carpinteria, further up the coast.

“We had very cold air aloft, we had directional wind shear at lower levels, so that created very unstable air,” Sweet said. Directional wind shear occurs when the wind moves in different directions at various layers of the atmosphere. It’s what initiates the rotational updraft that creates a tornado.

It might be rare to see a tornado in Southern California, but their weather cousins — landspouts and waterspouts — are more common. Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over the ocean. Landspouts are a weaker form of a land-locked tornado, and they begin their rotation from the ground up. The National Weather Service warned that both would be possible with this storm system, and they’re not an uncommon sight in the winter months.

Like many other weather patterns, the exact science behind the formation of tornadoes — known formally as “tornadogenesis” — can be mysterious. Scientists also are working to understand whether an increase in severe storms attributed to climate change could lead to more tornadoes.

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​ Orange County Register 

Meet the entrepreneur who kicked off the craft beer craze in Old Towne Orange

• March 24, 2023

Old Town Orange is a semi-preserved historic area in Orange County. The neighborhood is quaint. Yet, surprisingly, it boasts several chef-driven dining concepts. Why would these places choose to open in Orange? If you ask locals, it all started with a place called Haven Craft Kitchen + Bar.

For years, the drinking scene around the area was lackluster. Then Wil Dee helped revolutionize what was being poured in Orange County. If you ask Dee, he refers to that time as the dark ages of bartending.

“If you didn’t have a creative bartender, especially in Orange County,” says Dee, “that Old Fashioned would be a bright red cherry, a sugar packet-muddled drink that was half soda water.”

That wasn’t good enough for Dee. When he opened Haven in 2009, he vowed that his place would be different.

“Things were static – as far as the spirits, wine, beer selection,” says Dee. “Things didn’t stay or move. It was just maintaining rather than being creative.”

Haven began as a gastropub and is now dubbed a craft kitchen and bar. Though its moniker changed over the years, one thing remained constant: Haven is celebrated for its craft beer and spirit selection.

Dee followed Haven’s success and opened another shop in Old Towne Orange called Provisions, a cafe, coffee, beer and wine shop. In 2016, he co-founded Chapman Crafted Beer & Coffee, which brews microcraft beer and roasts specialty coffee right in Orange.

As Dee’s beverage footprint grew, the city’s advancement also became important to him. Dee serves on the executive board for the Orange Chamber of Commerce and sits as vice president of the Orange County Brewers Guild. Beyond his civic responsibilities, Dee flies out to Louisville to taste special whiskeys blended by the famous Kentucky distiller Woodford Reserve for his O.C. restaurant.

“So tasting, that’s the fun part of it,” he says.

We caught up with Dee to learn what ignited his passion for beer and how Haven stays relevant as Old Towne Orange evolves.

What ignited your love for beer?

When I left Stubrik’s [Steakhouse & Bar], I went to Europe for two months. We visited so many countries around Europe. You get to taste so many different beers. That was my thing. We went to France, and when it came to Germany it was time for Oktoberfest. … The beer there had a difference in the flavor, texture. That was the start.

When I got back, I worked at Taps where they brew their own beer. Victor Novack wrote the book about brewing those particular styles. And that helped me build Haven, as far as the beverage program and that creativity.

Haven was one of the first places in Orange County to serve specialty beers and spirits. Why did you choose to do that when everyone seemed happy imbibing from the well?

It became one of those guiding principles, you have a product made by a company. You know what you’re going to get in terms of the quality.

At Haven, let’s have a draft list that’s a variety of styles. Fourteen years ago, you’d go into a place and a basic list would look like Bud Light, Coors Light, Stella, Amstel Light and maybe Heineken. Ultra was a big thing back then too. But all the styles were the same. That was the variety you’d see everywhere. It was just lagers.

How did you get people to try something new?

When I put my tap list here, people used to say, “Oh you have weird beer here. You don’t have American beer.”

And then, I’d say, “Actually, we have a beer made by someplace down here.”

We get a lot of new people and new faces around here. A lot of them asked for macro brands, but it’s no longer the case.

You also brew your own beer at Chapman Crafted. How did that begin?

Haven expanded into a place in Pasadena in 2011. That place had brewing equipment. So I reached out to a colleague and he had someone who was an independent craft home brewer. I met Chapman’s current brewer the year before during San Francisco beer week. He moved down here and applied for the job. My friend Randy [Nelson] wanted to come up with a production brewery and what’s left is Chapman Crafted.

Why did you open in Old Towne Orange?

We found a place in the city and Lisa Camp and our city manager at the time was like we want you in this property. It will be good for the local economy. A lot of it had to do with the principles that were put in place at Haven.

Speaking of Haven, now that craft beer and brown spirits are so common, how do you stay relevant?

People’s palates are more accustomed to craft beers and brown spirits. It worked out great for us because we always had a large hard alcohol selection – hard whiskey, gin; even our wine list is a 10-time Wine Spectator wine list.

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​ Orange County Register 

Why sharing home-cooked meals is a way of building family for one South Asian writer

• March 24, 2023

We South Asians come from large families and build tight-knit communities when we move as immigrants.

As a graduate student, I saved to buy gifts for my family alongside the cheapest plane ticket. I counted more than 60 cousins, aunts, uncles, neighbors and well-wishers who were family. Every other year I returned, my suitcases filled with American goods – Kirkland cashews, Costco socks, Marshalls’ cashmere sweaters and, of course, Hershey’s chocolates from Target.

This was America that they knew – the land of Dove deodorants and Gillette razors. They eagerly awaited these gifts, and I gladly obliged. After all, the universal immigrant message was that we’ve made it. The aftershave for our uncle was proof.

Years passed. Grandmothers, uncles, parents, older cousins departed this earth. I’ve lived in America longer than India, relinquished my Indian citizenship and gained an American one. Home seems like many cities and yet none of them. As the youngest cousin, I am one of the few surviving Ghosh members. Now I live alone, child-free by choice, with no parents or spouse anymore. I am an outlier South Asian.

Growing up, our family home was filled with relatives visiting from Kolkata. Baba showed them the sights of New Delhi, heading to Sarojini Nagar Market for the latest kameezes, or Palika Bazaar for bootlegged Levis or secondhand Sidney Sheldon paperbacks.

Ma’s kitchen was a flurry with luchis frying in peanut oil, chicken cooking in a whistling pressure cooker, the smells of cinnamon ground with cloves sautéed in ghee mixed with grated onions/ginger/garlic, ready for minced goat curry.

Every weekend was a roaring gas flame roasting eggplant, or a turmeric-coated piece of hilsa or rohu sizzling in oil. We children – out of my mother’s path – stole a potato fry, sometimes a gajaa (fried dough dunked in sugar syrup). Our world was food – the prep, the cooking, the serving and then the cleanup. And repeat.

Madhushree Ghosh is the author of “Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family.” She lives in San Diego. (Photo courtesy Madhushree Ghosh)

In America, I continued the Ghosh tradition. I cooked woks of cauliflower curry, masoor dal with onion seeds in ghee, chicken curry with cashews and garam masala for friends. I married for love, spent weekends cooking for my now-ex’s vegetarian family – spicy tomato rasam, eggplant with ground peanuts.

In a decade, the marriage sputtered. The parties stopped, dinners quit, and I was left with an empty house. I kept cooking, as if cooking would bring the magic back. Bowls of chicken curry, degchis of coconut shrimp, lamb curry haandis with ginger. In the empty house I cooked, reliving the comfort of knowing I had a family. But it didn’t matter – my parents were gone, my marriage was dead.

Life, however, predictably moves, even when heartbreak stalls time. My closest friends became family – we were “framily.” Now, every Diwali – the Festival of Lights – we celebrate with food. Then they clean up, fold the chairs away, toss the tablecloths in the washing machine, leftovers in Tupperware – much like my parents’ friends would when I was a child.

When the pandemic stalled our lives, I still cooked. I made boxes of fried rice with sautéed raisins, chicken curry in yogurt sauce, mustard fish steamed in banana leaves, sabudana khichdi – tapioca pearls with potatoes. I drove to the framily, honked outside, and they came down, masked, in sweatpants, happy to get food filled with love. We thought this would last a few weeks – every Friday, we Zoomed discussing the nothingness of a pandemic lockdown.

Then, when the pandemic dragged on, I decided to grow food to feed the framily. I filled my tiny yard with planters. An experiment.  Could I do what my Baba used to? Grow enough vegetables? After all, experiments fail.

That year, I grew greens, beets, cauliflower and pea shoots to feed my neighbors, friends, caterpillars and the occasional bug. Then, I graduated to bitter melon, green beans and kale alongside eggplants. I cook the greens with an occasional potato curry or a steamed fish. When life morphs, we transform expectations to hold love and food as the gift.

Who knows where we are headed next? After all, life doesn’t have a straightforward formula. But does it matter if our hearts hold “yes” and “joy” to guide us through it?

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​ Orange County Register 

Like Vietnamese food? Here are 5 delicious spots in OC’s Little Saigon to try

• March 24, 2023

As the official national dish of Vietnam, it’s no surprise that pho shops dot every corner of Little Saigon. While you can never go wrong with established heavyweights including Pho 79, Pho 101, Pho Dakao and Phoholic, for foodies who want to try pho with some swagger, here are some new names to consider.

Take Phở Thìn 13 Lò Đúc, for instance. Little Saigon’s newest pho hot spot just touched down directly from Hanoi and brings with it authentic, delicately seasoned Northern-style pho in a region dominated by Southern-style pho, which is more robust and complex in flavor.

Order the signature phở tái lăn, which features tender ribeye and filet mignon stir-fried in ginger and garlic, a hallmark of their pho, which also comes blanketed in verdant spring onions. Ginger, onion and cinnamon are the primary aromatics here (versus the usual stars anise and cloves found in Southern pho), along with a reported 13 types of fresh fruit juice, which explains the broth’s sweetness.

Take note of the condiment jars filled with pickled garlic and pickled chilies – they’ll definitely punch up your bowl.

Pro-tip: Arrive early to nab a side of bánh quẩy (savory deep-fried breadsticks), which are perfect for dunking into the broth.

Over at Pho Redbo in Garden Grove, the wait can reach up to an hour on weekends. Seemingly everyone’s there for the American Wagyu beef pho, starting at $18 to $22 a bowl. For $50, you’ll get a stone pot of piping hot broth, with a platter of rare slices of American Wagyu and a bowl of fresh, wide rice noodles on the side.

Indeed, the Wagyu is buttery and basically melts on the tongue – the rather satisfying broth is redolent with rich, beefy aroma and flavor.

Sen Vietnamese Cuisine in Westminster hasn’t been open a year, but it already has a legion of devotees. You likely won’t find a table without an order of the Bánh Mì Que Pate, petite house-made baguettes stuffed with country-style pate, chili sauce and pork floss (shredded pork). Two come to an order ($5.50), and the baguettes arrive warm and crisp – the combination of savory, creamy with that slight zip of heat is irresistible. You’ll want to keep coming back for these.

Another must-try? The Bánh Đa Cua Hải Phòng, a crab noodle soup with unique, reddish-brown wide rice noodles that are pleasantly chewy, with housemade pork meatballs and shrimp.

Fans of the popular bánh xèo crepes might also fall for a similar dish called bánh khọt, which consists of savory rice flour mini-pancakes topped with shrimp or pork, accompanied with greens and herbs such as perilla leaves, lettuce, mint and shredded papaya that you’ll use to wrap up the pancakes and dip into the fish sauce (nuoc mam) and eat. The ones at Bánh Khọt Vũng Tàu in Westminster are thinner and lacier than most, possessing a delightfully remarkable crunch.

Of course, no visit to Little Saigon is complete without frequenting one of the many coffee and boba shops that abound. DaVien manages to stand out, thanks to its ability to consistently churn out some of the best-inspired takes on Vietnamese iced coffee or ca phe sua da.

Also, some credit should go to the shop’s use of pebble ice, the gold standard for iced drinks and for which the shop happens to be named after.

The ever-popular Egg Coffee comes crowned with a thick and creamy topping made from whipped egg yolks – all the better to cut the intensely robust coffee flavor. Oh, and when we say robust, we mean this may have you bouncing off the walls until the wee hours. You’re welcome.

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​ Orange County Register 

Explore these 12 Inland Empire foodie favorites

• March 24, 2023

In some ways, San Bernardino’s food scene started with McDonald’s.

The McDonald brothers, Richard “Dick” and Maurice “Mac,” opened the first golden arches location on North E Street in San Bernardino in the 1940s. Their humble venture changed the course of fast food in America.

Today, the North E Street pitstop no longer slings burgers. (A franchisee-operated restaurant in Downey, which opened in 1953, retains the title of oldest continually operating McDonald’s.)

But a Route 66 proponent named Albert Okura, who founded the Juan Pollo restaurant chain, decided that this place was important enough to preserve. He transformed the restaurant into a museum dedicated to the first McDonald’s.

It’s a kitschy place that highlights San Bernardino’s indelible mark on Americana food culture. It’s also a reminder that our food history is intertwined with unexpected places like San Bernardino – places that aren’t necessarily glamorous, but after all these years, they’re still good.

From freshly baked breads and cookies at Old Town Baking Company to Mexican American classics at family owned Milta Cafe, which opened in 1937, San Bernardino dining spans cultures and generations. The big chains and drive-thrus might be the first thing you think of when eating in the Inland Empire. But, hidden in non-descript strip malls is a vibrant food scene often overlooked.

Syrian-influenced Mediterranean food at Mr. Kebab and Jamaican beef patties at Dhat Island Caribbean Creole in Redlands are squeezed into unassuming plazas. Historic landmark restaurants such as Magic Lamp remain beloved multigenerational mainstays. Others, including Tartan of Redlands, started serving steaks in the 1960s. The same family has operated Old World Deli in Upland for half a century. These are places that take pride in not changing too much.

Life moves at such a dazzlingly fast pace. But, it’s these nostalgic-inducing restaurants that transport us back to the past with each bite. They keep San Bernardino special.

For real old-school California foodies, you must try these under-the-radar gems:

Milta Cafe

The legend of Milta Cafe started when Glenn Bell ate one of the restaurant’s famous crispy tacos. He loved the deep-fried tacos so much that it inspired him to start his own fast-food chain, Taco Bell.

To this day, Milta Cafe’s fried-to-order crispy tacos are the must-try dish at this family owned Mexican restaurant. For many California foodies, this place is an institution.

It’s one of those places where customers order old-school combination platters lined with tamales, chile con carne, enchiladas and chile rellenos.

Founded by matriarch Lucia Rodriguez in 1937, Milta Cafe started as a lunch counter pit stop along Route 66. Rodriguez opened Milta with her first husband, Vincente Montaño. But when she was widowed, she remarried a man named Salvador in the mid-1940s.

The couple expanded Milta Cafe into the restaurant it is today. Lucia’s four children – Theresa Guillen, Helen Martinez, Vera Lopez and Frank Montaña – continued their mother’s legacy after she died in 1981. Then Vera, followed by Frank with his wife Irene Montaño, took over for decades. In 2013, Lucia’s youngest grandson and her great-grandson started overseeing operations.

11201 California St., Suite A, Redlands

Milta Cafe in San Bernadino on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

Old Town Baking Company

This Inland Empire bakery was started by Don Bishop in 1999. Bishop got his training as the U.S. Army’s head night baker when he served in 1957. Decades later, he decided to revive his recipes.

Though Old Town Baking Company has brick-and-mortar locations, including one in San Bernardino, the bakery also frequents farmers markets. In Orange County, farm stands at Manassero Farms and Tanaka Farms in Irvine carry Old Town Baking Company breads, cookies and baked goods daily.

999 S. E St., San Bernardino; 909-945-0400

Vince’s Spaghetti Route 66

Vince’s Spaghetti opened in Ontario in September 1945, starting as a six-stool, open-air restaurant. Grandma Rose cooked the food in her own kitchen, located 50 yards away from the restaurant, and then hand-carried everything to the customers.

The business was run by three brothers and their wives. They chose the location since it was on one of the main roads to Palm Springs at the time. The restaurant expanded over the years and, in 1968, Vince’s seating was up to 400.

As its name suggests, Vince’s Spaghetti is known for its red-sauce pasta. Vince’s claims to serve more than 30 tons of spaghetti every month. Today, Vince’s includes three locations, all family owned and operated. The Rancho Cucamonga location opened in 1984 and serves Grandma Rose’s original recipes.

8241 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga; 909-981-1003

Old World Deli

This no-frills, old-school Italian delicatessen still serves “the same meatballs just as Ben D’Aquila rolled 50 years ago.”

The family-owned and operated restaurant opened in 1969. D’Aquila was a trained butcher from Queens, New York, who moved his family cross-country to California. They arrived in a 1957 Chevy sedan, armed with his wife Lia’s Sicilian recipes and Ben’s skills as a butcher. Lia, who was a WWII survivor, remembers American troops liberating Italy after the war.

The food served at Old World Deli is a blend of Italian and American flavors – and, in some ways, reflects the family’s ancestry.

At Old World Deli, the Grinder cold deli sub, hot meatball sandwiches, New York-style hot dogs with kraut, and Sicilian pizza by the slice are gateway items to order. But, for regulars – and Wisconsinite transplants – the broasted chicken is not to miss.

Never heard of broasted chicken?

Combine the cooking power of a pressure cooker with a deep fryer and you have the Broaster, a trademarked cooking apparatus built in Beloit, Wisconsin. Broasted chicken, which was all the rage at old school supper clubs, is less caloric than traditional fried chicken since it is exposed to the cooking oil for less time.

281 S. Mountain Ave., Upland; 909-608-0418

Tartan of Redlands

Tartan of Redlands is the quintessential steakhouse – prime rib on Saturdays; grilled steaks, lamb chops and burgers with thick-cut fries are mainstay menu items.

The American-style steakhouse opened April 15, 1964. Founded by three brothers – Velmer, Al and Art Croteau – the Tartan of Redlands remained a family business for decades. Their nephew, Larry Westen, managed the Tartan and eventually became a partner. Westen and his wife Barbara created the Tartan’s atmosphere, which became known as the “Cheers of Redlands.” When Westen died in May 2003, Larry Westen III took over.

In 2015, the Tartan was bought by Jeff Salamon and his wife, Lisa. Salamon, also known as “Solly,” was born in Boston, Mass., and served in the Marine Corps. Though the ownership changed over the years, the classic cocktail bar and sizable portions remain.

24 E. Redlands Blvd., Redlands; 909-335-8881

Steer ’n Stein

Steer ‘n Stein Restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga is one of the Inland Empire gems for those who love a great steak meal. (Photo by Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/SCNG)

The steakhouse concept sprung to life in Huntington Beach in 1967. Though the Orange County location shuttered, Steer ’n Stein restaurants are still operating in Victorville, Moreno Valley, Hemet and Rancho Cucamonga.

As the name implies, beef and beer reign supreme here. The hand-cut steaks include the top-selling Stockyard and a 12-ounce choice sirloin. But the loaded potato skins are where most regulars start.

8348 Archibald Ave., Rancho Cucamonga

Magic Lamp

The Rancho Cucamonga steakhouse opened in 1955. The atmosphere outside conjures images of Old Hollywood meets Arabian Nights. Inside, red leather booths, white tablecloths and a circular brick fireplace exude a low-key lounge vibe.

The Magic Lamp feels like being transported back in time – and historians agree. The restaurant is recognized in Hampton Hotels’ Save-A-Landmark program as a site worth seeing.

Think: 1950s-style steakhouse with a Rat Pack vibe. Live jazz music on the weekends. Jumbo shrimp cocktails, signature prime rib with Yorkshire pudding and creamed horseradish, tableside carved Chateaubriand filet mignon with Béarnaise and Bordelaise sauces.

Even the desserts nod to old-school 1950s dining trends. The cherries jubilee flambé with cherry brandy and orange liqueur served over vanilla ice cream is simple and delicious.

8189 E. Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga

The Pines Modern Steakhouse

The Pines Modern Steakhouse at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel is continuously voted one of the top dining destinations in the Inland Empire. Wine Spectator honored the restaurant with the 2022 Award of Excellence. Seafood towers, Kobe beef and a cachet of rare, vintage and one-of-a-kind spirits are the eye-catching menu items.

But at The Pines, the steaks are where you should start. Choose from Kobe beef and other prime select cuts. Also be sure to save room for the house-made gelato and crème brûlée.

On weekends, the $79 brunch buffet includes a seafood display with snow crab, oysters and shrimp, a prime rib carving station, and à la carte options such as fried Jidori chicken and waffles, lobster hash and jumbo lump crab benedict.

777 San Manuel Blvd., Highland; 909-425-4889

Gazzolo’s Sausage Co. Restaurant and Deli

The old-world sausage maker prepares handmade sausages each week. The wurst meister uses fourth-generation European recipes to make classics such as bratwurst, bockwurst and knockwurst. Smoked Polish kielbasa and frankfurters emerge from the restaurant’s custom smokehouse.

The best way to sample the wurst meister’s wares are the sausage plates – served with hot German potato salad, homemade sauerkraut or red cabbage, and fresh-baked German bread with butter.

The menu also includes German, Bavarian, Swiss and Austrian specialities such as beef rouladen and wienerschnitzel.

A dessert not to miss: apple strudel that’s reminiscent of a drool-worthy scene from the film “Inglourious Basterds.”

132 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino

Dhat Island Caribbean Creole

At Dhat Island Caribbean Creole oxtail stew and the yellow curry stewed goat share the menu with portobello sandwiches and green plantains. The Caribbean Creole flavors also extend to brunch. Beignets, cobbler and Southern fried chicken Benedict with Creole hollandaise sauce are great tiptoes for beginners to Caribbean and Creole flavors.

Red beans and rice, which is emblematic of Louisiana Creole cuisine, accompany most dishes.

The oxtail tamales and poisson (pan-seared fish, andouille sausage and shrimp) with grits are heartier dishes that conjure flavors of the islands.

308 W. State St., No. 1-A, Redlands; 909-798-6060

Mr. Kebab

Waled Daoud left his life in Syria in 1999. He immigrated to Riverside and started working as a waiter at Mr. Kebab. In Syria, he was a trained cook and brought that knowledge with him to the States. In 2005, Daoud took over as owner and chef of Mr. Kebab in Redlands. Along with his family, they opened a second location in Loma Linda in 2010.

The menu at both locations features more than 50 dishes ranging from Syrian specialities to all-American hamburgers. Starters include aromatic rice stuffed grape leaves with parsley and chopped tomatoes, kibbeh with ground beef and bulger, and dips such as mutabbal, creamy eggplant and tahini mixed with olive oil and lemon. The main dishes include the expected Mediterranean fare, falafel and shawarma. But Mr. Kebab also features more interesting plates such as quail and lamb chops.

Feeding a larger group? The family plate for five and catering options are available.

11201 California St., Suite A, Redlands; 909-335-8881

First Original McDonald’s Museum

Big Macs and fries are not served here – there’s a McDonald’s less than a mile away on Highland Avenue for that. This museum is the place where Richard and Maurice McDonald got their start in the 1940s, selling burgers, fries and beverages. In 1954, milkshake dispenser salesman Ray Kroc visited, was impressed by the business they had built, and convinced the brothers he could take their enterprise to another level. That’s the condensed version of the McDonald’s story, also depicted in 2016’s “The Founder,” with Michael Keaton as Kroc. If you want to check out memorabilia that celebrates the global fast-food behemoth, or simply stand on the ground where it all began, this is the place. It’s open seven days a week, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.

1398 N. E St., San Bernardino; 909-885-6324

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This story is part of a collection of stories printed Sunday, March 26, 2023.
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– Additional reporting by Jerry Rice

​ Orange County Register 

Here’s everything you need to plan a road trip through the beautiful Southwest

• March 24, 2023

When you’re from California, it’s easy to think that some of the world’s most beautiful and wild, rugged places are right here in our lovely state. But the reality is that while the Golden State has plenty of incredible scenery to offer, both back in those ‘Wild West’ days as well as right here and now, the landscapes found leading to it across America’s Southwest are some of the most spectacular to be found anywhere on the planet.

And while pioneers probably didn’t stop and take an extended visit, these days a road trip is a perfect way to see our favorite special spots in the Southwest.

Figuring out what to see on a Wild West road trip takes a bit of planning. Our version assumes you’ll begin in California and not try to do too much, so will only encompass our favorite spots in Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Come along to see ghost towns, hoodoos, natural arches, sandstone spectacles, dark-sky stars and a really huge hole in the ground. We’ll even suggest a few places to sleep, eat and be merry as well.

Before you begin, consider purchasing an annual national parks pass at the first park you enter. That $80 pass gets everyone in your car into every national park for a full year. You don’t have to be an American citizen to buy the annual pass, either. And if you are an American citizen age 62-plus, buy your lifetime pass for $80 and never again pay to enter a U.S. national park. Considering that Zion National Park’s entry fee is $35 per car, getting the annual pass is something of a no-brainer.

Nevada: Ghosts, Gold and Red Rock

While the lure of Sin City in Nevada is strong, there’s more to the Vegas environs than casinos and outlet malls. So sleep in Las Vegas to start your adventure if you’d like, perhaps in the comfortable beds at the all-suite Venetian Hotel, have a world-class meal at their estiatorio Milos restaurant, take in a show and then let the real wild adventure begin as you exit that glitzy place.

Start with an easy ride to the Red Rock Canyon Park, where you will need a timed reservation to enter between October and May. It’s just 15 minutes west of the Strip, but transports you to a completely different world, a land of massive striated red rocks, where easy walking trails lead to ancient Native American petroglyphs and perhaps even a glimpse of the protected (and endangered) desert tortoise, who calls this arid place home. This small park is a great start to seeing the incredible rock formations that await in Utah and Arizona.

Ancient petroglyphs in Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon. (Photo by Jenny Peters)

Red Rock is lovely, but our favorite Nevada stop is Rhyolite, a gold-rush ghost town northwest of Vegas. Founded in 1904, it grew to a city of 5000 residents – and was abandoned by 1916. Today it is a delightful mix of art installations (begun in 1981) – think sculptures of all sorts and sizes – known as the Goldwell Open Air Museum and the abandoned brick homes, banks, railroad depot and a famed house built of glass bottles of the ghost town. The combination is absolutely fascinating and well worth the drive into what seems to be the middle of nowhere.

Utah: Hoodoos, Arches and Much More

Rolling north into southern Utah transports you into a world of contrasts, from vast arid deserts to densely wooded mountains, massive sandstone cliffs, amazing natural-stone arches and seriously wacky rock formations.

Begin in Zion, Utah’s first national park, where most months you’ll need to park your car and ride the free shuttle from the visitor center into the park. This park is so popular, with famed sites like Zion Canyon, Kolob Arch, the Narrows, the Court of the Patriarchs, the Great White Throne, the Temple of Sinawava and Angels Landing that massive crowds form, especially during the spring, summer and fall seasons. It’s so popular because it is an incredible place, with hiking, rock climbing and the scenic drive highlighting the experience. Jump on and off the shuttle as often as you’d like, but know to not miss the last one, as you’ll be walking nine miles to get out of the park if you do!

Bryce Canyon National Park is probably the most eye-popping, mind-boggling place you will ever see, with its hoodoos (“irregular rock formations,” which barely describe them adequately) of every shape, size and structure. It’s the largest concentration of these magical forms anywhere in the world, and a true must-see, bucket-list destination. Stay in the small town of Bryce (with Best Western and Ruby’s Inn being the two no-frills main hotels) or try to get the tough reservation into the rustic Lodge at Bryce Canyon if possible inside the park. Make your way up the one-way road to see all of the incredible sights in this unique part of the world and hike down into the canyon for a closer look. Don’t miss going in at night to have a true dark-sky experience, with Milky Way stargazing led by a park ranger. Remember to always bring a warm coat along in this park, for the night (and early morning) temps here can be seriously chilly at any time of year.

Moving on to the northwest, encounter Capitol Reef National Park, a true undiscovered gem of Utah. You’ll be gobsmacked at the huge cliffs of bright, rainbow-colored sandstone looming high above you, with peculiarly shaped hoodoos hanging at perilously odd angles. Find hidden arches and petroglyphs, take a horseback ride or a hike and be sure to spot the iconic white sandstone U.S. Capitol building-shaped dome before you move on west to Arches National Park. Take Route 24 to get a real feel of what faced pioneers as they crossed these barren sand dunes, and be sure to stop into Goblin Valley State Park, another hidden gem of sandstone hoodoos (called “goblins” here), in a breathtaking valley setting. There’s even a disc golf course in this park!

You’ll probably have to wait to enter Arches, as it’s one of America’s most iconic natural places. See Delicate Arch, Double Arch, Balanced Rock and Corona Arch once you make it in, seemingly delicate sandstone miracles of erosion. In nearby Moab discover the liveliest scene anywhere in this part of the world, so have a good meal, hit a bar or nightclub, and do some people-watching before you begin to go south toward Arizona and the Navajo Nation.

Approaching the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park on the Utah/Arizona border, the iconic landscape there is bound to be familiar if you’re a film fan, as it has served as the spectacular setting of numerous famous movies. Think “Stagecoach,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and “Fort Apache,” for this is the place that John Wayne and John Ford turned into the world’s ultimate vision of the Wild West; later, “Forrest Gump” cemented it as an Instagram hotspot.

Monument Valley is owned by the Navajo Nation, so book a hotel room at Goulding’s Resort just outside, a scenic hotel that has welcomed visitors since the 1920s, and then drive in, paying $8 per person to see the Mittens, Elephant Butte, John Ford’s Point, Artist’s Point and more on the loop drive within the park. Taking a Navajo-guided tour is an incredible way to learn more about this sacred place and the indigenous people who still call it home.

Arizona: Sunrise, Sunset and a Flyover at the Big Hole

The last stop on our Wild West road trip is Arizona’s big hole in the ground, also known as the Grand Canyon. One of the world’s truly astonishing natural wonders, the canyon is the longest on the planet, but not the deepest, despite being over a mile down from the rims that mark where the Colorado River began eroding away the sandstone and limestone eons ago that created this eye-popping place.

The Grand Canyon at sunset is a must-see on any road trip adventure through the Southwest. (Photo by Jenny Peters)

Book way ahead to stay at the iconic El Tovar Hotel inside the park, for it’s the best way to see the sun rise and set right out your front door, the two best times to be hanging on the edge of the canyon and watching it change hues. Hike down into the canyon as far as you can go to see it up close, but do remember that climbing back out is a lot harder to do. For a once-in-a-lifetime thrill, hop on a helicopter via Grand Canyon Helicopters at the airport just outside of the south rim entrance and soar over the edge and swoop down into the canyon in a copter. Trust us, that is a moment you’ll never forget and a perfect ending to a Wild West journey filled with adventures and excitement – with not one shot fired along the way.

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This story is part of a collection of stories printed Sunday, March 26, 2023.
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​ Orange County Register 

Here’s a primer for getting to know the richness of Santa Barbara’s wine country

• March 24, 2023

Wine is as close as people can get to time travel. Opening a bottle is a glimpse into the past – a snapshot. The sun, the grapes, the air, the dedication and love of the winemaker all pour from the bottle. The entire experience is an emotional transportation to somewhere else – that moment in time, forever held within the walls of that bottle.

The winemakers in Santa Barbara wine country are renowned to be some of the very best at this – not just in California, but in the world. Wine Enthusiast named it Region of the Year in 2021.

To fully understand why the region is so special, you have to appreciate its unique geography. Santa Barbara Wine Country lies within a transverse valley – only one of two in the entirety of the Americas, the other being in Chile.

What this means is the valley runs east to west. Instead of the valley range working to isolate grapes from the elements and temperature changes, it instead acts as a funnel, pulling in the air off the ocean as well as everything it carries to coat the vines as it sees fit. The various micro-climates provided to the region by the transverse nature of the valleys give winemakers an immense amount of flavors within the grapes, and conditions to grow in.

Seven federally sanctioned American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) lie within greater Santa Barbara County. Santa Ynez Valley is an overlying AVA, which is then broken down into four sub-AVAs (west to east): Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara.

Sta. Maria Valley sits the farthest North. The newest AVA that was federally recognized in 2020 is Alisos Canyon AVA. More than 270 wineries work with more than 70 varietals of grapes to produce a staggering array of wines.

Facts are only the skeleton, however – it’s everything else around the bottle that truly makes the wines of Santa Barbara County special. The people who work the various AVAs are as warm and inviting as the sun that kisses the land. This isn’t to say there aren’t great experiences outside of Santa Barbara wine country, but there is a relaxed atmosphere here that’s rare. There is little pretense or expectations – gatekeeping to the world of wine is not something that exists in these lands.

Luna Hart Wines in the Santa Ynez Valley was founded by winemaker Gretchen Voelcker and is a boutique wine company specializing in small batches. (Photo by Crawford McCarthy)

Winemakers to know

Gretchen Voelcker, winemaker at Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart in the Santa Ynez Valley, welcomes guests with a bright smile and open arms. Her energy and passion for her craft are beautifully infectious, and her wines are stunning.

At Piazza Family Wines and Luna Hart, she develops beautiful expressions of Pinot Noir, Grenache, Syrah and more. She doesn’t stop there – Voelcker utilizes all the colors of the rainbow. Her Graciano is vivacious and disarmingly delicious. Her Grüner Veltliner is simply divine. The entire experience of tasting wines here feels more like seeing an old friend than visiting a business.

Sunshine is one of the most important aspects of winemaking, and no one is a better embodiment of the very sun itself than Sunny Doench Stricker of Future Perfect Wine. When you think of going wine tasting, you want a welcoming environment to sit, sip and enjoy.

It’s best to learn about the process, the winemaker’s approach, and the wines themselves all while being able to feel comfortable and relaxed. Stricker’s wines are a direct reflection of that energy. Her wildly charming tasting room in Los Olivos is as if a glass of her Sparkling Blanc de Blanc became sentient and got a degree in hospitality and marketing. It’s no wonder Future Perfect is the place many choose to start their wine touring day – everyone loves a good sunrise.

Whimsy and welcoming excursions into the vineyard are fantastic, but who doesn’t love a luxurious afternoon of doing absolutely nothing (except tasting wine, of course)? The wines Steve Clifton produces at Vega Farm and Vineyard in Buellton are other-worldly. Save the airfare money to Italy and open some of these bottles instead. Nebbiolo, Teroldego, Sangiovese and many, many more varietals are all available to savor.

The massive property has been stunningly designed – farm animals for kids, amazing wines for adults, and a beautiful kitchen program for everyone to enjoy. The space is set up for event hosting as well.

The ability for the various AVAs to produce so many types of grapes makes this one of the most diverse growing regions on the planet. It’s also the variability of flavors within those very grapes that makes it truly exciting. Take Dragonette Cellars, for example – specifically their Sauvignon Blanc. Brothers John and Steve Dragonette and close friend Brandon Sparks-Gillis all run Dragonette Cellars. While they make a handful of other exceptionally good wines, tasting through their Sauvignon Blanc is like watching a magic trick.

Grapes are from three different farms – yet each within a stone’s throw of the other, give or take. One would expect the flavors to be similar given the proximity, but no. They’re distinctly different with every sip – minerality, salinity, citrus, floral notes and more. Wave after wave depicts the possibilities of what the region can produce.

Before you go

A trip to Santa Barbara wine country is more than just a weekend away, it’s a short drive to the flavors of the world.

Fire up the search engine – or, better yet, just download the app from the Santa Barbara Vintners Association – and get planning. Pack a bag, book a room. The Ballard Inn is a phenomenal choice (charming and chic, with an excellent in-house restaurant, impeccable wine list and management team. It’s a great location for trips to the AVAs and surrounding wineries).

More ‘Go+Eat+Adventure’

This story is part of a collection of stories printed Sunday, March 26, 2023.
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Explore these 12 Inland Empire foodie favorites
Read more ‘Go+Eat+Adventure’
More SCNG Premium content

​ Orange County Register