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The renovated Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga elevates the dining experience

December 20, 2023

Part of the embrace of resort-style casinos in Southern California is its incorporation of fine dining, where guests can splurge their spoils after a lucky play. For the Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, that means sampling several ounces of Wagyu for dinner or taking a $350 shot of whiskey.

The upscale restaurant, which seats up to 235 guests, is now open after seven months of renovations. It includes a lounge bar with a new cocktail and wine menu and shares a door with the casino’s Italian kitchen, Paisano’s.

Andre Pinto, executive chef of Pechanga Resort Casino, said that guests have been happy to return after the restaurant’s reopening and that staff are also enjoying the new kitchen.

“The menu is more elevated and high-end, and the guys love the presentation of how we bring our food to guests,” Pinto said.

The decor and atmosphere set the scene at The Great Oak Steakhouse, Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Showcasing the Chef’s Table and wine cellar at The Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Unveiling the new lounge bar at The Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Property mixologist Nicholas Dukes crafts a martini at The Great Oak Steakhouse, Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Featuring The Great Oak Martini: A concoction of vodka, gin, Meyer lemon juice, muddled cucumber, and basil, complemented by a hint of citrus aroma and flavor, showcased with a captivating smoke at The Great Oak Steakhouse, Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Head executive chef Andre Pinto captured at The Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Featuring The Great Oak Martini: A concoction of vodka, gin, Meyer lemon juice, muddled cucumber, and basil, complemented by a hint of citrus aroma and flavor, showcased with a captivating smoke bubble at The Great Oak Steakhouse, Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Enterprise sommelier Zachary Abeyta featured in the wine cellar of The Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Chef’s Table arrangement at The Great Oak Steakhouse, Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula, captured on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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Set to roll out next month, the newly added Chef’s Table is part of the restaurant’s move to elevate its dining experience. The space is an enclosed room with glass walls and a table-side view into the kitchen with a long table that seats 10-12 and is surrounded by bottles of wines from around the world.

Guests at the chef’s table can expect a Michelin-star dining experience with an eight-course menu including appetizers, entrees and desserts that change every six weeks. Those taking part in the dinner can watch their food prepared in front of them and have chefs come out and explain the inspiration and concept behind each dish.

“I’ve worked in many different high-end restaurants, and having an open kitchen here has always been one of my goals. It’s a dream come true,” Pinto said. “Guests can see behind the scenes, which can be intimidating for some of the cooks, but they’re learning, and we like the interaction with the guests.”

The rollout of the first Chef’s Table menu will pay homage to Pechanga’s very own eateries, taking the most popular dishes of each restaurant and reconstructing them into upscale bites.

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“We’re going to take guests through a journey of the menu and the tastes of Pechanga,” Pinto said. “One of the dishes is going to be a loco moco, and it’s something that when you look at the plate, it does not look like one, but when you bite into it, you’ll know the flavors.”

The regular menu for the steakhouse will be seasonal and changed every three months. Currently, guests can expect favorites such as the American and Japanese Wagyu; lobster served with sweet onion soubise, lardons, pearl onions and roasted potatoes; and Scottish salmon served with seasonal vegetables and trout roe.

Part of the expansion of the steakhouse was the lounge bar, which seats about 40 people, including the 14 bar-side seats and 10 tables that can each seat up to four guests. The space has two TVs behind its bar for sporting events and opens daily at 3 p.m., two hours before the steakhouse and Paisano’s next door. Hungry guests can order food earlier off of the bar menu, which includes smashed sliders ($24), shrimp and scallop toast ($22) and wagyu and tuna belly ($35).

Pechanga added property mixologist Nicholas Dukes and sommelier Zachary Abeyta to its team along with the new space. They are both working to expand the wine and liquor options throughout the casino, including servings at the steakhouse.

The bar includes local and international selections from around the world, and the higher the shelf, the more rare and higher the price. The more expensive liquor bottles run up to $7,000, but guests can purchase single glass pours that are still pricy, but only commit them to a partial bottle with the high-end price tag. A column dedicated to the bar’s whiskey menu pays homage to the liquor by making a variety of old-fashioned cocktails using whiskey sourced from Mexico, Tokyo or North Ireland, each priced at around $18.

Dukes said his approach to mixing cocktails involves incorporating fresh pressed juices, dehydrated teas for in-house syrups and local ingredients that move away from the average club cocktails and into more signature territory.

The cocktail menu also has exclusive drinks to the lounge bar for $16 each, such as the Great Oak Martini made with Chopin Vodka, Hendrick’s Gin, Lillet Blanc, cucumber, basil and Meyer lemon; the Royal 75 made with Empress 1908 Gin, butterfly pea flower, local honey, Meyer lemon and champagne; and El Draque Noir made with Ron Zacapa No. 23 Rum, mint, blackberries, demerara and lime.

“Mixology is just a fun word for a bartender who’s really good at trivia,” Dukes said. “It’s facts, understanding origins and spirits, how they meld together, how they pair with food and how to present it to a guest based on their preference.”

Abeyta said that he’s building a wine list that just added over 150 new wines to the property with selections that highlight California’s wineries, but also spotlight some up-and-coming wine countries such as South Africa and Chile. The wine list at the steakhouse is extensive, including several sauvignon blancs, cabernet sauvignons, merlots, pinot noirs and more. Similarly to the liquor served at the bar, some of the wine selections from specialty brands such as Silver Oak, Caymus, and Duckhorn can be purchased by the glass.

“We’re trying to make it a little more modern but also keep it traditional,” Abeyta said. “It’s really good for maybe someone dining by themselves who wants to have a good glass of wine, but they want to avoid ordering the bottle or a couple who comes to enjoy a class with our food. It’s nice to have a really solid glass of wine that is of good quality and not worry about the rest of the bottle.”

With the combination of fine-dining dishes and rare selections of liquor and wine, the team at the Great Oak Steakhouse is hoping to deliver big for everyone visiting the property in the long term.

“The program that we’re trying to build here is creating something that people are not hesitant or intimidated by and where it’s welcoming and enjoyable,” Dukes said.

The Great Oak Steakhouse

Where: Pechanga Resort Casino, 745000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula.

Hours: 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations recommended. Bar hours are 3-10 p.m. Sunday- Thursday, 3-10 p.m., and 3-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more information: 909-425-4889 or pechanga.com.

Orange County Register

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The renovated Great Oak Steakhouse at Pechanga elevates the dining experience

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