Scott moved to the Temecula Valley from Concord, New Hampshire, so he lived in an environment of family taverns that were gathering places for friends and family. He built the business from the ground up, doing not only the design but also hand crafting the decorations, the barrel top tables, the bar top and the wainscoting. He used rough cut wood with the rough side out to give it a darker, more turn of the century feel. Scott’s imprint is on everything you see there. He and Executive Chef Eric Moore not only created the menu, they did all the graphics and design for it.

Scott Salmonsen

Scott’s gearing up for Oktoberfest, a month long celebration with a full German menu in addition to Barley & Hops extensive regular menu. Look for items like Spätzle, Sauerbraten, Schnitzel, German salads and sandwiches made on pretzel bread including a German burger. Chef Eric was working on a vegan sausage while I was there and it will be quite tasty. Look for 6 – 10 German beers on tap, including Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Reissdorf and Weihenstephaner, all month long, German music from open until close and a wait staff dressed in Lederhosen and St. Pauli Girl outfits. When Scott plans an event, there’s nothing done half way.

While October is their busiest month, the busiest day of the year at Barley & Hops is St. Patrick’s Day. Slow cooked tender corned beef and plenty of Irish beer meet hundreds of honorary Irish folk. In November they will have a 7.3 mile run from Robert Renzoni Vineyards to Barley & Hops with t-shirts, a beer and wine tasting and slider burgers for all the entrants.Every third Saturday of each month there’s a special 3rd Saturday event, including a pub crawl, hopfest and Christmas Beer Dinner.

Irish Whiskey Burger

Scott is passionate about beer, is a home brewer and loves to educate people about beer. He’ll talk with you about the history and tradition of beer, seasonal beers and beers that are brewed for special occasions. He recently opened a draft room that’s open nights, but the beers on tap there are available during the day, too. He relishes in the opportunity to introduce someone who’s accustomed to mass produced American beers to a more refined beer, from a light Stella Artois up to a hearty IPA.  His mission is not to be “beers of the world”, but rather a more traditional family tavern offering tasty food and specializing in German, English, Belgian and American beers.

Locally he pours Black Market Brewing Company‘s beers from Temecula and points out that owner and master brewer Andrew Marshall just won a gold medal at the Great American Brew Festival in Colorado for his Rye IPA. It was Andrew’s first time entering the competition, the largest in the country and most prestigious in the world. He also points out Craft Brewery in Lake Elsinore and Lightning Brewery in Poway as excellent locally produced brews. Scott also has about twenty wines available, every one of them from the Temecula Valley, including Robert Renzoni, Leonesse, Briar Rose, Atwood Estate Vineyards and Oak Mountain.

Farmer's Plate

The fare at Barley & Hops is hearty and tasty. I enjoyed an Irish Whiskey Steak, a small cut of sirloin with crumbled blue cheese and crispy onions served with mashed potatoes and gravy and sautéed vegetables. Chef Eric brought me a taste of one of the house specialties, the Fisherman’s Chowder, with scallops, shrimp, lobster, clams, potatoes and bacon. You’ll also find an array of burgers, fish & chips, mac -n- cheese, shepherd’s pie, homemade meatloaf and many other sandwiches, pizzas and entrées. Eric pointed out he is not only offering a vegan sausage during Oktoberfest, but will prepare vegan meals on request.

There’s a lot to like about Barley & Hops. There are daily beer specials, happy hour from 3 – 6 Monday through Friday, “Kick The Keg” Saturdays with $4 beers until the keg runs dry and Craft Draft Sundays with all craft beers on tap just $4 a glass. I like seeing success come to people who work hard for it. Scott says “we all wear several hats, I wear the most.” His hard work has paid off with an establishment that offers quality food and drink in a fun environment.

31045 Temecula Parkway – (951) 303-0333 – Open 11am – 2am Seven Days A Week

Mac -n- Cheese

Martin and cohorts Rhonda Struble and Monica Park operate The M Group, offering “cooking classes” several times a year, each with a different theme. The 24 seats are almost always packed and this past September 11th was no exception.  Martin re-created dishes from Windows On The World and Wild Blue and shared his memories of a very special place.

An evening with The M Group is an intimate affair. Martin prepares the dishes as he talks about them and you can watch him up close and on a large screen TV. He started the evening with Seared Duck Breast with a chili, honey and ginger glaze served over roast corn. There was an excellent balance of sweetness and heat and the duck was packed with flavor. Salad was next, and Martin prepared a pear, watercress and endive salad with a Dijon vinaigrette. The salad was delicious, but for my taste it was over-dressed. Next up was a brochette of sea scallops and swordfish with spiced butter served over orzo. Nice and light and flat out yummy. For the entrée Martin took a sirloin strip and rubbed it with salt, pepper, rosemary, chopped garlic, cocoa and brown sugar and roasted it to perfection. He accompanied it with braised celery heart. Dessert was sublime – frozen Amaretto cream baskets with blueberries and strawberries. Magnificent.

Monica Park, Martin Corso and Rhonda Struble - Martin is wearing a 9-11 commemorative t-shirt

We raised our glasses in memory of those who perished on September 11th, 2001. Martin is doing an encore this Saturday, September 18th, but it’s already sold out.

The M Group can be reached by email, rhonda@themgroup.us or by phone at (951) 894-4040.

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• Tribute in Light: 9/11 Memorial 2010 (ikiw.org)

The Ehmckes went to work with the goal of offering a fine dining experience without fine dining prices. Dinner entrees start at $17. The focus is classic steak and seafood. All of the meats are either Choice or Prime. Rene believes  in keeping “everything local as much as we possibly can.” You’ll see it reflected in their wine list, with a wide selection of Temecula wines. She and her staff visit the wineries and have a great relationship with them It’s not uncommon to see some of the area’s winemakers enjoying dinner there. If you bring in a bottle of Temecula wine, you won’t pay a corkage fee.

Salmon Chophouse Salad

Chef Wayne Quintos executes Rene’s vision in the kitchen. She believes the key to keeping people coming back is in “a lot of hard work and a lot of paying attention to detail.” She feels Old Town is an ideal location because of all that’s going on there. With “Hot Summer Nights” every Friday, the Farmers Market every Saturday and so much more, Old Town is experiencing a re-birth. There are several wine tasting rooms now and food choices include Mexican, Mediterranean, Italian and barbeque.

My lunch was delicious. The salmon was moist and tender and was complimented by berries, pear, Maytag blue cheese, candied pecans and dried cranberries. Sunday nights Prime Rib is $1 an ounce starting with a 12 ounce portion. She says they did serve a 26 ounce portion one night. The Prime Rib is accompanied by chef’s potatoes and their signature roasted corn sliced off the cob.

Do your taste buds a favor and pay a visit to The Gambling Cowboy. They’re open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday and for breakfast on the weekends. 42072 5th Street (3rd Floor) – Temecula Old Town (951) 699-2895

First up was the Marco Polo, a chopped salad featuring spinach, pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella with Italian dressing. It was absolutely delicious, nice and light and a perfect way to warm up our palates for what was coming. He brought out an Arancini, fried risotto with Fontina cheese and pancetta. It was golden brown, extremely tasty and really hit the spot. It’s not on the menu, but he often offers it during happy hour. He said he hoped we were hungry, because chicken and seafood were coming.

Shannon brought us Chicken Carciofi and Linguine Frutti di Mare. The Carciofi was a sautéed breast with artichokes in a white wine sauce. The Linguini was topped with shrimp, scallops mussels, clams and salmon in a tasty tomato white wine sauce. Everything tasted fresh and was seasoned beautifully. The presentation, service and food flavor were wonderful.

Marco Polo Salad

We saved a little room for dessert, and Shannon delivered Cannoli and Crême Brulée with espresso. We devoured every bite. Francesco is an easy going gentleman who takes a lot of pride in delivering a quality meal to your table. With 15 years in the restaurant business, he wants to take you back to a less hurried time, where you can spend some time enjoying your food and some conversation. He also prides himself on Rustico’s wine list, offering many many Italian wines you may not be familiar with.

Rustico Ristorante & Pizzeria is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week at 29940 Hunter Road in Murrieta. (951) 698-5151

Linguini Frutti di Mare

Chicken Carciofi

Crême Brulée

Arancini

Francesco

Steve Lovenguth

Shortly after I was seated, Steve Lovenguth came over to welcome me and to introduce himself. He is the bar, wine and beverage manager and has been in business with Jeff and Cheryl for several years. He wanted to make sure I knew  he was available if I had any questions and that he would be happy to make food and wine pairing suggestions. While I looked at the menu, I ordered an Agave Fields: Milagro Reposado tequila with Patron Citronage, agave nectar, lime juice and seltzer. Just plain delicious.

Steve told me the mustard crusted rack of lamb was outstanding so I took his word for it. With that he recommended the Cambiata Tannat and brought me a sample of it to see if I liked it. This man know his wines. it was a perfect choice. I started with the Tropical Tuna Tartare with mango habanero coconut mojo served on fried yucca. My salad was the Caesar Hay Stack with a roasted garlic lemon dressing. For a main course I had the rack of lamb, ccoked to perfection and served atop risotto and spaetzle. Dessert was a fresh summer berry tart.

Agave Fields

Tropical Tuna Tartare

Caesar Hay Stack

Mustard Crusted Rack of Lamb

Summer Berry Tart

These pictures don’t lie. Each dish had a gorgeous presentation and the flavors were out of this world. Jeff comes from South Florida and brings a Caribbean influence with splashes of Asian, Mediterranean, South American, Southwestern and Creole. Steve calls him “one of the most talented chefs I’ve ever met.” As Jeff’s cooking features cuisine from all parts of the globe, Steve’s wine list reflects that. The menu, he says, allows him to be creative with it.

Steve’s career path began when he was serving in the Air Force in Guam where he started bartending. After he left the service he attended bartending school and then moved to Monterey where he landed a job at the Carmel Valley Golf & Country Club and that’s where he began to get an education in wine. The restaurant featured 350 bottles on the wine list and twice a week while doing inventory he would take five or six bottles and read each label front and back. After Monterey Steve moved to the Bay Area and went to work at the Fog City Diner. He then headed north to wine country and spent two and a half years as wine manager at the Swiss Hotel before moving on to Michael Chiarello’s Tra Vigne in Napa. During that time he visited more than 200 wineries and refined his palate. He spent time in Florida and Colorado before finally settling in Portland nine years ago and met Jeff. “We have a lot of respect for each other. It’s been a great partnership ever since.”

Mochatini

I moved to the bar and chatted with a few folks while Steve crafted a Mochatini for me. I had the good fortune of meeting Walter’s architect Andy and his wife. Walter’s is stunning and Andy gets much of the credit for that.  As I was leaving, Jeff came in and I had a brief visit with him. His passion as well as Steve’s is evident. The staff at Walter’s is top shelf and most of them have been there for years. Steve can’t sing their praises loudly enough and gives them much of the credit for Walter’s success. In the foodie town of Portland, Walter’s is one of the brightest shining stars.

Jeff Buerhaus

We took off for Wilson Creek Winery to see the petting zoo. I went to snap my first photo and discovered I had left my film cards at home. Thank goodness for the iPhone, as you’ll soon see. There were bunnies (of course), goats, turkeys, a pig and a macaw. The children were having the time of their lives. I walked into the tasting room, said a quick hello to Fay and we headed off for brunch at Thornton Winery.

As we were parking, we noticed that the Easter Bunny had just arrived. We strolled through the gift shop, walked over to Café Champagne and settled in for Easter brunch. The menu was filled with delicious dilemmas – Pork Osso Buco or Mixed Grill? Shrimp Salad with Mango Sauce or Spinach Salad? While we pondered our choices we ordered a bottle of Cuvée Rouge and asked Executive Chef Steve Pickell what he would recommend. “Everything’s good” was his not so helpful reply. I decided on the Spinach Salad as an appetizer and Laura went for the Carrot Ginger Bisque. Both were excellent. The salad had dried cherries, goat cheese, pancetta, hazelnuts and a Sherry Vinaigrette. The bisque had both candied and fresh ginger. The color was gorgeous.

Warm Spinach Salad

Carrot Ginger Bisque

For the main course I opted for the Mixed Grill with a Lamb T-Bone and Merguez Sausage. Laura chose the Alaskan Halibut with Clam Chowder Risotto. Steve is a thoughtful chef who clearly knows his stuff. The presentation was beautiful and the flavors sublime. Our waitress Joanie returned with yet more choices for us to make. Dessert! There were cheesecakes, Tiramisu, tarts, mousse and more. The Key Lime Tart was calling my name and Laura decided the White and Dark Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry sounded tasty. We left with smiles on our faces and full bellies.

Mixed Grill with Marbled Potatoes

Alaskan Halibut with Clam Chowder Risotto

Tempting Treats

Key Lime Tart

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

Executive Chef Steve Pickell

We finished the day off with a quick stop at Oak Mountain Winery. Steve Andrews has been experimenting with some different oaks and wanted to get my opinion on what he’s been making. I tried the ’08 Grenache, Tempranillo and Cab Franc. I’ve got to say I’m a big fan of Steve’s Grenache and I’m looking forward to the ’08 release. What’s in barrel now is tasting very good. The Tempranillo and Cab Franc are a little farther away, but knowing Steve, they’re going to come up winners.

“It’s all a matter of giving the customer what they’re looking for.” I spent some time with Ray Falkner recently at The Pinnacle Restaurant at Falkner Winery. Ray’s pride in what they offer at the Pinnacle is obvious. He calls their cuisine American Mediterranean style, a menu that offers healthy and popular food presented in a manner Rays says you won’t find anywhere else. Head Chef Gianni Ciciliot is in charge of not only the kitchen, but floor operations as well. He was working at Tommy Bahama’s in Newport Beach, commuting from Temecula when Ray offered him an opportunity to work closer to home.

Gianni Ciciliot

Ray Falkner

The Pinnacle is open seven days a week for lunch only and features dishes like Lobster Macaroni and Cheese with four select cheeses and prosciutto, Chicken Cannelloni, Pan Seared Salmon and Herb Marinated Chicken. You’ll also find an array of appetizers, salads and soups with choices like Pulled Pork Sliders, Ahi Crusted Salad and Pecan Crusted Baked Brie.

Ray believes there are three distinct types of customers he caters to and he wants to make sure they all get the experience they’re looking for. First is the person who is out for a day of visiting wineries and doesn’t have a lot of time. For them he suggests an appetizer or soup and salad or sandwich. The second diner is the one who is ready for a break and is not in a rush. Perhaps they’re in the mood for a pasta dish, soup and sandwich or an entrée. Then there are those who come in for their main meal of the day. They want to take their time and may have an appetizer, entrée and dessert with a bottle of wine. One thing you’ll find on the Falkner wine list that you won’t find at many other wineries are wines from other wineries including an international selection. Ray feels it’s important to treat each customer uniquely, as someone who is pressed for time may be seated next to a table with people who are in no hurry at all.

The views from The Pinnacle are magnificent. It’s a panorama of the Temecula Wine Country and Falkner’s vineyards. The room is open and light and very tastefully decorated. The food is top shelf. There are recommended wines to go with everything on the menu and wine is the focus around which the menu evolves. Ray and wife Loretta strive to provide an excellent overall experience. From my perspective, it’s hard to go wrong with lunch at The Pinnacle.

Marty, Rhonda & Monica

He followed his early love of cooking and turned it into a career. Marty has worked as a consultant for national restaurant chains, owned his own restaurants and has done catering. When launching The M Group, he wanted a name that not only had an air of mystery to it, but also gave him the ability to diversify. He teams up with Monica and Rhonda to do a cooking class in Murrieta once or twice a month. I’d call it the best kept secret around, but Marty’s classes are nearly always filled to capacity. The nice thing is, capacity is 22 to 24 people.

Grilled Bison Skirt Steak with Sweet Tomato Chutney & Caramelized Onions

My wife Laura and I attended our first gathering of The M Group two Saturdays ago for Walkin’ On The Wild Side, an evening where game was the star of the show. On the menu was Roasted Pheasant with Tart Lingonberry Sauce, Shaved Port-Soaked Duck Breast Salad, St. Louis Style Wild Boar Ribs with a North Carolina styled Barbecue Sauce on Caramelized Leek Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Bison Skirt Steak (see picture), Grilled Elk Top Sirloin over Paperdelle Au Poivre Vert brought to a stunning conclusion with Bread Pudding and Crème Anglaise. Marty told me his regulars had been asking for a game night for years. He wanted to make sure he brought out the unique flavors of each ingredient, so that pheasant didn’t taste like chicken, wild boar didn’t taste like pork and the bison and elk didn’t taste like beef. “That’s where the chemistry comes in… how do you reverse engineer those flavors? It’s like a fine glass of wine. You want to pull the notes out that you want.”

Grilled Elk Top Sirloin

Marty succeeded on every level. If there was a drawback, it was too much food. Two or three of the dishes would have been more than enough, but the food kept coming and it was all sublime. Marty calls it “a meal and a show.” You are definitely watching a show all right, but you’re learning at the same time. There’s not a bad seat in the house and there’s also a flat screen monitor where you can see close ups. Monica and Rhonda add a lot, serving the dishes and helping him roll out fresh pasta.

He wants to continue the cooking classes and maybe offer a few during the day or on weeknights. Sometimes his classes sell out before he even announces what’s on the menu. Teaching comes naturally to Marty and he would love to teach at the high school level, giving students a true idea of what they can expect in the “real world”.

I’m heading back to Marty’s kitchen tomorrow night for Italian Easter, Part 2. On the menu will be cherry peppers stuffed with Italian crackers, tuna and hot sauce, bone rolled and tied lamb, Pizza Giena, his mom Gloria Corso’s meat pie flown in from New Jersey, an intermezzo called Milaccio and a Limoncello Tiramisu. “I’ll probably throw in a few curveballs, too.” Easter dinner is the biggest dinner of the year in Italy and tomorrow he’ll feature dishes he grew up with. I can hardly wait. I’ve already begun fasting…

Bread Pudding

The M Group

Contact The M Group at (951) 894-4040 or visit their website – http://themgroup.us

“As to why we are doing this, and the inspiration derived… simply, the children.

It is estimated that there are over 200,000 children sold into slavery or human trafficking if you will.  Since the earthquake, ‘Save The Children Foundation’, estimates that one million unaccompanied Haitian children are vulnerable for trafficking right now.  I for one, will not stand by and just read the statistics anymore. I have to do something.  Through this dinner, my fellow chefs, farmers, artisans and local wine country colleagues are reaching out to make a change, and to create on-going awareness of what is happening to our world community of children.  I do not plan on stopping here.. Truth be told, there are millions of children living in and with horrid conditions… Sudan, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, China, Afghanistan… and right here in our own back yard.
My personal goal and mission is to raise awareness and $ thru artisan dinners over the next 18 months -  gather the people around the table, serve local wholesome slow food, paired with artisan wines and craft beers, then have the conversations.  These meals bring people together, and through the convivial bread breaking moments, we can then spotlight a child related issue, create awareness and effect change!
These are the kind of conversations that we all need to be having!  My 7 year old daughter said it best,  “momma.. we are neighbors, it doesn’t matter where you live, we should all – always help each other because it’s not right to be a child that only has pain”.  That my friend… is the perspective of a 7 year old girl that has the luck… to live in our town.. Temecula.”

Leah will be in good company Saturday.

Leah Di Bernardo- Delyte’s
Prawns N.O.L.A.
Creole sauced prawns, on grilled crostini with wild greens
South Coast GVR

Duncan Firth-Barona Valley Ranch
Haitian Inspired Snapper, Griot, Picklese Plantain Chip Garnish
South Coast Dry Riesling

Chef Dean Thomas – South Coast Winery Vineyard Rose Restaurant
Shelton Farms Chicken “Deux Methodes”
Neuske Bacon, Parsnip Puree, Taggiasca Olives, & Garlic Chives
Paired with South Coast Winery Wild Horse Peak Sangiovese

Chef Michael Mc Donald – The Fish Market
Artisanal California Cheese Course
Paired with South Coast Winery Big Red Table Wine

Bernard Guillas – Marine Room La Jolla
Dessert “Trilogy”
Kona Kahlúa Chocolate Tart
Fallbrook Macadamia Pot de Crème
Organic Blackberry Port Gelato

Leah Delyte
Chef and Host of Delyte’s Green Table

Dean Thomas
Executive Chef, South Coast Winery

Michael MacDonald
Executive Chef, Top of the Market

Bernard Guillas
Executive Chef,  La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club

Duncan Firth
Chef De Cuisine,  Barona Resort & Casino

Chet Frangipani

Frank Miller Taking It All In At West Central Produce

Baby Pineapple

We headed North and arrived at Teri Love’s home in Solvang at about 2:00. Teri is the founder of Gioia Wines, and we spent about an hour and a half talking about wine, food and life while we tasted her line of wines; Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. It may sound corny, but you actually can taste the love Teri puts into these wines. Frank was amazed that there was a hint of Chanterelle mushroom on the finish of the Chardonnay. She called her neighbor Roger Harrison of Harrison Clarke wines and asked if we could stop by.

Roger and his winemaker wife Hilarie Clarke Harrison live a few yards up the road and across the street from Teri. They have 12 acres of Grenache and Syrah and Roger graciously offered us barrel samples from two different vintages as well as their current releases of ’07 Grenache, ’06 Estate Syrah and ’06 Cuvée Charlotte Syrah. The wines are elegant, the Syrahs are big. The Cuvée Charlotte is gloriously presented in wooden boxes handcrafted by Roger. We said our goodbyes, Frank and I checked into our hotel and then met Teri for dinner at the Hitching Post.

If you saw the movie Sideways you’ll remember the Hitching Post in an instant. It’s rustic with no pretense and terrific food. We enjoyed grilled artichokes with smoked tomato aioli, mussels, seared Ahi (amazing), duck and to whet our appetite for the hunt, Chanterelles. We bid Teri adieu and after a good visit and some more wine in the room, we called it a night.

The next morning we filled our tanks with a delicious Mexican  breakfast at Taco Roco. We both enjoyed Huevos Rancheros topped with Chili Verde washed down with a Corona. The hunt was on. We made a few stops, Frank carefully moving leaves with his rake trying to uncover Chanterelle gold. He finally struck paydirt. Although we found relatively few Chanterelles, the trip was an experience I’ll never forget. A new friendship was forged and I must confess, I have mushroom fever.