Dining at The Pub at Chino Hills

My dining adventures take me all over LA and Orange County but rarely do they send me into the Inland Empire. It’s a region I need to explore more. Luckily, I had a chance last week when I attended a dinner at The Pub at Chino Hills.

From the outside the restaurant looks like a typical neighborhood sports bar. But, don’t be fooled as it offers a diverse menu unseen at most local spots.

That, my friends, is Cauliflower Ceviche. Now, I’ve had cauliflower and I’ve had ceviche but I’ve never had them combined. In this dish the cauliflower replaced the fish and it made for a refreshing, flavorful appetizer.

Another flavorful appetizer was the duck chorizo tacos. The sausage and slaw was a tasty combination. Each serving comes with three tacos and it could easily be a delicious entree. But, on this night that was yet to come.

In between dishes we also samples some of the house cocktails. The above is the Raspberry Sage with bourbon, cranberry juice and muddle raspberries and sage.

The buffalo burger was served as a slider but I could have easily eaten an entire burger. The ground buffalo is served with roasted red onions, gruyer cheese, portobello mushrooms, arugula and garlic aioli. So, so tasty.

Stout Braised Short Rib, doesn’t that sound delicious? It was. Served with garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables it made for a flavorful and hearty meal.

With all this food there couldn’t possible be any room for dessert. Or could there?

Who can resist a sampler of homemade salted caramel cheesecake, lemon layer cake and gluten-free flourless chocolate cake. Every bite was flavorful and the chocolate cake was oh so intense…in a good way. So rich. SO chocolaty.

If The Pub at Chino Hills is any indication of the cuisine offered in the Inland Empire I definitely need to start exploring.