Category: San Bernadino County, CA

Road Trip – The Castle Rock Trail (Big Bear), Idyllwild Farmers Market, and Dinner at Idyllwild Brewpub (again)

Dog Friendly, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Temecula/Idyllwild/Palm Springs - Riverside, CA, Travel

On our way out of Big Bear, the Missus decided She wanted to do another hike. So we headed west to the Castle Rock Trail. Because of the weekend crowd, we headed up early. It was a fairly easy trail, just 3 miles round trip.

Love the rock formations and the fall colors….something we really don’t get here in San Diego.

And of course; JJ had a blast as well.

Then we headed off to our next stop. The Missus wanted to stay in Idyllwild again. Because it was a Sunday, folks we headed out of Big Bear so it took us almost three hours to get to Idyllwild, which wasn’t too busy.

We parked near Village Center and the Missus did some shopping.

I had also heard that there’s a Farmers Market near the Town Hall on Sundays so we headed on over and did some browsing.

Idyllwild Farmers Market
25925 Cedar St.
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Sunday from 9am – 2pm

We headed back down North Circle Drive to the car…..there are some really charming buildings and houses in Idyllwild.

When it happened! Remember how I mentioned that the Mayor of Idyllwild was a dog named Max? Well guess what….we ran into Max and his entourage meeting his constituents. So, we finally got to meet Max!

Which was kinda interesting as apparently Max doesn’t like other pooches so he went after JJ! He did go after me….well, after my back pocket as he sniffed out my package of treats. I cracked up….Max was looking for a bribe while trying to get rid of the competition! He really is a politician!

Meanwhile, I got my access code to our little cottage up the street….we’d stayed at the same place on our previous visit, so JJ felt right at home!

We had a nice little nap.

When dinner time arrived; we just decided to head on back to the Idyllwild Brewpub.

After you head on down that stairway……

There’s a nice covered patio.

This time I went with the red ale with nice almost sweetish tones and was very easy to drink.

The Missus decided on the Crispy Sprouts.

Which were actually not bad. Fairly crisp, not mushy as many versions are. Kind of light in terms of flavor though.

I was curious about the “243 Dog”……which was a quite elongated kinda chewy hot dog, but was pleasantly savory..

The beer cheese was quite mild and not milky enough, the sweet caramelized onions were kind of a shock, but did add some additional flavor. The bacon aioli wasn’t really necessary in my opinion as it made things get soggy faster. The fires were typical thin style and on the drier side.

This was an ok dinner…..it met expectations.

And JJ was treated quite well too.

Idyllwild Brewpub
54423 Village Center Dr.
Idyllwild, CA 92549

We had a nice stroll before settling in……

And we’d do a bit more exploring the following day!

Road Trip – Himalayan Restaurant, Sister My Sister Bake Shop, Alpine Pedal Path Trail, and Boulder Bay Park (Big Bear)

Bakery, Indian Restaurants, Nepalese/Himalayan Food, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Travel

I really enjoyed the view of Big Bear Lake from our patio at the Marina Riviera.

I found it so serene and relaxing.

We soon headed on out, stopping at Sister My Sister Bake Shop for some coffee and for something small for breakfast.

It’s a cute little bakery, designed for takeout.

Looking for something more savory, I got the Bacon Cheddar Chive Scone ($5.25) to go.

Sister My Sister Bake Shop
40191 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

We then back tracked thru downtown Big Bear, crossing the lake on the Stanfield Cutoff, finding parking alongside the Alpine Pedal Path. Which was on the opposite side of the lake from where we were staying. We sat on one of the benches and enjoyed the view.

While I had my hefty, dense scone.

I enjoyed the fact that the scone, even though quite dense, wasn’t overly dry.

Once finished, we set off on the paved path. I know it was somewhat too easy for the Missus, but I really enjoyed the view.

And the round trip was 5.3 miles. Enough for a nice morning.

Eventually, you end up around some campgrounds and a forested area.

And at the Big Bear Solar Observatory, which we could see from our hotel across the lake, we turned around and headed back.

We drove back to the Marina Riviera, parked and decided to look for a place to have an early lunch.

For some reason, She was attracted to Himalayan Restaurant, which had a back patio that’s dog friendly.

So, we got a table. The gentleman who served us was very friendly. And when he found out that we were from San Diego, he told us that he used to work at Himalayan Cuisine in La Mesa! Which is why we ended up visiting upon returning to San Diego.

The Missus saw several dishes that appealed to Her, starting with the Rogan Josh.

Man, that lamb was so tender, but still gamey enough to enjoy. We loved the complex spices and earthy tones and it did have a bit of heat to it.

We also got the Okra dish….which seemed like a version of Bhindi Masala. This actually had some decent spice as well.

We enjoyed the “neba neba” of the okra, which even presented a bit of sweetness; the acidity of the tomatoes, and the pungent and earthy tones from the spices.

Both dishes went well with the crisp, but tender naan.

And we even had some rice….nice and fragrant, fulfilling our carbs for the rest of the week!

The Missus really enjoyed this meal….and now has a favorite restaurant in Big Bear!

Himalayan Restaurant
672 Pine Knot Ave.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

After a short respite, we decided to check out a place I’d read about right on Big Bear Lake with a kind of iconic view, Boulder Bay Park. So we drive on over and in spite of the tiny lot there was quite a bit of parking available. Everything is nicely maintained, grassy areas, with a paved walkway meandering thru the park.

If one ignores the buildings across the street and on the east side of the cove, it makes for a lovely scene.

I was told that sunset was prime time here for photographers, though there was a group taking wedding photos. It was a nice little stop.

As we were leaving the park, there was a line of cars waiting to get in….and traffic back into Big Bear was crazy. Well, it seemed like the weekend had just hit!

We parked at the hotel and walked back up Pine Knot Avenue….but man, things were really hopping. Later we walked back up looking for some places to have dinner, but things were just too crowded. We headed back to the Marina Riviera and just decided to grab a small bite and have some drinks. After all, we still had a $25 credit for food and drink for the evening.

Man, the place was hopping.

While there was seating at the bar, all other tables were taken.

But then Kinzey and then the wonderful woman who I believe is the chef at this location, Jenn saw us. Both of them had been so wonderful, accommodating, and friendly during our stay, so naturally, in spite of the discount, we tipped well. And they also loved JJ! So, perhaps he’s earning his keep? Anyway, they told us to hold on a for a minute and put together a table for us! Amazing!

So, we had a nice light dinner and cocktails at De la Nonna.

At the end of our meal, Kinzey gave me her business card saying to text her if we’re headed up and she’ll give us info on what is going on!

Well, I know where we’re staying and eating when we get back to Big Bear, right?

De la Nonna Big Bear (In the Hotel Marina Riviera)
40770 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

The next morning we headed out and traffic was pretty crazy….so note to self, even on random fall weekends….things are busy in Big Bear….I’ll need to plan a bit better next time!

Road Trip – Jasper’s Barbeque, The Copper Q, Grays Peak Trail, Big Bear Lake Farmers Market, and Back to De la Nonna(Big Bear)

BBQ, Caffeine Fix, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Italian Restaurants, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Travel

The Missus really wanted to get going on our first full day in Big Bear. But first, I needed some caffeine. Right up the street in the Village is The Copper Q, a coffee shop, and while hours are kind of seasonal, it was open on this morning, just a short walk from where we were staying. And they had outdoor seating.

The Americano was decent.

The Copper Q
645 Pine Knot Ave.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

Then we headed off for our hike. The Missus had chosen Grays Peak Trail, which was on the opposite side of the lake near Fawnskin. We had gotten there early and easily found parking. The trail starts close to the parking….

It was pretty steep at the beginning.

With almost a 1,200 foot elevation gain and 7 miles out and back.

This was back at the end of October, but there were still patches of snow.

Which JJ enjoyed!

Some lovely rock formations as well.

I was of course pretty tired after this.

Though JJ enjoyed himself.

Also of note is that Grays Peak has been closed so far this year, until July 1st because bald eagles are nesting! Awesome!

We got back to our accommodations, showered, and then headed into the Village for lunch. We had noticed a BBQ restaurant during our previous walks up Pine Knot Avenue that seemed to have a lot of outdoor seating named Jasper’s Barbecue.

So we headed over and decided to have lunch there.

We were seated…the folks working were very nice.

After looking over the menu, we decided on the 2 Meat Combo with a half rack of ribs and hot links as our meats, with cornbread and chicharrones as our side ($41) to share. It was more than enough food for the both of us.

This was basically a non-starter for us. The hot links had decent flavor, nice paprika smokiness, perhaps a bit too salty, but for some reason were really chewy. The ribs lacked smokiness and didn’t even have smoke ring, was really tough, and the sauce kinda tasted like Sweet Baby Ray’s? A bit too sweet for us. As was the cornbread.

The only item we really enjoyed were the fresh fried chicharrones…nice and lightly crunchy. Perfectly seasoned.

Well, I guess we can cross Jaspers off the “list”.

Jasper’s Barbeque
607 Pine Knot Ave.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

We headed back to the Marina Riviera for a short break. When we awoke, the Missus wanted to “do something”. I didn’t feel like driving. I had read that there’s a small Farmers Market on Fridays from April thru October on Big Bear Lake, at Ski Beach Park. It was about 3/4 of a mile from where we were staying to we decided to stroll on over.

You actually take Big Bear Boulevard, then turn left down Knight Avenue to the parking lot of Ski Beach. It’s a cute little farmers market in the parking lot.

The Missus did end up buying some lotion and other stuffs from one of the stands.

Big Bear Lake Farmers Market
41216 Park Ave.
Big Bear Lake, California 92315
From April thru October

We had a nice walk back as well.

When dinner time arrived…well, since it was Friday, places were getting kind of busy! When dinner came around, we decided to just have something light at De la Nonna, located in the Marina Riviera. The staff there were so very nice and Kinzey remembered JJ from the night before! We had a $25 discount on food and drinks every evening, so we decided to just avail ourselves of that.

They made me a nice Mezcal Old Fashioned.

We got the Whipped Eggplant.

It had a pseudo XO sauce which had some spice, but was kind of bland overall.

And an Italian Hero Sandwich.

We liked the crisp, but fluffy focaccia…tons of Provolone. We enjoyed the aioli, which had a bit of spice to it.

De la Nonna Big Bear (In the Hotel Marna Riviera)
40770 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

It was a passable dinner and the folks at De la Nonna were so nice and friendly…..especially to JJ!

It was nice watching the sunset from the patio as well!

Road Trip – Oakside and Cocktails at De la Nonna (Big Bear)

American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Travel

After a lovely afternoon slumber; we woke and decided to take a stroll and then head to dinner. This was a Thursday evening at the end of October, so things were really quiet and relaxed.

We strolled up the main street, Pine Knot Avenue. There were a lot of cool wooden sculptures along the way.

We saw the sign for this candle making bar, which stated they were dog friendly, so of course we headed in with JJ.

The young lady working was a joy…so very friendly. And she cracked up when we told her we were from San Diego. She used to live in North Park!

The Missus found a few items She ended up purchasing….some tea and other stuffs. Really nice little shop. We didn’t know they closed at 5; but the young lady kept the place open. When we found out we apologized, but she just said “don’t worry, I’ve got nothing else to do right now!”

Mystic Moto | Ritual Provisions Candle Bar
625 Pine Knot Ave.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

We really don’t get much fall colors here in San Diego; so it was nice to see that.

We walked up to Village Drive and after stopping in a couple of shops, headed to a place recommended by one of JJ’s Aunties, Janeli. Named Oakside. We had a seat on the nice outdoor patio….the heater was already started!

The place was actually bustling, though not many people on the patio, there was a line at the door for dinner.

The menu was had things like pizza/pasta/seafood/steaks…you know, right? Anyway, our wonderful Server after asking for my taste preferences recommended the Monkey on a Mule, basically a Mule with Monkey Shoulder Scotch. A nice version of a Highland Mule, smokey, but still smooth, and not overly sweet.

We weren’t very hungry, so we settled for two appetizers, which was a good move since one of them, the Fried Green Beans was a rather large portion, of fried stuff.

Decent crisp – crunchy batter, lightly “snappy” green beans. We both enjoyed the wasabi ranch dressing….the pungency of wasabi did a nice job of cutting the richness of the dressing.

We also got the Oakside Wagyu Sliders.

The brioche like slider rolls were nice and fluffy. The almost thousand island like sauce wasn’t too thick and it wasn’t over sauced.

The beef was juicy and decently tender. Mild beefiness.

The cheese had been nicely melted as well.

Most of all; the Missus, who is not a “burger person” actually enjoyed this. It qualified for Her “once a year burger”.

Service a bit slow, but heck this is Big Bear and we’re on vacation, right?

Oakside
40701 Village Dr.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

We headed back to the Marina Riviera and decided to get a nightcap. There a restaurant and bar with outdoor seating. It has a great view of the lake, but of course it was dark by this time. The place was doing some good business. We peeked into the bar and the bartender, named Kinzey waved us in telling us, “come on in, you can see, we love dogs”!

And so we had a seat at one of the tables. I had an Old Fashioned which was a nice way to end the evening.

They made us feel so welcomed that we’d either have drinks or dinner here during the rest of our stay in Big Bear.

De la Nonna Big Bear (In the Hotel Marna Riviera)
40770 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

This was a nice way to spend our first evening in Big Bear!

Road Trip – Tropicali (Big Bear)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Dog Friendly, Poke, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Travel

Just a month after returning from Tahoe, we were off again. I really didn’t want to be doing that 7 plus hour drive like I’d done the previous month. So, I got the Missus to agree to Big Bear, which we’d never been to, then a couple of nights in Idyllwild again.

I’d gotten us a nice room at the Marina Riviera, perched right on the shore of Big Bear Lake. It had also just reopened a few months before after some renovations and turned out to be very dog friendly.

Our room was ready when we arrived and we were able to check in. We had a nice view of the lake and beachfront from our room.

Right across the street was a restaurant I wanted to check out named Tropicali. You see, the restaurant had just been named as having the best poke in America (not only on the mainland), by that four lettered website. And you know I don’t take all the stuff from that website seriously, right? Though I understand that it did make some major waves, check out this from KHON and Sam Choy! Ho, like beef, huh? Anyway, that was written a few months after my visit; though this one Reddit stuff…….. I just had to check it out.

Anyway, the restaurant has an interesting entrance. You walk in thru the mouth of a shark sculpture.

So, of course JJ had a photo-op…..

They really go all in with the Tiki-ish sterotypes here…… A bit over-the-top……I can see how some Kama’aina’s can get a bit irritated by the cliches.

You order at one of the very colorful kiosks……

Anyway, I placed my order and then joined JJ and the Missus on the lovely deck.

Soon enough my name was called….they try to be funny announcing names, like “Gunnar xxxx” doing pirate themed thing….so of course when my name was called it was “Captain” you know who…..

Anyway, I had ordered two bowls. The rice for both bowls were nicely cooked.

The first was the “Kraken”, which used unagi sauce and was topped with won ton chips.

At least this wasn’t one of those “chi-poke” places. The fish was of decent quality, not too much “sugi”; though the fish was over sauced and the sweetness really overpowered everything. The sprinkled panko was kind of strange as it added a weird grittiness to the dish.

The Pele Bowl was the better of the two. Again decent fish and rice.

The cucumber tasted like Kyuri Asazuke, slightly pickled, which we thought added to the dish. Especially since this was also a bit over sauced and even though was obviously a version of spicy ahi was also too sweet for us. I think some limu and salt would bring back the ocean to the ahi here.

To me, poke is first about the fish, the sauce enhances the experience. Here it overwhelms the dish. That’s probably why I prefer HFS in San Diego to this place. Honestly, it’s not bad; but to me it’s not in the same class as Tanioka’s or Ono Seafood.

Tropicali
40771 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

After lunch we crossed the street back to the hotel and took a short stroll along the lakeside.

Before heading in for a short nap.