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| photo from cal poly web site |
It has been a while since I wrote about local Pomona Restaurants. While we still go out on a regular basis, most of our trips are either old standbys or are out of town. A couple of places we’ve gone recently have been Seasons 52 in Rancho Cucamonga which we really enjoy for their fresh food and excellent service, and here in Pomona, Casa de la Abuela (a possible future post) on Foothill, which has fabulous Mexican food (while others have mentioned that it is authentic, I can not weigh in because I have not travelled much in Mexico).
But today, I took the Lovely Mrs. C to a place that has been
on our list of places to try for some time. Unfortunately, due to its odd hours
and the fact that it’s only open during certain times of the year with breaks
we had been able to visit. That ignominious venue is The Restaurant at
Kellogg Ranch (https://www.cpp.edu/rkr/index.shtml).
On the campus of Cal Poly Pomona, RKR is part of the Collins School of
Hospitality. As a learning environment, the restaurant is only really open when
school is in session and because it managed and operated by Cal Poly culinary
students, is usually not open during various school breaks, weekends, or
extended hours.
As mentioned, the operation is student managed and operated
and according to their website “Undergraduate students sharpen their
professional experience by providing excellent guest service, preparing quality
food, and creating and executing strategic restaurant management plans. They
rotate weekly through various positions in both the front of the house and back
of the house in order to learn all aspects of a hospitality operation.”
The summer menu’s starters include a duck confit terine,
roasted beet salad, salmon tartare, and an heirloom tomato salad. We chose to
start by sharing their Grilled Peach Salad which included local peaches, lemon verbena
honey, burrata, arugula pesto, and grilled ciabatta. The portion was good for
sharing depending on your appetite. The arugula pesto drizzled over the lightly
grilled peach slices accentuated the flavors and the burrata cheese gave the
salad a creamy finish. The ciabatta toast was the perfect vehicle for sopping
up some of the peach juices mixed with the lemon verbena honey.
They also have sandwiches including a burger, house made
short rib reuben, and grilled albacore tuna, but we tend to make our main meal
of the day our midday meal so we were excited to try one of their entrees.
These included roasted chicken, hanger steak, sirloin chateau steak, lamb
sirloin, and one that I hope to try on a return trip, Parisian gnocchi. Mrs. C
opted for their Pan Seared Salmon which was a five-ounce skin-on salmon filet, roasted
summer squash, tomato cous cous, toasted pistachio, and a red pepper sauce,
while I opted for the Braised Short Rib, red wine-braised sitting in braising
jus on a bed of warm bean salad with mizuna greens.
Portion sizes were what we consider reasonable at our stage
of life, but some may find them a bit on the small size. This is not a place
for “big food” but is a place for quality ingredients and preparation. This was
a rare time when we didn’t carry a box back to the car for lunch the next day.
Mrs. C reports that the salmon was done to perfection. She
tends to shy away from spicy foods but was relieved that the red bell pepper
sauce was fresh and complimentary to the salmon with only a hint of spiciness.
The cous cous and squash rounded out the meal. While she is not a fan of fish
skin, I offered to take if off her hands and can report that it was very
crispy, almost like a salmon flavored potato chip. Yum.
My short rib was for tender and the beans and braising
liquid, with micro greens was like eating the most elevated pork and beans you
can imagine. The beans were creamy without being mushy.
The portion size meant that we were not overstuffed as we
often are at restaurants and were able to indulge in dessert. The desserts
offered were an apple crumble, panna cota, huckleberry bread pudding, a
selection of ice creams and sorbets, and, although our very knowledgeable server
recommended the panna cota, we opted to share the Valrhona CPP Avocado
Chocolate Torte. The idea of avocado and chocolate was too intriguing to pass up.
Hopefully we’ll be able to try the panna cota next time. The small round tart had
a cookie type crust that was filled with what looked like a heavy chocolate
ganache. It was served with some edible flowers, a sprig of mint and some
huckleberry jam. The torte chocolate had a firm texture, not like a mouse, but
was lighter than expected due, we were informed to the avocado. So while their
was no distinct avocado flavor, the avocado created a light tasting chocolate
filling that was dense and flavorful. Taking a bite with the chocolate and jam
created the kind of chocolate euphoria that lasts into one’s dreams.
This year, RKR is open during the summer break which allowed
us to get a chance to visit. Hours are not your usual restaurant hours. They
are currently open Tuesday through Friday for lunch from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
and for dinner service Thursday and Friday 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Note that they
are not open on the weekends. Reservations are available from their
website or from Open Table.
The food prepared is seasonal and, again from their website;
“The menu at
the RKR often features fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs from the restaurant’s
one-acre, award-winning culinary garden giving students a farm-to-table lesson
in seasonal menu planning and preparation. The garden, nestled on the eastern
hillside just outside of the restaurant, is maintained by Don B. Huntley
College of Agriculture students and harvested by hospitality management
students.”
As for the hospitality aspects of RKR, it sits atop a hill
on the CP campus. Once GPS gets you to
the parking lot you walk past buildings 79 to the far side of the courtyard to
an inviting entrance foyer area. We were greeted by the charming hostess who
confirmed our reservation and immediately took us to our seats in the side room
with a long bar and wine room along the back side. Large windows looked out
over the rolling Kellog Hills. Our server was attentive and helpful in making
suggestions without seeming to try to upsell us.
While it was a little too early on a hot day for us to enjoy
an alcoholic libation, they did have a fairly good wine list and full bar facilities
with a selection of specialty cocktails. Mrs. C was very impressed with their
fresh lemonade, while I opted for a diet Pepsi.
RKR, in my opinion, ranks among the best that Pomona has to
offer.
