FEBRUARY 4, 2018
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FRESH
MEX Wood Grill Buffet adds to its savory lineup, Page 4
Restaurant grades, Page 2 El Salvador Del Mundo, Page 8
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Sunday, February 4, 2018
RESTAURANT GRADES
Adelanto Adelanto Market ���������������������������������������������������93 Adelanto Senior Nutrition �������������������������������������100 Adelita’s Tamales Mexican Food ������������������������������ 90 American Legion Post 229 �������������������������������������94 Bargains R Us �������������������������������������������������������99 Baskin-Robbins �����������������������������������������������������90 Bellagio Club �������������������������������������������������������100 Bravo Burgers #6 �������������������������������������������������83 Carl’s Junior #39 ���������������������������������������������������91 Circle K #8644 �����������������������������������������������������91 Columbia Middle School ���������������������������������������100 Crisp Crust Pizza ���������������������������������������������������96 Del Taco #1000 ���������������������������������������������������93 Denny’s Restaurant #7840 �������������������������������������94 Express Bakery ���������������������������������������������������90 Fresh Wok Chinese Fast Food ���������������������������������90 JDS Fast Food �����������������������������������������������������93 KFC/Long John Silvers ������������������������������������������91 La Fiesta Pizza �����������������������������������������������������99 La Pizza Loca #1 �������������������������������������������������91 Lee’s Donuts ���������������������������������������������������������97 Little Caesar’s Pizza ���������������������������������������������90 Migulelito’s Mexican Food ���������������������������������������90 Panaderia Azteca �������������������������������������������������99 Raul’s Mexican Food ���������������������������������������������94 Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill #220 ���������������������������94 Saul’s Produce �����������������������������������������������������99 Saul’s Restaurant ��������������������������������������������������92 Starbuck’s Coffee #10429 �������������������������������������96
Subway #39979 ���������������������������������������������������93 Thai Siam Restaurant ���������������������������������������������90 The Flame Broiler �������������������������������������������������91 Apple Valley Juice It Up �����������������������������������������������������������90 Yogurtland �����������������������������������������������������������90 Apple Valley Golf Operations �����������������������������������95 Apple Valley Moose Lodge �������������������������������������93 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar �����������������������95 Ashwood Golf Course Snack Bar ���������������������������96 Baskin-Robbins �����������������������������������������������������97 Carl’s Junior #165 �������������������������������������������������97 China Wok �����������������������������������������������������������95 Del Taco #1007 ���������������������������������������������������91 El Pollo Loco #3715 ���������������������������������������������97 Golden Chopstix ���������������������������������������������������97 Historic Apple Valley Inn �����������������������������������������96 Jack in the Box #5400 ������������������������������������������94 Jimmy Johns ���������������������������������������������������������98 KFC Apple Valley ���������������������������������������������������97 Linko Sushi �����������������������������������������������������������96 Papa John’s Pizza �������������������������������������������������93 Pieology Pizzeria ���������������������������������������������������98 The Pizza Factory �������������������������������������������������96 Spirit River Cafe ���������������������������������������������������97 Starbucks Coffee #9873 ���������������������������������������97 Subway #38118 ���������������������������������������������������96 Taco Bell #28214 �������������������������������������������������98 The Galley �����������������������������������������������������������98
DINING OUT Dining Out Restaurant grades ���������������� 2 Weekly specials �������������������� 3 Wood Grill Buffet ������������������ 4 Happy Hour specials �������������� 6 Where to dine ���������������������� 7 El Salvador Del Mundo ���������� 8 Dining Out is published by the Victor Valley Daily Press, 13891 Park Ave., Victorville, CA 92392. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
President and Publisher Steve Hunt Advertising Director Steve Nakutin Advertising Manager Lisa Woodhart Circulation Manager Mario Mejia Contributing writers Kathy Young Martial Haprov Steve Hunt Contributing photographers James Quigg, Kathy Young, Lisa Woodhart Cover and page design Ivan Hundric Copy editing Steve Hunt To advertise, call Lisa Woodhart at 760-951-6253.
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Monday through Sunday: Daily breakfast and lunch specials
Daily Deals
Cross Eyed Cow Pizza
Daily Deals (cannot be combined with any other offers) Monday: Buy 2 regular adult price buf-
fets, get 1 kid’s buffet (3-7) free or (8-11) Daily Deals Monday through Friday: 2 slices with 2 half price toppings and a drink for $6.95 Tuesday: Military extra 10 percent off
El Salvador Del Mundo Daily Deals
Wednesday Pupusa $1.99 all day
Mile High Cafe Daily Deals
Wood Grill Buffet’s Taco Tuesday offering includes Enchiladas. James Quigg, Dining Out
W Spoon Buffet
with military ID Wednesday: Senior 65+ extra 10 percent off Thursday: Buy 4 regular priced adult buffets, get 1 adult buffet free Friday: Buy 9 regular priced adult buffets, get 1 adult buffet free
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DAILY SPECIALS
Buy one specialty roll, get second roll 50 percent off (with coupon in this publication only!)
Sunday, February 4, 2018
A1 Grill, Teriyaki and Roll
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Sunday, February 4, 2018 A plate of tacos from Wood Grill Buffet’s Taco Tuesday. James Quigg, Dining Out
Wood Grill Buffet ups the ante in flavor Hesperia restaurant makes hand-rolled and stuffed chicken enchiladas a new star
By Martial Haprov Dining Out
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ESPERIA — As if they weren’t delivering enough variety already, Wood Grill Buffet is continuing to evolve and enhance its dining experience. We’ve told you about their succulent pot roast. We’ve described in detail
their hearty meatloaf and accoutrements that’ll satiate that burning desire for a home-cooked meal. And while we’ve certainly highlighted their unique and endearing Taco Tuesday selection, they raised the bar yet again and we can’t help but deliver the good news.
A s w e fo u n d o u t just last week, Wood Grill Buffet has added immense flavor with a new choice: chicken enchiladas. That may seem anticlimactic upon first read, but we promise you: these aren’t run-of-themill buffet enchiladas. In fact, like much of Wood Grill’s offerings,
they don’t scream “buffet” at all. You’re more likely to think you’re dining at a cozy, mom-andpop Mexican restaurant after just one bite. First, the attention to detail in preparation is clear. These enchiladas aren’t pulled out of a freezer and tossed into a warming tray. They’re rolled and stuffed by
hand and cooked to perfection. “Stuffed” is another important factor here. The juicy, tender chicken inside is abundant and generous. It takes its rightful place at center stage of this dish, but it doesn’t overshadow the cheese or sauce, also elements crucial to tasty success.
The sauce has the texture and flavor of one that’s crafted by hand and cooked slowly for a lengthy period of time — the kind of time it takes to truly develop deep flavor that both stands on its own and equally helps savory ingredients like the chicken shine. It’s bright but has a hint of a spicy kick —
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ever-so-slight kick, but it is there — and helps create that experience you love at your favorite Mexican eatery. If you’ve never dined at Wood Grill before or you haven’t visited in a while, let us inform or remind you: their menu expands far beyond their excellent enchiladas. We mentioned Taco Tuesday earlier, where from 4 p.m. to close they offer tacos with tender carne asada, juicy chicken and spicy al pastor along with hand-
made pupusas, a traditional Salvadoran dish. Tuesday is also the day for Wood Grill’s special happy hour pricing on beer: order two domestic beers for $5, or two imports for $6. B e y o n d T u e s d a y, Wood Grill has a filling menu every night of the week. The restaurant’s dinner items range from pizza to pasta, sliders to sweet and sour chicken and steak to the aforementioned pot roast, undeniable favorites here.
A star of Wood Grill’s a l l - d ay s e l e c t i o n — served literally any time the restaurant is open — is its fried chicken. While fried chicken may be a staple at many buffet tables, Wood Grill’s stands out from many other brands’ varieties, with a crisp outer fried layer that has a bright pepper element while being enjoyable for palates of all sensitivity levels. Not to be outdone, the fried shrimp is an all-thetime favorite as well, and
it joins the fun on Wood Grill’s seafood Fridays, which also include two varieties of tilapia, spicy shrimp, mussels, shrimp fettucine, crab salad and a cool, crisp ceviche. W i n g We d n e s d a y o f fe r s s i x d i f fe r e n t wing flavors, including traditional buffalo — their most popular — sweet teriyaki, “Kickin’ Bourbon” and mango habanero. In addition to the weekly specials, seniors get an added treat: from 2 to 4 p.m. weekdays, the
restaurant offers a special price to ages 62 and up. And, of course, don’t forget the most important meal of the day: on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 to 11:30 a.m., the restaurant puts out dozens of breakfast favorites, including a bevy of Mexican dishes like chorizo and eggs, menudo and chilaquiles, a madeto-order-omelet station and staples like biscuits and gravy, hash browns, waffles, chocolate chip pancakes, French toast
and two varieties of quiche. The dessert station at Wood Grill is full of treats for those with a nagging sweet tooth. Those treats include their popular Oreo creme pie and flan. Wood Grill is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 14135 Main St., just east of Topaz Avenue in Hesperia. Visit www. woodgrillbuffethesperia. com or call 760-981-4418 for more information.
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Wood Grill Buffet’s Taco Tuesday offering includes pupusas. James Quigg, Dining Out
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Sunday, January 28, 2018
HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS
A1 Grill, Teriyaki and Roll Happy Hour
Wood Grill Buffet’s Taco Tuesday offering includes Enchiladas. James Quigg, Dining Out
20 percent off on teriyaki bowls and specialty rolls from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily (with coupon f ro m t h i s p u b l i c a t i o n only!)
Mile High Cafe Happy Hour
Taco Tuesday, 4 to 9 p.m.: $2 tacos, $2 enchiladas, beer specials
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Serves Alcohol
B
Breakfast
R
Brunch
C
Catering
D
Dinner
H Happy Hour O
Online Ordering
Sunday, February 4, 2018
WHERE TO DINE
A
AMERICAN
Mile High Cafe 8832 Orange St., Hesperia 760-947-8844
B C
A
W Spoon Buffet 14689 Valley Center Drive, #C, Victorville 760-241-0900
A
D C ITALIAN
Cross Eyed Cow Pizza 19242 National Trails Highway, Oro Grande 760-241-1987 www.crosseyedcowpizza.com/
A
D C
JAPANESE
A1 Grill, Teriyaki & Roll 15061 Bear Valley Road, Hesperia
A plate of tacos from Wood Grill Buffet’s Taco Tuesday. James Quigg, Dining Out
760-949-8900 www.a1grill.com
D C SALVADORIAN
El Salvador Del Mundo 15329 Palmdale Road, Suite J, Victorville 760-241-8308
B
D C
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SYMBOL KEY
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Sunday, February 4, 2018 This colorful plate of seeds and pods is the basis for Horchata, a flavorful and healthy milky beverage that is a favorite south of the border. Kathy Young, Dining Out
Open your eyes and treat your taste buds to Salvadoran dishes and drinks By Kathy Young
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hether you’re new to the whole concept of food “south of the border” or pride yourself on being something of a foodie when it comes to Spanish cuisine, a visit to El Salvador Del Mundo in Victorville will make you very happy. Not only will you get to try out your Spanish when reading the menu — the English version is on the back page — you will get to treat your palate with
fine culinary delights from El Salvador, a Central American country that has taken corn flour or “maize” and made it into the staple for a great many of its traditional dishes. Salvadoran corn flour is sweeter, lighter, and perfect for making the traditional “pupusa,” a soft “pillow” of maize stuffed with cheese, beans, pork — or the “revuelta,” which literally means “riot,” but is a tasty combination of all
three ingredients. A favorite of this writer is the Queso con Loroco pupusa, made with cheese and a tasty vine known as loroco. Traditional pupusas are served with curtido, which has been described as pickled cabbage, spicy coleslaw or “cabbage that is almost like sauerkraut.” It offers a wonderful texture to the soft pupusa and just enough “bite” to give the whole dish a wonderful flavor. If you really
like your pupusas with lots of curtido, order extra. It comes as an “Extra” on the menu. If you love tamales, be sure to try the Salvadoran variety at El Salvador Del Mundo. You’ll notice the sweetness and softer texture of the cornflour right away. Another traditional ingredient in Salvadoran dishes is yuca, a root vegetable often used in place of potatoes. Try El Salvador’s Yuca Frita (a
Central American twist on our traditional “french fries”). You will discover a new favorite. Like chicken? Try the Caldo de Gallina India, a chicken soup that is flavorful and perfectly seasoned and just about the best thing to warm you to your toes when the weather is chilly and the wind is brisk. Of course desserts and specialty drinks are available at El Salvador Del Mundo. We have sam-
pled Horchata, a refreshing and flavorful milky beverage, made from the blending of cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, cacao, morro seeds and rice. Believed by natives to be a healthy addition to everyday meals, Horchata is especially wonderful at El Salvador Del Mundo. El Salvador Del Mundo is located at 15329 Palmdale Road, Suite. J, in Victorville. Call them at 760-241-8308 and stop by soon.