Menifee showcases local flavors during annual Restaurant Week

MENIFEE – Menifee’s annual Restaurant Week is taking place through Friday, Jan. 27, to showcase local restaurants and highlight their best cuisine and featured dishes. January, historically known for an industry slow-down, was dubbed by California as the official “Restaurant Month.” Many cities across the state adopt different programs and events putting their own unique spin on supporting local restaurants. Both residents and visitors are encouraged to enjoy Menifee’s growing variety of homegrown flavors and local favorites while supporting their favorite eateries and discovering new ones throughout the week. With Menifee’s culinary scene growing each year, there is plenty to explore when it comes to excep- tional flavors in the city. Menifee is home to award-winning chefs Rosie O’Conner at Provecho Grill and Dylan Soro/Mario Amaral at Savage Chief Bar & Grill. The city has also seen new budding culinary experiences thrive including Tacos & Tequila Cantina & Bar, Michi Tacos, Mama’s Kitchen and Melody Thai Cuisine. Foodies in Menifee can enjoy a wide array of international cuisines including Korean, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Mediterranean and Italian.

“We are ecstatic to provide opportunities that encourage residents and visitors to eat locally and support our local restaurants from fast casual to boutique sitdown concepts,” Gina Gonzalez, Economic Development Director of Menifee, said. “Interactive pro-

Joe Naiman

Writer Riverside County selected InSite Landscape Architecture to design the Winchester Hills sports park.

A 5-0 Riverside County Board of Supervisors vote Tuesday, Jan. 10, approved a professional services agreement between the county and In-Site Landscape Architecture for design plan services. The San Diego company will be paid $515,300. The supervisors also authorized the county’s purchasing agent to sign amendments modifying the scope of services which are within the intent of the agreement and to sign amendments to the compensation provisions which do not cumulatively exceed $50,000. The county board of supervisors adopted the Winchester Hills Specific Plan in 1997. The

Winchester Hills Specific Plan provides residential, commercial and recreational land uses on more than 2,200 acres. A regional sports park was part of the plan with contributions for the sports park being included as conditions of approval for specific developments. In July 2020, the county supervisors approved an implementation agreement between the county and 14 development entities along with the escrow instructions to transfer 34 acres to the county for the sports park, and the supervisors also made findings that previously-approved environmental documents addressed the impact of the sports park so no additional environmental review was required.

The regional sports park will serve 4,592 units within or adjacent to the specific plan area. The amenities will include four baseball or softball diamonds, two

Valley News/Adobe Stock photo grams like restaurant Week assist both the businesses we are helping to grow, but also highlight the exciting opportunities for culinary entrepreneurs here in Menifee.”

For more information on Restaurant Week, visit http://www.

MenifeeRestaurantWeek.com or email EconDev@cityofmenifee.us

Follow along on Menifee’s social media platforms throughout the week for featured “Best Dishes.”

Have a unique eatery and entertainment experience you’d like to bring to Menifee? Visit http://www.menifeebusiness.com/ menugrant for more information on start-up grant funding opportunities available ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 through the city’s M.E.N.U. Grant program.

In-Site Landscape Architecture to design Winchester Hills sports park

adult soccer fields, four youth soccer fields, four basketball courts, two tennis courts, two volleyball courts, a warm-up turf area, a play area for preschool-age children, a play area for elementary school age children, a picnic area and trails.

In October 2020, the county supervisors voted 5-0 to approve an agreement with the ValleyWide Recreation and Park District covering the design, construction and operation of the sports park. The county will be responsible for the design and construction of the sports park and will fund the design and construction through financial contributions collected from property owners, and after each phase is constructed the county will turn over operations and maintenance of that phase to the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District. The agreement states that detailed park construc- tion plans for the regional sports park must be approved by both the county and the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District by the issuance of the 100th building permit for Planning Area Group 1 and by the issuance of the 200th building permit for the other four planning area groups. The minimum additional acreage which must be constructed and fully acceptable for the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District to operate is 8.2 acres before issuance of the 401st building permit for Planning Area Group 1, 13 acres by the 800th building permit in Planning Area Group 2, 4.6 acres by the 575th building permit for Planning Area Group 3, 8.9 acres before the 750th building permit for Planning Area Group 4 is issued and 4.2 acres by the 575th building permit for Planning Area Group 5.

In June 2022, county staff issued a request for qualifications for the final design of the sports park which will utilize the approved conceptual plan as a guide. Five proposals were received by the July 12 deadline, and the proposals were evaluated based on their scope of work, experience and the cost proposed to provide services.

In-Site Landscape Architecture was recommended as the preferred design firm. In-Site Landscape Architecture has extensive experience designing sports parks within the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District boundary. The company will develop the final design and construction documents for the sports park, and that is expected to be followed by county board of supervisors approval to advertise a construction contract for bid.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at jnaiman@reedermedia. com.