Wasabi Sushi

Wasabi Sushi

Location: 529 North McKinley  Corona, Ca

Type of Food: Sushi

Price Range: A little too expensive for what you get

Date Potential: So, so!

Wasabi Sushi is located on McKinley Street North off of the 91 freeway in Riverside California. They serve a selection of fresh sushi and Japanese cuisine.

At Wasabi you will find a large selection of sushi rolls, sashimi, and other Japanese dishes such as beef and chicken teriyaki, yakisoba noodles, and miso soup. For an appetizer I suggest the edamame soybeans which are served hot.

Compared with Shogun Sushi, another local sushi joint, Wasabi lacks significantly in terms of quality and price. The overall quality of fish is not as fresh as you would expect for the price. The sauces used are also a bit bland and watery.

The service at Wasabi is friendly and timely. As far as my dining experience went, I had no complaints. The atmosphere of Wasabi provides a fifteen seat sushi bar and a number of tables. This restaurant is decorated in a traditional oriental style, unfortunately nothing too noteworthy. You will also observe that the sushi chefs are very friendly and will become more so upon a drink of saki compliments of you. It is good sushi etiquette to make sure you tip the chefs or buy them a drink if they are friendly despite the possible lacking of food quality.

This restaurant, despite the lack of the food’s impressiveness, has a good date potential although I might recommend Shogun over Wasabi any day of the week. The good thing is that Wasabi is a quiet un-crowded environment which is suitable for a lunch or dinner date. One piece of dating advice I would like to offer would be to keep a pack of gum handy for after the meal as fish breath is not sexy!

Events Bar and Grill

Events Bar and Grill

Location: 10560 Magnolia Ave., Suite A Riverside, CA 92505

Type of Food:  Pizza and Beer

Price Range: $10.00 per pizza

Date Potential: Don’t even think about it!

Events Sports Bar and Grill located on Magnolia Avenue features pizza, beer, and televisions to watch the games. None more needs to be said.

The food at Events Bar and Grill proves under par compared to other pizza joints in the area. The items such as bread sticks, buffalo wings, and salad are nothing special. As far as the bar is concerned they have several beers on draught which would please the average workman. The prices at Events seem relatively high in the new world of five dollar pizzas. Expect the ten dollar pizza at Events to be no better than the five dollar Little Ceasar’s “hot and ready”.

The service at Events Bar and Grill is hospitable as one would imagine a local joint might be. This may be one of the only assets of this soon to be extinct genre of restaurants. The Bar and Grill is ideal for special fight nights or sports which you would otherwise have to buy on pay-per view. The number of big screens is pleasing to the sports enthusiast who is able to watch many games at once.

The atmosphere at Events Bar and Grill is single roomed with the bar and eating booths close to each other. It is an ideal place to have a large gathering to watch the game or have a drink with friends.

This restaurant is NOT and I repeat NOT the place to take a date! The televisions are distracting and the lack of intimacy would upset any lady looking for romance, trust me on this one. Plus, the mere idea of going to a bar to watch sports seems so bland for time meant to get to know someone.

Don Jose

Don Jose

Location: 848 La Sierra Ave Riverside, CA 92505

Type of Food: Mexican

Price Range: about $12 per person

Date Potential: Great for a first date

Website: www.donjose.net

Don Jose is one of the prime destinations in Riverside for those seeking Mexican cuisine in a traditional Mexican restaurant/cantina atmosphere. Located on the corner of La Sierra and Magnolia, Don Jose’s provides a suitable choice for any outing or party.

The food at Don Jose is traditional Mexican cuisine featuring delicious tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and taco salads. One specific item that I recommend are the beef and chicken fajitas combination. The meats are perfectly seasoned and garnished with an array of peppers and onions. The chips served with your meal are also fresh from the fryer and accompanied with the best restaurant salsa I have tried to date!

The drinks at Don Jose are also talked about among the locals. The bar tends to be a popular hangout for weekends and weekdays alike. Margaritas are the drink of choice at Don Jose. The restaurant original margarita called “the Gulf of Mexico” is so large that the restaurant limits two per customer. Although don’t expect to drive if you consume more than one it is highly likely you will be a danger to those on the road!

The service at Don Jose tends to vary depending on the amount of people dining. Some nights are slow, but on others expect to find a half and hour wait before getting in.

The atmosphere of Don Jose’s is dimly lit with many booths and tables suitable for an intimate date or large gathering. I wouldn’t recommend having business meetings at this venue; the dim lights would negatively effect your ability to read documents or other paper information.

Dragon House

Dragon House

Location: 10466 Magnolia Ave. Riverside, CA 92505

Type of Food: Chinese

Price Range: about $8.00 per entree

Date Potential: Not too impressive atmosphere, but the food is GREAT!

Website: www.riversidedragonhouse.com

Dragon House is a Chinese restaurant located on Magnolia in Riverside California. It boasts traditional Chinese entrees as well as a large selection of vegetarian items which can be substituted for most of the meat dishes.

The food at Dragon House is some of the best Chinese food you will find in the area. It is also very acclaimed by those who like to eat “meat free” as the vegetarian dishes prove very tasty even to those not familiar or accustomed to “veggie” meat. I was surprised at how good the vegetarian orange chicken tasted compared to the real thing. For lunch hours you will find one of the best values in the area. They offer over twenty different dish combinations including fried rice, an egg roll, and soup for under $8. During dinner expect prices more reasonable than competitors like P.F. Chang’s.

The service at Dragon House is average among most restaurants in its class. Sometimes you will have great service while other times it will be a bit lacking as it usually depends on the server you get and the busyness at the time you decide to eat.

The atmosphere of Dragon House is peaceful. The decorations include many traditionally oriental pieces including a statue of Budda. There are also many plants and red and gold colors to add to the “feng shuei”. The restaurant is mid-sized so conversations at surrounding tables do not prove disturbing.

The overall date potential of Dragon House is very high. I would recommend taking a lunch or dinner date but remember that the value is much better during lunch as you will get a lot more without having to empty your pockets.

The Krazy Greek

The Krazy Greek

Location: 10501 Hole Ave.  Riverside, CA 92505

Type of Food: Greek

Price Range: about $5.00

Date Potential: Don’t DO IT!

The Krazy Greek is a locally owned and operated burger joint on Hole Ave. It is about a five minute drive from La Sierra University or The Galleria at Tyler.

While The Krazy Greek is primarily identified with your typical hamburger stand, they also serve items that you would not normally find on a burger joint’s menu. Items include gyro’s, fried chicken dinner’s, carne asada burritos, tacos, and hot dogs. The food is made fresh to order and is economically priced. Your standard cheese- burger meal will cost no more than $5 with tax. The Krazy Greek’s burgers are also much more hefty than your $7 “Jack in the Crack” meal. The fries at The Krazy Greek are some of the best in the area. They could be classified as “steak fries” and are perfectly crispy and contain the perfect balance of salt.

The service at The Krazy Greek can be a little slow as the kitchen area is small. You will generally wait a bit longer in the drive through than you would at “mickie D’s”. The menu is also more difficult to read as the items are not separated in to the common meal numbers which means the people ordering in front of you will get on your nerves fast if they deliberate for too long before ordering!

The atmosphere of The Krazy Greek would send a priss running for the hills. The tables and booths contain ketchup and sauce stains feel very unsanitary. The floor is dirty and there is no restroom available to customers. This is most definitely one of the restaurants worst attributes and is probably what keeps the restaurant from main stream glory.

I would not recommend taking a date here even for lunch. The best suggestion I can give you if you are eating with someone special is to go through the drive through and eat at home or in the car!