Temet Grill in California
April 11th, 2008 Posted by 
Dale in American, From Afar, Reviews
Located between Los Angeles and San Diego, tucked away in the quaint surroundings of the Temecula Creek Inn, is the Temet Grill restaurant. With great views of the beautiful golf course at Temecula Creek, Temet Grill offers a scenic atmosphere for enjoying its fine American cuisine.
The restaurant’s main dining area is reminiscent of an old fashioned lodge, heavily decorated in wood furnishing. On the walls are various frameworks of Native American art and artifacts. Just outside the windows is the nearby greens of the Temecula Creek Golf Course.
Upon being seated we were kindly greeted by our server who quickly took our drink orders. Temet Grill’s menu is fairly simple to interpret, offering three sections split into appetizers, salads, and entrees.
Thin & Crispy Bread Crackers
Sun-dried Tomato oil
Before we even had a chance to take in the menu options, our server had brought along our drink orders and a basket of very crispy bread crackers. Rather than offering simple butter, the Temet Grill serves their bread crackers with an unusual mixture of sundried tomatoes, olives, garlic, and olive oil. This oil mixture was very different from what you typically see. The spread itself was delicious, offering the sharp tastes of the sun-dried tomatoes to complement the lightly charred taste of the crackers.
After browsing the menu for a bit longer (and munching on the crackers of course!), we placed our orders. Our food began to arrive shortly thereafter.
Citrus Scented Shrimp Cocktail, $11
For my appetizer I decided to try Temet Grill’s take on the classic shrimp cocktail. What had caught my attention about this particular shrimp cocktail was the description of an “eggplant caviar cocktail sauce.” The shrimp itself was cooked well, retaining its natural juices and remaining tender, but the cocktail sauce did not taste like anything more than what you buy at the supermarket. Overall the dish was good, but not quite what I had hoped for.
Warm Baby Spinach with Portobella Mushrooms, $9
In addition to spinach and portobella mushrooms, this salad featured Gorgonzola cheese, chopped egg, and an apple cider pancetta vinegar dressing. The tangy flavors of the vinegar dressing were delightful, but the salad ultimately lacked a certain level of saltiness. Typically this type of salad would include bacon to add a measure of oil and salt, and I think that this is where the dish was lacking. Once again, overall the taste was good, but not quite what I had expected.
Marinated Colorado Lamb Chops, $42
After my two minor disappointments with the previous dishes, I was expecting the lamb to be no different. However, this dish single-handedly saved the entire experience! The lamb chops were cooked very well, slightly pink in the middle with all the natural juices locked in. The lamb was coated with a very thin layer of herbs and spices, giving it a light crust which was delicious. The lamb jus was also excellent, adding just the right touch of salt and oil to the lamb. I enjoyed this dish very much!
Final thoughts: Temet Grill is situated in a great spot on the Temecula Creek Gold Course, providing for great views of the course and the reset of Temecula. Our servers were extremely attentive and offered some of the best restaurant service I’ve had in a while. While the food was at times not as good as I would have hoped, overall the level of taste was satisfying. The lamb in particular was excellent. I would recommend Temet Grill to any traveler staying at the Temecul Creek Inn, or any patron of the nearby golf courses.
| Service: |   |
Above Average + |
| Food: |  |
Above Average |
| Atmosphere: | |
Above Average |
| Overall Value: | |
Above Average |
*Star ratings are based in comparison to similar establishments.
Temet Grill
Temecula Creek Inn
44501 Rainbow Canyon Road Temecula, CA 92592
Phone: 1.877.517.1823
Tags: California Food, Temecula Creek Inn, Temecula dining, Temet Grill review
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