Dates don’t always take place at night.  They can happen anytime, anywhere.  This month, we escaped out to the vineyards of Temecula for an afternoon meal at the newest restaurant in Wine Country, Creekside Grille. 

Located at Wilson Creek Winery, Creekside Grille is open daily from 11am to 5pm, which makes it a terrific place to stop and have lunch while out wine tasting.  It’s also a wonderful spot to come for a mid-day break from the traffic and rush in town.  Most of the seating is outdoors in a patio setting with views of the vineyards and winery, making you feel relaxed the moment you sit down and take in the ambiance.  In case of inclement weather, there are also indoor tables that look into the winery’s Barrel Room. 

The restaurant is part of Wilson Creek’s new Events Center, which houses wine production facilities, the Champagne Ballroom for weddings and events, a conference room, and a catering kitchen.  “Since we were already planning the kitchen for events, we decided to add the restaurant,” says Bill Wilson.  “It just made sense.  And it gives people another reason to come out and visit us at the winery.”

Food and Beverage Director Mindy Smith put together the team that made the restaurant come to life, keeping in mind the welcoming culture that has made the winery successful.  “The theme was to create a menu that is comfortable, that uses fresh ingredients, but that is not pretentious,” says Mindy.  “Wilson Creek is warm and friendly, so you don’t have to behave differently than you normally would.  You can pronounce everything on the menu, and it’s the sort of thing you’d find at the Wilsons’ homes if you came over for dinner.”

Executive Chef Clay Blake helped design the menu, which includes appetizers, salads, sandwiches and specialty entrees like Grilled Alaskan Salmon and a USDA Prime London Strip.   Each of the menu items is listed with a suggested wine pairing of Wilson Creek wine.  There is also a children’s menu for the kids, as well as a special Sunday menu with “brunch-inspired” items including Eggs Benedict and Champagne French Toast.  Chef Clay’s demeanor is down to earth, and that style is reflected in his cooking as well.  “I’ve never taken myself too seriously,” he says.  “I’m kind of a happy go lucky chef.  It’s not rocket science, and I don’t want it to get that way.  I want it to be comfortable for everyone.”

For a starter, Chef Clay recommended the Greek Calamari, which was inspired by his years working at the Flying Fish restaurant in Seattle.  The presentation was visually stunning, with the calamari arriving in a Martini glass piled high with a cocktail of tomatoes, red onions, green Cerignola olives, and crushed red pepper.  The batter on the calamari was extremely light, and blended with lemons, chilies, and cucumbers, it almost had a ceviche quality to it.  The whole dish was inventive and delicious.

In lieu of a salad, we ordered another appetizer, the BLT Sliders.  In a twist on the usual mini-burger sliders, these rolls were filled with roma tomatoes, fresh basil, honey pepper mayo, and a special Nueske bacon.  “This bacon really reminds you of how bacon should taste,” says Chef Clay.  “The Nueske company takes the pork and brines it for 24 hours and then smokes it with applewood for another 24 hours.  So the bacon is really good.”  But I think the “T” was the most important part in the sliders, with the fresh, tasty tomatoes making the whole combination work. 

Moving on to the sandwiches, selections included choices like Gerry’s Traditional Reuben, the favorite of the Wilsons’ Patriarch, Gerry, or the “Wine Club,” a Club Sandwich that pays tribute to winery’s most loyal members.  My wife opted for the Seared Ahi and Avocado sandwich, with the Ahi served rare with wasabi-green tea aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion, and avocado on open-faced toasted ciabatta bread.  The nuttiness of the avocado was a great way to soften the spiciness of the wasabi aioli.  The ahi melted in her mouth, and the portion was so generous that she was able to take some home to enjoy later.

I chose the Stuffed Portobello Stack sandwich, a vegetarian option with sun dried tomato, zucchini, bell pepper, and artichoke-stuffed Portobello mushroom with provolone.  The Portobellos were stacked on eggplant “toasts” with a horseradish aioli that gave just enough kick.  I enjoy the steak-like characteristics of Portobellos – the sandwich was wonderfully satisfying without weighing me down with a heavy red meat.  Both of our sandwiches were served with a choice of curly fries or the daily chef salad, which was a curried vegetable salad.  We opted for the curry, which was a delicious complement to the other spices livening up our sandwiches.

With our meals done, we wanted to linger a bit and enjoy the outdoor ambiance.  Though we were full from our lunch, our waiter brought out a unique “dessert tree” that we couldn’t resist.  The tree was filled with petite glass ramekins containing small portions of different desserts.  There were little tasty treats of chocolate brownie, old fashioned bread pudding with caramel sauce, key lime cheesecake, and chocolate and pecan crème brulee.  Each tiny dish offered just a few bites to taste the flavor but not get filled up.  We picked out a couple and enjoyed just the little bit of sweetness we needed to finish off the meal.

For our afternoon date, Creekside Grille was the perfect blend of creative, good food, well prepared, in a casually friendly environment.  Though Chef Clay doesn’t think it’s rocket science, it’s rare to find a place that incorporates all these elements and does them well.  We’d visit again for a business lunch, a luncheon with girlfriends, a birthday celebration, or just a quick bite.  But it was especially nice for our afternoon getaway “Date Night.”

Creekside Grille at Wilson Creek Winery is located at 35960 Rancho California Road.  They are open for daily from 11am to 5pm.  For more information or reservations, contact (951) 693-WINE, or visit their website at www.wilsoncreekwinery.com .

If you have a restaurant you’d like to recommend, send an email to Bill at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  And when you visit local restaurants for your Date Night, tell them you read about them in Neighbors!