“Make sure his eggs are easy!” Alissa Rauton, the young owner of The Swing Inn Café calls into the kitchen. She had looked over and saw the customer the order came from. The Swing Inn Café is the sort of place where the owner knows her customers and how they like their eggs cooked.

Alissa is indistinguishable from her staff, both in her dress, jeans and the same t-shirt all the waitresses wear, and in her manner, hurrying around, getting people’s orders, and teasing her regulars.

“Hey, can’t you see I’m busy here?” she mock scolds a customer, before flashing a 1000-watt grin.

The Swing Inn Café has been a fixture in Old Town since the 1870’s. The Hasson family has owned it since 1971. Swing Inn Café has an enduring popularity. People love it, in part, because of the consistency of the food and the personality and sense of humor of the waitresses.

“People come here because it feels like home. Everyone who works here is a big family, and the customers can feel it. They are treated like family too.” Alissa says. “We try to have their drink on the table before they even order it,”

The customers are obviously very familiar with the waitresses, as evidenced by the bantering back and forth. Many of the cooks and waitresses have been working there for over 30 years. Alissa’s grandfather hired Jodi as a waitress shortly after he bought the restaurant in 1971.

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. 

Eleven years ago, my wife and I honeymooned in Italy.  We traveled to the historic landmarks of Rome, the beautiful coastline of Amalfi, and the diverse sights of Sicily.  The whole trip was incredible, but we especially fell in love with the Italians’ way with food and wine, so much so that we found ourselves planning our next stop by where we were going to eat rather than what touristic attractions were there. 

Sometimes a Date Night can mean sitting together and enjoying a beautiful sunset view.  In my opinion, there’s no better restaurant to watch the sunset over the Temecula Valley than Meritage at Callaway.  With terraced outdoor tables overlooking rolling vineyards, Meritage is perfectly situated with a westerly view of the Santa Rosa plateau.  The restaurant is located at Callaway Winery, which is currently celebrating its 40^th Anniversary making wines in the Valley.  As part of the celebration, Meritage is offering “40 Sunsets of Summer,” a special promotion where two people can enjoy a three course meal and a glass of Callaway Wine for a total of $40.  My wife and I had been meaning to try Meritage since it first opened last year, so the special was just the incentive we needed to make a sunset dinner reservation.