FROST - A Gelato Shoppe is now open at Victoria Gardens!

FROST - A Gelato Shoppe
12385 S Mainstreet

Unit 1040
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739

Victoria Gardens - Storefront

If you don't know the difference between gelato and ice cream, then I can tell you! (LOL). My husband and I had gelato twice a day, every day when we were in Italy; Milan, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. But of course we walked it off....  :)

Gelato is basically Italian ice cream, but is lower in fat and less calories than American style ice cream. It's much more dense, more flavorful, more rich and contains less air. There are certain standards that need to be followed in order to call something "gelato".

Since living in Rancho Cucamonga, I have found ZERO gelato shops. I've always had to go to LA County. So you have no idea how excited I was to hear that Frost was opening in Victoria Gardens. They are located right next to GNC, by the Corner Bakery. They open at 11:00 AM every day. Note that the only other California location is in San Diego!

After reviewing the website and reading about the creators, I had high hopes that their gelato would be legit because once I got back to the US from Italy, I couldn't stop thinking about gelato either! Per their website, they imported equipment and products from Italy. 

They just opened on Friday Nov 10th, 2017. My husband and I stopped in  on Tuesday and each picked 2 flavors. Our total came out to $10.56 with tax.

I had the Gianduia (chocolate with hazelnut) and it was excellent; creamy, rich and very dense. However, the Stracciatella was not as creamy and a bit on the icy side (still delicious). 

2 Medio Gelato $9.80 + $0.76 tax = $10.56 TOTAL

Note that they do offer gelato with no sugar added as well as Italian sorbet and coffee.

We received excellent customer service and will definitely be back. CIAO!

Check out @Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats on Instragram and on Facebook!

New Eateries!

I know I have been MIA on my blog for a long time. Please be assured that I'm still active on Instagram, Facebook, and Yelp! :)

Pho Spot in Rancho Cucamonga
(Pho with Shrimp/Pork Spring Rolls)

Other than my last blog about Paris Pastries that just opened earlier in 2017, here are some other new eateries that have opened in 2017. Note that this isn't a complete list, but places that I have personally checked out this year.

The plaza located on the southwest corner for Foothill Blvd and Spruce Ave is finally up and running. So far,you can find Jersey Mike's, Toyko Joe's, Cafe Rio, and The Habit Burger Grill there.

• RoyalTea (8005 Vineyard, Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened January 2017 serving up fresh tea, milk tea, coffee, and smoothies. Located next to Flame Broiler. 
• Kung Fu Tea (12732 Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened March 2017 - Located by Baked Dessert Bar.
• Jack's Urban Eats (7811 Monet Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened March 2017. Salads, sandwiches, and more! Located in Victoria Gardens.
• ZPizza Tap Room (11144 E Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Self-serve craft beer and wine on tap and pizza obviously! Located next to Chop Stop.
• Pho Spot (8802 Baseline Rd. Rancho Cucamonga) - Vietnamese restaurant specializing in pho! No MSG used in any of their dishes. Located in the Stater Bros. plaza by Carnelian and Baseline.
• Wazakuraken Ramen (7201 Archibald Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened May 2017. Located in the same plaza as El Cerrito. 
• The State (7900 Kew Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Their original location is in Redlands and now Rancho Cucamonga has its own at Victoria Gardens. They serve brunch on the weekends.
• Punch Bowl Social (12635 N Main St, Rancho Cucamonga) - A high-integrity scratch kitchen, craft beverage, and old school arcade all under one roof. 
• Grill 8 (7890 Haven Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened July 2017 serving up burgers, sandwiches, salads, chicken wings and more! Happy Hour!
• Dog Haus Biergarten (7815 Monet Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) Located in Victoria Gardens
• Dulce Michoacana (6614 Carnelian St, Rancho Cucamonga) - Ice Cream, Paletas and more!
• IV Juice Bar (8057 Vineyard Ave, Rancho Cucamonga)  - Opened July 2017 serving juices and acai bowls. Located by CVS.
• Mr. Dumpling (9319 Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cuamonga) - Opened September 2017 serving noodles, and dumplings galore (steam, boiled, pan-fried)
• Crepito Ice (9339 Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Opened September 2017 serving Thai-style rolled ice cream!
• Mustang Sally's on Route 66 (8411 E. Foothill Blvd, Rancho Cucamonga) - Great outdoor area serving Tex-Mex
• Mod Pizza (6417 Haven Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - There is another Mod Pizza opening up where the new Stater Bros currently under construction by Baseline and Day Creek as well.
• Frost Gelato - (12385 S. Main St, Rancho Cucamonga). Opened November 2017 - The finest Italian Gelato and Sorbet

COMING SOON......

• Sweet Dough Cafe formerly located in Upland is moving to the Victoria Gardens' Food Hall! Serving gourmet Cinna-Rolls. Opening Soon!
• The Pie Hole - Opening soon at Victoria Gardens!
• Haven City Market (8443 Haven Ave, Rancho Cucamonga) - Construction is underway and we are just starting to get word about who future tenants will be! One being Belly & Snout.

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, @Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats and on Facebook! 

Paris Pastries in Rancho Cucamonga

Paris Pastries in Rancho Cucamonga

Flashback to May of 2013, my husband and I were homeless. 
Yes, you heard me right. Well sort of. Let me explain. We just sold our house. Unfortunately, the inspection on a house in San Dimas we were in the middle of buying did not pass so we backed out. Don't get me started on what was wrong with it; there's too many things to list! With that said, we left our worries behind in California and continued on with our trip of a lifetime. Our first stop was London and from there we took the train to Paris, France! We got a taste first hand in French culture; food, music, museums, churches. It was not hard to fall in love with everything the city had to offer. We just wished we could have stayed longer. Here are just a few photographs from our trip in Paris. 

Walking around Paris

Magazine stand next to the Seine River

Quiche aux Legumes

Genoise au Chocolat Creme Anglaise

Macarons from Laduree!

View from the Eiffel Tower

After returning from our European adventure (France, Switzerland, Italy), we were back to house hunting. It eventually led us to Rancho Cucamonga and that's where we ended up! Our experience traveling in Europe was what awoken the "foodie" in me even more. I mentioned this in my "Introduction" post. When we first move to Rancho Cucamonga, I thought that the city mostly had franchise/chain restaurants and mediocre food (sorry to say). Rancho Cucamonga did not have the greatest reputation for its local cuisine. After living here for a while, I started finding hidden gems and starting exploring any new eateries on my "foodie radar". There are a lot more eateries opening up. 

2017 is starting off good since I discovered Paris Pastries opened in January. They are located at 8220 Haven Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 (right next to Omokase). There are many so-called French bakeries out there and when they claim to be.....there's a certain expectation. You want to get a bit of the feeling back like when you were in Paris.

Exterior

I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the owner of Paris Pastries and get to know a little bit more about his background. Van Vi Sy (or just "Vi" for short) is Vietnamese but lived in France for nearly 40 years. If you speak French, you can converse with him in French as he is fluent in it! Unfortunately for me, the years I studied French growing up as a child did not sink in towards adulthood, but I tried! 

It took Vi nearly a year to finally open his first cafe/bakery. I know what many of you are thinking. "Why would someone from France pick Rancho Cucamonga of all places in California to open a business?" So I asked him! Well it turns out that Vi's brother (who also lived in France) moved to Rancho Cucamonga in 1997. He only had positive things to say about the city and told him it would be a wonderful place to open a bakery.

Vi, his wife and children all reside in Rancho Cucamonga now so when you step in to Paris Pastries, you are supporting a family who took a chance and are now part of the Rancho Cucamonga community. 

Vi's wife prepares the entrees to order and she always gets up around 4:00AM every morning to prepare her famous quiche, macarons, creme brulee and many of the items you see on display!. She is also responsible for the lovely interior design. There are also two French chefs who work here. One is a French pastry chef in charge of the delicate cakes etc while the other is a baker who makes all the breads, croissants, etc. 

They are still finalizing the menu options, especially the entrees so you will notice that they've removed/changed the items. Some dishes take a long time to prepare and is one of the main reasons they were removed. If you have eaten in Europe, everyone takes their time and a meal experience is long compared to here in California where everyone is in a rush! This is something they are adjusting to. 

Menu as of 02/01/2017

Note that French pastries are very rich so they pair great with a cup of coffee or tea. 

Beverage Menu

I know other people may be curious so I asked Vi if they offer any gluten free or vegan options and he said "No." He stated that if you took out those ingredients the end product would not be the same and lose its authenticity. I'm glad they are sticking to what they know, not altering any of the classic recipes and not catering to what they think people want.

I've been here multiple times already and thus far have tried the peach smoothie, orange julius, macarons (caramel, strawberry, pistachio, chocolate), croissant aux amandes, strawberry fraisier, Opera (chocolate cake), and creme brulee. Most of the items are selling around the $5.00 mark; some less, some more. 

Just a side note: If you ARE looking for vegan or gluten free baked goods, there's another bakery in the same plaza (by Active) called Caked Up Natural Dessert Bar. 

Paris Pastries offers plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. You can enjoy a latte with a baked good or pastry outside or even bring your dog.  I'm very happy to have this French family and chefs right here in Rancho Cucamonga. I still have to try the quiche, eclairs and tarts!

Don't forget to follow @Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats on Instagram or Facebook. 

The Farm Cottage Tea House

OWNERS: Michael Dominguez & Terry Kuhel
ADDRESS: 5200 Carnelian St., Alta Loma, CA 91701
TELEPHONE: (909) 749-9957
E-MAIL: TheFarmGuys@yahoo.com

The Farm Cottage Tea House is located within a residential home on Carnelian St, approximately 0.4 miles north of Hillside Rd. You'll find them on the west side just after you pass Hidden Farm Rd (how appropriate!). The house is actually right across the street from the Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation. 

Current owners Michael Dominguez and Terry Kuhel purchased the property in 2005 and have been working on the property over the years. Once the chickens came along, they started selling eggs to family, friends, and local residents. A dozen multi-color eggs will cost you $5.00. Over the past year or so, they eagerly worked on opening the tea house which is within a former horse stable and opened its doors on December 1st, 2016!

Reservations are required and can be made via phone call, email/online form. The tea house is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Their hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00am to 4:00pm. 

Prices range from $15.00 to $34.00 per person for tea. 

They even have a "Little Princess/Prince" option at $23.00 which is catered for children. It includes the choice of a pot of tea, hot cocoa,  iced or lemonade and the finger sandwiches include PB&J, Nutella or Honey, and Butter. It comes with ice cream and a cookie as the dessert. 

On December 11th, I made a reservation for Wednesday December 28th at 11:00AM. My husband and I had the week off from work so I decided to take him here. I emailed Michael and he responded to my inquiry on the same day and also asked which menu item I was interested in.  I decided to go with the "Full Tea" experience at $34.00 per person. 

As we pulled into the driveway, there was a sign saying that they were on the farm somewhere and to call a phone number. As I was dialing the number, Terry came out to greet us and escorted us to the dining room. 

The dining area was so adorable and there were many details and displays to admire. 

The menu was already set, but my husband and I had to chose our flavor of tea. I usually pick a more fruity tea flavor but went with the "Nutcracker Sweet" and my husband got the "Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride". We had the option of putting sugar cubes, cream and/or lavender honey in with our tea. I literally drank my whole pot of tea and they asked if we wanted to try another kind, but I had no room! Everything I ate so so delicious. 

Full Tea includes:

• A Fresh Pot of Tea (for each person)
• Homemade Baked Scone (We got Ghirardelli White Chocolate & Cranberry)
• Homemade Preserves/Jam
• Homemade Sweet Devon Cream
• Homemade Lemon Curd
• Soup and Farm Garden Salad with ingredients from the garden
• Assortment of Finger Sandwiches (We got chicken salad, cucumber & cream cheese, red bell pepper, egg)
• Desserts (We got award-winning banana bread, mini-tarts, cookies)

My first cup of tea.

Tomato Basil Soup and Salad with tomatoes from the garden

Lavender Honey

White Chocolate & Cranberry Scone

"Full Tea"

Our Full Tea experience took approximately 1 hour. After our meal, Terry took us on a short tour of the farm and explained a bit about its history. He showed us the green house of orchids, vegetable garden, and introduced us to some of the animals including their two horses named Cody and Amos, a huge male turkey named Pilgrim and their 4 rescued Chihuahuas. 

@Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats

A goose on the farm.

I'm totally impressed and maybe a little obsessed now. We ended up hanging around the farm for another 20 minutes or so on the grounds watching the animals. I'll definitely be back again with my mom and sister as well as for some of those fresh eggs!

Note that they can also host special events here like bridal showers, birthday parties and soon even weddings!

Don't forget to check out @Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats on Instagram or Rancho Cucamonga Eats on Facebook!

Introduction

Hello there!
My name is Charlene and I'm a foodie. :)
I've lived in the Los Angeles area a majority of my life. My husband and I bought a house in Rancho Cucamonga because we loved the area. We moved here in July of 2013. 

I guess you could say that I've been a "foodie" most of my adult life. My first job was as a cashier at a restaurant when I was 16 years old and I worked as a hostess and server in a restaurant from age 17 to 21. I've been taking photos of my food even before iPhones came out! While planning our wedding, I realized planning and being super detailed comes natural to me. We love to travel and I found myself planning our trips/vacations around food. 

In 2006, I was introduced to TripAdvisor and wrote reviews there.

In 2010, I started writing reviews on Yelp after a bad experience. Isn't that the reason most of us start writing reviews?! LOL. I write my reviews like I'm talking to a friend who's going to eat there or if I'm writing to my future self! I'm becoming forgetful these days so obviously my reviews are really detailed and talk about the small nuances that people want to know, but most people don't talk about (e.g. parking, price, ambiance, owner's names, seat was uncomfortable, how something made me feel etc.) I've been an "Elite" Yelper since then and have met some friends from Yelp events.
What finally did it was when my husband and I traveled all over Europe in May 2013 (right before we moved to Rancho Cucamonga). I was introduced to so many new flavors and ingredients. After we returned to California, I was on a hunt for some serious food, quality food...that tasted delicious!

There are so many food bloggers and accounts for the LA areas. Other than Yelp, I felt like I didn't have anywhere or anyone to turn to in my search for places to eat (at least for the Rancho Cucamonga area). We still didn't know anybody in the area so it was trial and error at the beginning.  We searched online for some places to eat and were very disappointed in the first handful of restaurants we ate at. I was feeling kind of bummed and was like "Gosh, aren't there any good places to eat around here?" Eventually, we did find some gems in the city and of course all of it being documented with photos and reviews. A LOT of new eateries and restaurants have opened and are opening up in the area! I guess the timing worked out for a foodie like me!

I started my own Instagram account in the summer of 2015 since I'd accumulated so many food pics! I use it to share photos of places I've eaten at in the area. 

July 2015: @Rancho_Cucamonga_Eats was born and I urge people to either tag me or use #RanchoFoodies if they want to share one of their photos with me. The number of followers on the account has grown in one year. What I've learned at least is that my followers either live, work or visit the area. I've found some greats places to eat from people on Instagram and have also met some great people in person. (Who would have known!?) Since starting my Instagram, a lot more "Foodgrammers" have popped up covering the Inland Empire and I have also met a handful of them which is pretty cool. 

SIDE NOTE: In case you're wondering, I don't get paid for anything and don't get free food for posting about a place. I do this for fun and I enjoy it. I dine in at or contact businesses like any other person and purchase my own meals and/or items.  However, once in a while there are some grateful owners who are thankful for the exposure and give me food as a gift and of course I will not deny it! (LOL)

I started this blog because I don't think Yelp or Instagram is the place for it, plus I hate typing on my iPhone. 
I'm really glad that people find what I do useful and even I have to look back at my own reviews and photos for information! HAHA. 

Other than food, I'm a big dog lover and own 3 Shih Tzus. You may have noticed that they make special appearances in my photos every now and then.
So with that said, here they are..... 
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and blessed 2017!

Photo by True Emotions Photography (Upland, CA)