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Put on your party hat(s) and dancing shoes for these upcoming New Year’s Eve Celebrations!  The only problem you’ll have is picking out which one you’ll be going to!

Lighthouse Restaurant NYE Celebration ~ Canyon Lake

Light Up Your New Year’s at the Lighthouse Restaurant right here in Canyon Lake!  From 8:00 pm until 1:00 am on the Eve of the New Year, you can enjoy libations and dancing to a live DJ’s sounds.  Hors d”oeuvres will include shrimp cocktail, vegetable crudité, pesto bruschetta, cheese plates, fruit displays, stuffed mushrooms and Italian sausage, mini beef and chicken teriyaki, pot stickers, stuffed jalapeño poppers, mini assorted dessert choices and a complimentary champagne toast.  Tickets for this event is $30 per individual.  You can pick up your tickets at the Lighthouse Restaurant and make sure to call 951.244.6841 ext 771 to make reservations.

A Senior New Year’s Eve ~ Canyon Lake

Another Canyon Lake New Year’s Eve Party is the Senior’s New Year’s Eve Party celebrating New Year’s Eve on Central Time!  The party starts at 5:00 pm and held at the Canyon Lake Senior Center.  There will be music, fun and food for a ticket price of $25 per person.  Tickets are available at the Association’s Member Services Office.

Pepe’s Mexican New Year’s ~ Canyon Lake

Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant and Cantina just outside of the Main Gate here in Canyon Lake is hosting their New Year’s Eve Party where seating times are at 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm (they ask that when you make your reservations to specify your seating time).  There will be dancing music provided by “On The Roxx” so get ready to dance the night away, too!  There are 3 different packages to choose from.  Package 1 is drinks from 9:00 pm until midnight with a glass of champagne to toast in the New Year for $50.  Package 2 includes prime rib or chicken cordon bleu dinner in the dining room and reserved seating in the bar, drinks from 9:00 pm until midnight with a glass of champagne for the toast.  Price of package 2 is $75.  Package 3 is $100 per person which includes all of package 2 with your personal cocktail server for drinks in the bar.  Each of these packages does not include the price of shots.  Please note that when making reservations, your credit card will be charged and there will not be any refunds.  Call and make your reservations by dialing 951.244.7373.

The Sports Stop New Year’s Eve Buffet ~ Canyon Lake

A buffet on New Year’s Eve?  What a great idea!  Nonstop fun and nonstop food at the Sports Stop!  The buffet will include fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail, tri-tip, chicken marsala, garlic mashed potatoes, salads, desserts including cheesecake with fresh strawberry sauce AND triple chocolate brownies!  Brunch starts at 5:30 pm and price per person is $18.99.  Brunch also includes midnight champagne to ring in the New Year!  So think about partying it up at The Sports Stop for New Year’s Eve!  After all, it’s just outside the Main Gate here in Canyon Lake!

An Old Town NYE Celebration at Baily’s ~ Old Town Temecula

Baily’s Nightclub New Year’s Eve Bash will be a night full of fun with two levels of people, three full bars and music from DJ Ruffnek and DJ A-Lyfe, Gogos Jazmine, Felicia & Kimmy Jayy!  There will be party favors and champagne for the New Year’s Toast.  It will be an “unforgettable experience” as their invitation states!  Presales tickets are available for $20 per person ($30 per couple as an online sale from Dec 15-28).  Click here for presale tickets if you’re interested!

Winery NYE Choices ~ Temecula

Head down to Winery Town in Temecula for a New Year’s Eve Celebration of fun!  Here are just a couple of wineries to check out for New Year’s Eve!

• Miramonte Winery’s NYE 2013 Bash

starts at 7:00 pm with the beautiful music of Missy Andersen.  Hang out with friends and the fun Miramonte staff and close in on 2014 til midnight!  There is no cover charge for this event so make sure to come early and grab yourself a table under the stars (by a heater).  🙂  You’ll for sure have a grand ol’ time!

• Wilson Creek Winery

has their very own Studio 54 New Year’s Eve Celebration where you can boogie the night away with Jimmy Jones and the Disco Inferno.  There will be lots of food stations set up for you party animals as well as an open bar, live entertainment such as go-go dancers, a DJ and a countdown to midnight!  Oh, not to mention, there will be champagne, too!  We can’t forget that!  Tickets are $190 and $170 for Wine Club Members.  Check out the Wilson Creek Winery’s website to make reservations.  Please note the prices above do not include tax or gratuity.

Tesoro’s Italian Cuisine’s Dance and Foodie NYE Celebration ~ Murrieta

Looking for somewhere to ring in the New Year closer to Canyon Lake and enjoy a great sit-down meal?  How about Tesoro Italian Cuisine in Murrieta?  Tesoro’s New Year’s Eve Celebration starts at 8:00 pm and includes a full course special dinner and champagne to toast in 2014.  The appetizer choices are fried calamari and chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in maple bacon.  Salad will be strawberry spinach drizzled with a champagne vinaigrette.  Entree choices are filet mignon and fresh lobster or prime rib or Chilean sea bass with champagne risotto and asparagus and to finish you off, killer dessert choices of tiramisu and pumpkin cheesecake to boot!  Dance to jazzy Motown music played by TMK and the Allstars all night.  Prices are $80 per person (prepaid), $85 at the door (the night of).  Call for reservations 951.609.1266.  $40 deposit is required to hold your reservations.  The venue is quaint and small, so make sure to get your name on the list to ensure you get a good seat!

We’re sure there are more parties around town that you can choose from, but these are the ones that we knew about and wanted to share.

Let’s keep in mind….

Now, we all know the goal is to have a great time ringing in the New Year, but let’s make sure to stay safe and sound.  So, please don’t drink and drive and write down these numbers in case you need some transportation after a night of celebrating.

• Let’s Roll Taxi ~ 951.223.8294 (Canyon Lake)
• Blue Crown City Cab ~ 951.973.6011 (Menifee)
• Yellow Cab ~ 951.296.0007 (Murrieta)
• Finish Line Taxi ~ 951.473.0333 (Murrieta)
• Blacks Taxi ~ 951.551.8847 (Temecula)
• Red Top City Cab ~ 951.694.3333 (Temecula)

Have a great New Year, all and let’s make 2014 an even better one!

Tis’ the season for Christmas cheer, when we play and listen to Christmas music, start to see Christmas lights strung up on buildings brightly lit up and colorful, and people are wrapped up and bundled just like the Christmas presents under the tree…  There are Christmas events that have become tradition such as watching Christmas Parades and watching Christmas Tree lighting ceremonies.  One of the area’s most popular places to visit during this Holiday Season is the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside which is about a forty minute drive from Canyon Lake.

What happens at The Festival of Lights?  Once the sun goes down, the historic Mission Inn is transformed into a beautiful holiday vision ~ the entire property is decorated in splendorous Christmas decor, lit with over 4 million lights plus a spectacular fireworks display.  The Mission Inn’s 21st Annual Festival of Lights is running through January 4th, 2014.

The extravaganza also includes appearances by Santa Claus, the world’s largest mistletoe measured at 12 feet by 8 feet, more than 400 animated figures, snow, horse-drawn carriage rides and of course, the beautifully lit and decorated Christmas Tree located in the lush and elegant hotel lobby.

If you’re thinking of dining at the Mission Inn while you’re there to view this Holiday spectacle, being a 4 diamond hotel; you’ve definitely got fantastic dining choices to boot!  There’s Duane’s Prime Steaks & Seafood where you can indulge in top notch meals, there’s delicious signature comfort food at the Mission Inn Restaurant ~ where you can dine indoors or outdoors situated in the Spanish-inspired courtyard garden area of the inn, or you can get that Italian cafe feel at Bella Trattoria Italian Bistro.  Additionally, there’s the eclectic lounge type of aura at 54 at Duane’s where you can taste great wines paired with sushi and tapas and to close up the night, have a signature cocktail at the Presidential Lounge ~ appropriately named since it formerly served as a guest room for President Roosevelt and was the venue for Richard and Pat Nixon’s wedding.  Let’s not forget dessert at Casey’s Cupcakes!  Now….  If you’re thinking of staying the night (or two), there’s the Inn’s superior in-room dining via room service which is served from 6am-11pm and 6am-1am (Fri & Sat).

During the Festival of Lights timeframe, the Mission Inn is featuring eleven various all-inclusive room packages from their Holiday Lights and Delights room package to one called Santa’s Suite.  The others are appropriately named as well and details can be found on the Inn’s Festival of Lights webpage.  We can’t forget to mention that the Mission Inn has special Christmas and New Years Dining, too!

So, make sure to check out the Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights this holiday season and give you and your family a treat!  Happy Holidays!

My favorite food has always been sandwiches so I was pretty excited when Jersey Mike’s Subs opened last week on Railroad Canyon Road.  Jersey Mike’s is not new in Southern California but now all that sandwich deliciousness is just 5 minutes from Canyon Lake.

Jersey Mike’s is famous for their “Mike’s Way” subs that are made with super thinly sliced onions, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, spices, and what they call “The Juice” which is a combination red wine vinegar and olive oil.  It’s a little different taste than you get from most sandwich shops around here.  If you’re a fan of Blimpie’s, it’s similar, but Jersey Mike’s in my opinion is a little tastier.

The menu is pretty simple with about 9 cold sandwiches featuring some great meats like prosciuttini, cappacuolo, pepperoni and others.   There are also 6 hot sandwiches including some great ones like cheesesteak, chicken parm, and pastrami reuben.  Want a wrap?  They have that too or you can turn your sub into a salad and eat it out of a bowl (without the bread I assume).

Now this is a pretty simple sub shop (the way it should be).  They only have one type of bread, but it’s delicious, and just a few types of cheeses.  Fixings are limited and no soups or anything like that on the menu, but trust us, it’s delicious and something unique for the area.

The first week they were open, Jersey Mike’s was busy, but the line moved fast and they have this sandwich making stuff down to a science.  If you are looking for something a little bit different for lunch or dinner, or maybe a take-out order for cruising the lake in your boat, give them a try.  They are open 7 days a week from 10am to 9pm and you can order online at www.jerseymikes.com.

As Canyon Lakers looking for good food choices, sometimes we have to venture out to find a variety of dining experiences.  One of the newest options nearby in Canyon Hills is a restaurant called Bites.  Bites officially opened April 5th 2013 with rather unique menu featuring recipes from around the world.  One look at the menu and you’ll quickly realize you’re in for a special treat.  The first thing you’ll notice is a strong selection of wild game including venison, boar and quail all prepared and served with an international flair.

Another surprise is a separate menu with a variety of salads and other appetizer specialties.

You also won’t get your run of the mill beer and wine selection.  On tap is a variety of less common brews including a Hef and an IPA.  The wine list includes some unique selections from places like Chile, Spain, France, and Argentina.

On a recent Friday visit to Bites, the restaurant was full, with a good mix of young and old.  The staff were friendly and accommodating and even though the food took a little longer than expected, it was cooked perfectly and worth the little extra wait.  On day two of opening week, one expects any business to still be working out the kinks and it’s likely to get better with time.  It was obvious when the food arrived that the chefs had taken extra care and attention to be sure it was cooked perfectly and presented well.

I had the pork chop which was served on the bone and was savory and juicy with a delicious red wine reduction.  The chop was served over real mashed potatoes (the slightly chunky kind that you just can’t stop eating).  The chop was lean and filling.  Ellen had the almond crusted halibut with a deliciously prepared cream wine sauce and asparagus.  I’m told it was perfectly prepared and also delicious.

At all the nearby tables, praise for the food could be heard and it seemed as though all the diners that night were beyond satisfied.

Bites is located in the Canyon Hills Shopping Center and is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday through Sunday and open for breakfast on the weekends.  Check out their website at www.ExcellentBites.com or call ahead to 951-244-3121 and let them know you’re coming.

If your looking for a good slice of pizza in Canyon Lake, you don’t need to go any further than Troy’s Pizza Oven in the Canyon Lake Towne Center.  Troy’s has been open for about a year in the southwest corner of the shopping center and has been delighting locals with delicious pizza, calzones, and oven baked sandwiches.

It’s a simple little restaurant with a dozen or so tables featuring both dine-in and take-out options.  The menu choices are varied and even includes some alternate options like lamb Gyro’s, Burgers, and some delicious seasoned French Fries.

The Pizza menu includes all the usual suspects and few specialty pizzas such as the Smoked Salmon Pizza with Alfredo sauce, ricotta, capers, and green onions… or the Chicken Pesto with pesto sauce, sun dried tomato, Kalamata olives, and artichoke hearts… or the Greek Spinach Pie with olive oil, spinach, feta chees, and garlic. And you can design your own pie from all the typical ingredients you would expect. The pizzas are sized generously and come out pipen’ hot!

The cool thing is the pizzas and Calzones are cooked in a tradional pizza oven instead of the assemply line style ovens you see in most big chain pizza shops so the crust has just the right amount of crispiness and great flavor.

In addition to all the great hot food choices, Troy’s offers some tasty salads like Classic Greek and Antipasto Salad. And these aint no small snackin’ salads… the portions are generous enough to fill anyone up.

Troy’s phone number is easy to remember 951-244-1234 (in case you get that emergency pizza craving on the way home from work and want to call it in for pick-up). They also have a facebook page at http://facebook.com/TroysPizzaOven if you want to go show them some love.  They are also a member of SpotOn rewards.

They’re open for lunch and dinner, so the next time you’re looking for a great quality pizza experience, jump in the golf cart and head out the main gate to Troy’s Pizza Oven.  It’s pizza pie heaven.