We hear about new restaurants from many different sources: newspapers such as the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, magazines such as Inland Empire, and recommendations from family and friends. And sometimes we just drive a place that looks interesting or like it might be good. We drive back and forth down Citrus Avenue through downtown Covina many times so we can always tell when new businesses have opened or are in the process of opening there. By driving by we learned about Olamendi’s Zona Rosa (see earlier review), and the Young Performers’ Institute Live the Music musical revue at the Covina Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA). At the northwest corner of Citrus Avenue and College Street there’s an old building that used to house a camera shop. They have since either closed down or moved to one of the side streets. For several months in the late summer and early fall 2009 they had been renovating the place as a new restaurant: 3 Vinos. It was hard to miss with a large blue sign below the clock on the top corner of the building.
My mom visited us over the weekend of November 7-8, 2009. Before she came she told me she wanted to take us out to dinner for our birthdays, both of which had taken place the previous month. We decided this was a good time to try 3 Vinos since it was close to where we lived and had opened within the past few weeks. We could see the blue lights of the bar inside from the street. We checked their website but it didn’t say much other than hinting that their food was Latin and giving a couple of songs on their play list. These included “La Vida is un Carnaval” sung by Celia Cruz and “Bombalero” by the Gypsy Kings. Well, we had enjoyed Latin food at many other places. We knew this usually meant food from Spain or Latin America other than Mexico. But it also meant something different at every Latin restaurant we had visited so we were curious to find out 3 Vino’s take.
On the afternoon of Saturday, November 7, we went to church in the evening. On the way there we drove by Gladstone High School where my mom’s cousin teaches. We drove down Azusa Avenue past the North Woods Inn and our gym. We drove by our credit union and still arrived at church early. After church we drove north on Citrus into Downtown Covina, turned right on College Street and parked in the public structure there. We went up to the second level where we could park in the blue-lined parking spaces for 3 hours for free. Curiously there were no other cars in the structure despite all the angled spaces along Citrus being full. We took the elevator down to street level, crossed Citrus Avenue and College Street and entered the restaurant. We hadn’t made a reservation so we weren’t sure what to expect. I don’t think the website had given a phone number.
Upon entering we noticed that the restaurant was a large space with high ceilings and dark hardwood floors. The interior walls were brick, probably part of the original building’s structure. The lighting was slightly dark. In the middle was a large bar that wrapped all around and had blue light emanating from the counter. Above it were flat glass double panes filled with water and lit with blue lights in which air bubbles decoratively floated to the top. The left (south) side of the place was filled with large flat black leather couches. I guess it was more of a lounge section. The tables of the restaurant were on the right (north) side of the space. After we entered a waiter said he could have a table ready for us in five minutes. We sat down on one of the leather couches and studied a menu that the waiter had given us. 3 Vinos’ take on Latin Food seems to include Cuban (e.g. Cuban Sandwich), Spanish (paella), and South American (e.g. Loma Saltado from Peru). The menu has separate sections for appetizers, soups/salads, sandwiches, meat, chicken, seafood, and desserts. The appetizers, soups/salads, and sandwiches cost between $6-$22 and the entrees cost between $12-$25 with some of the steak entrees being more expensive. The desserts were also expensive at around $8-$9.
We ended up waiting for about 20 minutes from 6:55 pm to 7:15 pm. We figured if we had to wait too long we could just go to Mr. Pollo where they also serve Loma Saltado. A hostess asked us whether someone had taken our name. Soon after that the waiter we first talked to seated us on the north side of the restaurant. He had given us the choice of indoor or outdoor seating but we felt it was too cold outside. Our small table for three was towards the back near the speaker. Throughout the time we were there they played loud Merengue music. Some music sounded like Merengue remixes of songs. Above the bar screens showed the USC football game and later the Arizona game. Most every table was filled and people were all dressed up. After we had come in, many other parties entered and waited in the lounge area in the black leather couches, many of them ordering drinks at the bar. When the waiter came by we pretty much knew what we wanted to order since we had studied the menu while waiting in the lounge area.
They first brought us waters to drink and some rolls with green spread on the side. I didn’t taste the spread but it looked a bit like pesto. They brought my wife’s orders first, I think because she ordered a soup and an appetizer rather than an entrée. She first received the Caldo Gallego soup that had beans, Spanish (i.e. pre-cooked) chorizo, and other meat that looked like bacon. Her appetizer, Patatas Bravas, consisted of many long wedges of potato slices covered in a spiced red sauce along with other sliced vegetables such as bell pepper and tomato. I tried one of the potato wedges and found it good and filling. My wife had noticed that one potato dish on the menu had “papa” in the name and another had the word “patata”. She looked them up and found that they both translated to “potato”. She enjoyed both her orders even finishing all the potatoes.
We probably should have asked the waiter to bring all out orders at the same time. My mom had never tried the Peruvian dish Loma Saltado before. My wife had it at Dos Burritos many weeks before and at least one other restaurant. She insisted that my mom try it. It’s definitely not something that could be found in Juneau. When the waiter brought it to her he even said it was delicious. It looked good: strips of beef along with slices of peppers and tomatoes in a dark sauce and all on top of a bed of thin French fries. There was also some rice, black beans, and a few fried plantains on the side. She enjoyed it though all together it was a lot of food. She let me try some and I especially enjoyed the fries soaked in the flavorful sauce that had a hint of soy. This reflects the Asian influence on Peruvian cooking.
I ordered something we had never seen on a menu before: Pollo Fricasee, a Cuban-French dish. That’s an interesting combination. It came in a shallow bowl with the rice in the middle with white meat chicken, tomatoes, potato, and slices of green olives in an orange-colored sauce. The sauce had a vinegar-citrus taste and was actually the best part of the dish. It was all very good when mixed together. It came with a small bowl of black beans on the side and some fried plantains. My wife had the beans. The plantains were sweet and made a great dessert. It was a lot of food but I was able to finish. When the waiter collected my empty bowl he joked, “It looks like you didn’t like it.”
When we first sat down at our table we noticed some instrument cases against the wall nearby. They looked like they held conga drums. As we ate dinner some more people brought instrument cases that looked like they held guitars. I guess they would have a live band playing later on. It looked like there was a small stage set up in that corner or that one could be set up. We didn’t get a chance to find out. When we left the place was much more crowded than when we arrived. There were even some employees outside possible checking ID. We walked around downtown Covina a bit. Most of the shops were closed but both bookstores were open. We looked around the Covina Bookstore and bought the new Trader Joe’s-inspired cookbook. They were serving cookies at the other bookstore, the one that sold used books. We passed 2-3 jewelry stores, all closed with their display jewelry stashed and hidden from view. Also closed was the shop Vintage Dreams where my wife had bought the dress and hat that she wore at Lola’s 1920’s-themed birthday party in April 2009. The Covina Center for the Performing Arts was closed but we did see posters for the upcoming show there, Gilbert and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore”. After walking around we returned to our car in the parking structure on College Street that was still empty except for some skateboarders and drove home.
Well, we never figured out what the three vinos actually were. I’m guess that one was for Malbec wine from Argentina, another could be wine from Spain and the third wine from Cuba, if it comes from there. I’m glad we waited out the 20 minutes for the table even though they said it would only be five minutes. I got to try Cuban Ficasee, possibly my only chance. The food is expensive but it’s worth it once in a while. I wonder what other places might spring up in downtown Covina.
We went to 3 Vinos for the second time on Sunday, December 6, 2009. Not long before that some 3 Vinos employees were passing out fliers near the Covina Metrolink parking structure. The fliers announced the Sunday brunch at 3 Vinos between 11:00 am and 2:30 pm. On the 6th we went there after power pacing (a.k.a indoor cycling or spinning) class at the gym. This time we parked in a public lot behind the restaurant. We weren’t sure if our workout clothes were too casual and when we entered we saw a sign on the hostess’ desk that said, “Dress Code Enforced”. But the hostess let us in and allowed us to check out the buffet before deciding whether we wanted to try it. This time they had seating on both sides of the bar. I noticed some instruments mounted decoratively on the wall on the right side. The food looked good so we had brunch.
A server let us choose between Mimosas and orange juice to drink. We chose the latter. The buffet had so many interesting foods: steamed yucca, fried rice (reflecting the Asian influence on Peruvian cooking), white rice, picadillo (ground beef in sweet tomato sauce with potato and olives), pork chops, chicken in tomato sauce, and ropa vieja (shredded beef in red sauce with green pepper). They also made omelets to order and had many ingredients on display. They sliced beef to order and there were some traditional American breakfast foods: bacon, sausage, eggs, and pancakes. They had two soups: caldo gallego and pozole. There were lots of desserts including strawberries, sugar cake, and fried plantains. I enjoyed the fried rice, picadillo on white rice, ropa vieja, and fried plantains. My wife had some of those and also the pork chops and sugar cake. The place was about half full. The flier had advertised live music during brunch and we saw some musicians start to set up but then they sat back down. We didn’t get to hear any live music for the second time. But the food continued to satisfy. No sophomore jinx for 3 Vinos.
My mom visited us over the weekend of November 7-8, 2009. Before she came she told me she wanted to take us out to dinner for our birthdays, both of which had taken place the previous month. We decided this was a good time to try 3 Vinos since it was close to where we lived and had opened within the past few weeks. We could see the blue lights of the bar inside from the street. We checked their website but it didn’t say much other than hinting that their food was Latin and giving a couple of songs on their play list. These included “La Vida is un Carnaval” sung by Celia Cruz and “Bombalero” by the Gypsy Kings. Well, we had enjoyed Latin food at many other places. We knew this usually meant food from Spain or Latin America other than Mexico. But it also meant something different at every Latin restaurant we had visited so we were curious to find out 3 Vino’s take.
On the afternoon of Saturday, November 7, we went to church in the evening. On the way there we drove by Gladstone High School where my mom’s cousin teaches. We drove down Azusa Avenue past the North Woods Inn and our gym. We drove by our credit union and still arrived at church early. After church we drove north on Citrus into Downtown Covina, turned right on College Street and parked in the public structure there. We went up to the second level where we could park in the blue-lined parking spaces for 3 hours for free. Curiously there were no other cars in the structure despite all the angled spaces along Citrus being full. We took the elevator down to street level, crossed Citrus Avenue and College Street and entered the restaurant. We hadn’t made a reservation so we weren’t sure what to expect. I don’t think the website had given a phone number.
Upon entering we noticed that the restaurant was a large space with high ceilings and dark hardwood floors. The interior walls were brick, probably part of the original building’s structure. The lighting was slightly dark. In the middle was a large bar that wrapped all around and had blue light emanating from the counter. Above it were flat glass double panes filled with water and lit with blue lights in which air bubbles decoratively floated to the top. The left (south) side of the place was filled with large flat black leather couches. I guess it was more of a lounge section. The tables of the restaurant were on the right (north) side of the space. After we entered a waiter said he could have a table ready for us in five minutes. We sat down on one of the leather couches and studied a menu that the waiter had given us. 3 Vinos’ take on Latin Food seems to include Cuban (e.g. Cuban Sandwich), Spanish (paella), and South American (e.g. Loma Saltado from Peru). The menu has separate sections for appetizers, soups/salads, sandwiches, meat, chicken, seafood, and desserts. The appetizers, soups/salads, and sandwiches cost between $6-$22 and the entrees cost between $12-$25 with some of the steak entrees being more expensive. The desserts were also expensive at around $8-$9.
We ended up waiting for about 20 minutes from 6:55 pm to 7:15 pm. We figured if we had to wait too long we could just go to Mr. Pollo where they also serve Loma Saltado. A hostess asked us whether someone had taken our name. Soon after that the waiter we first talked to seated us on the north side of the restaurant. He had given us the choice of indoor or outdoor seating but we felt it was too cold outside. Our small table for three was towards the back near the speaker. Throughout the time we were there they played loud Merengue music. Some music sounded like Merengue remixes of songs. Above the bar screens showed the USC football game and later the Arizona game. Most every table was filled and people were all dressed up. After we had come in, many other parties entered and waited in the lounge area in the black leather couches, many of them ordering drinks at the bar. When the waiter came by we pretty much knew what we wanted to order since we had studied the menu while waiting in the lounge area.
They first brought us waters to drink and some rolls with green spread on the side. I didn’t taste the spread but it looked a bit like pesto. They brought my wife’s orders first, I think because she ordered a soup and an appetizer rather than an entrée. She first received the Caldo Gallego soup that had beans, Spanish (i.e. pre-cooked) chorizo, and other meat that looked like bacon. Her appetizer, Patatas Bravas, consisted of many long wedges of potato slices covered in a spiced red sauce along with other sliced vegetables such as bell pepper and tomato. I tried one of the potato wedges and found it good and filling. My wife had noticed that one potato dish on the menu had “papa” in the name and another had the word “patata”. She looked them up and found that they both translated to “potato”. She enjoyed both her orders even finishing all the potatoes.
We probably should have asked the waiter to bring all out orders at the same time. My mom had never tried the Peruvian dish Loma Saltado before. My wife had it at Dos Burritos many weeks before and at least one other restaurant. She insisted that my mom try it. It’s definitely not something that could be found in Juneau. When the waiter brought it to her he even said it was delicious. It looked good: strips of beef along with slices of peppers and tomatoes in a dark sauce and all on top of a bed of thin French fries. There was also some rice, black beans, and a few fried plantains on the side. She enjoyed it though all together it was a lot of food. She let me try some and I especially enjoyed the fries soaked in the flavorful sauce that had a hint of soy. This reflects the Asian influence on Peruvian cooking.
I ordered something we had never seen on a menu before: Pollo Fricasee, a Cuban-French dish. That’s an interesting combination. It came in a shallow bowl with the rice in the middle with white meat chicken, tomatoes, potato, and slices of green olives in an orange-colored sauce. The sauce had a vinegar-citrus taste and was actually the best part of the dish. It was all very good when mixed together. It came with a small bowl of black beans on the side and some fried plantains. My wife had the beans. The plantains were sweet and made a great dessert. It was a lot of food but I was able to finish. When the waiter collected my empty bowl he joked, “It looks like you didn’t like it.”
When we first sat down at our table we noticed some instrument cases against the wall nearby. They looked like they held conga drums. As we ate dinner some more people brought instrument cases that looked like they held guitars. I guess they would have a live band playing later on. It looked like there was a small stage set up in that corner or that one could be set up. We didn’t get a chance to find out. When we left the place was much more crowded than when we arrived. There were even some employees outside possible checking ID. We walked around downtown Covina a bit. Most of the shops were closed but both bookstores were open. We looked around the Covina Bookstore and bought the new Trader Joe’s-inspired cookbook. They were serving cookies at the other bookstore, the one that sold used books. We passed 2-3 jewelry stores, all closed with their display jewelry stashed and hidden from view. Also closed was the shop Vintage Dreams where my wife had bought the dress and hat that she wore at Lola’s 1920’s-themed birthday party in April 2009. The Covina Center for the Performing Arts was closed but we did see posters for the upcoming show there, Gilbert and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore”. After walking around we returned to our car in the parking structure on College Street that was still empty except for some skateboarders and drove home.
Well, we never figured out what the three vinos actually were. I’m guess that one was for Malbec wine from Argentina, another could be wine from Spain and the third wine from Cuba, if it comes from there. I’m glad we waited out the 20 minutes for the table even though they said it would only be five minutes. I got to try Cuban Ficasee, possibly my only chance. The food is expensive but it’s worth it once in a while. I wonder what other places might spring up in downtown Covina.
We went to 3 Vinos for the second time on Sunday, December 6, 2009. Not long before that some 3 Vinos employees were passing out fliers near the Covina Metrolink parking structure. The fliers announced the Sunday brunch at 3 Vinos between 11:00 am and 2:30 pm. On the 6th we went there after power pacing (a.k.a indoor cycling or spinning) class at the gym. This time we parked in a public lot behind the restaurant. We weren’t sure if our workout clothes were too casual and when we entered we saw a sign on the hostess’ desk that said, “Dress Code Enforced”. But the hostess let us in and allowed us to check out the buffet before deciding whether we wanted to try it. This time they had seating on both sides of the bar. I noticed some instruments mounted decoratively on the wall on the right side. The food looked good so we had brunch.
A server let us choose between Mimosas and orange juice to drink. We chose the latter. The buffet had so many interesting foods: steamed yucca, fried rice (reflecting the Asian influence on Peruvian cooking), white rice, picadillo (ground beef in sweet tomato sauce with potato and olives), pork chops, chicken in tomato sauce, and ropa vieja (shredded beef in red sauce with green pepper). They also made omelets to order and had many ingredients on display. They sliced beef to order and there were some traditional American breakfast foods: bacon, sausage, eggs, and pancakes. They had two soups: caldo gallego and pozole. There were lots of desserts including strawberries, sugar cake, and fried plantains. I enjoyed the fried rice, picadillo on white rice, ropa vieja, and fried plantains. My wife had some of those and also the pork chops and sugar cake. The place was about half full. The flier had advertised live music during brunch and we saw some musicians start to set up but then they sat back down. We didn’t get to hear any live music for the second time. But the food continued to satisfy. No sophomore jinx for 3 Vinos.
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