One early afternoon, we had lunch at Ponte Family Estate Winery’s well-known restaurant, The Restaurant at Ponte. The dining area is located outdoors, with a nice view of the gardens and vineyards. The restaurant’s menu features locally grown produce and changes seasonally.
We started off with a plate of fried Calamari, which came with zesty marinara and roasted garlic & lemon buttermilk sauces. The calamari was lightly breaded and fried to the right amount of crispness.
My fiancé ordered the Meatloaf, which was made of beef and lamb–the perfect combination of meats for him! The wild mushroom demi added an extra depth of flavor to the dish. The creamy Yukon potato and celery root mash and side of broccolini nicely balanced out the flavors of the rich sauce and hearty meatloaf.
I tend to find that restaurants overcook their salmon, but this Salmon was perfectly cooked–soft and flaky on the inside with a slightly crisp outer layer. The orange pomegranate sauce added a fresh, fruity flavor to the dish. The salmon rested on a bed of creamy butternut & pumpkin squash farro. The sweet and savory flavors blended well together.
It was the perfect lunch to accompany a day of wine tasting! Overall, the food was fantastic and the service was spot on. We originally thought the menu was a bit pricey, but the quality and portion of food justified the price. I hope to dine at the restaurant again during my next trip to Temecula wine country!
The Restaurant at Ponte
35053 Rancho California Rd
Temecula, CA 92951
http://www.pontewinery.com
Price: Appetizer, $8-24; Lunch Entrée, $15-$35; Dessert, $9
More Food, Please 
My mouth is watering. I love seafood. Very special as well to find calamari crispy and not greasy.
I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and crisp the calamari tasted 😀 Thanks for visiting, Denise!
lovely! What a fun hobby you two have 🙂 Agreed that good restaurant salmon can be hard to find. And what intriguing flavor partners in the dish–yum.
It sure is fun! I think I’m in the mood tonight for opening a bottle of wine we bought from our last trip hehe 🙂
I’m always surprised by how disappointed I get because of a salmon dish at a restaurant–I always expect them to come out perfect but it’s often not the case! I wasn’t sure of how I’d react to the unique flavor combinations in the dish, but I ended up enjoying the entire dish!
Fanno venire l’acquolina in bocca! Everything looks so tempting and delicious!
Everything was absolutely delicious! Thank you for visiting 🙂
Wine tasting, fried calamari and so on…wow! I’d like to be there with you guys!
I will let you know the next time we go wine tasting 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Margherita!
This looks really good!
Everything was delicious! Thank you for stopping by 🙂
The food looks amazing!
The food sure was amazing! Thank for stopping by 😀
Wine and a beautiful plate of salmon with squash, pomegranate and farro? Sign me up. What a special trip, Ada. Thanks for sharing! Warmest wishes!
It truly was a special trip! Thanks for visiting, Shanna! 😀
It all looks quite delectable! What a pleasant day it must have been.
Everything was delicious, especially the salmon dish! Even as leftovers, the food tasted great 😀
Looks like a great restaurant! I’ve gotta visit it after I move to LA.
The food and service were both great! You’re moving to LA?? How exciting! 😀
Yes! Moving to LA in a few weeks! Finally!
Awesome! Hope your move goes smoothly 🙂 Let me know if you need any restaurant suggestions once you’re out here 😉
we are hungry after looking at those dishes…looks scrumptious,thanks for sharing 🙂
Glad these dishes whet your appetite! I get hungry thinking about them too haha.
that salmon looks amazing but i was actually taken with the calamari too. Definitely hope to read more about places to eat in LA off your blog as my sister recently moved out there a year ago 🙂
The calamari was delicious! I was impressed by how light and crisp it was. This restaurant is actually in Temecula (2 hours south of LA)–let me know if your sister ever needs some restaurant recommendations in LA! 😀
Honestly, i will prefer the lamb and beef meatloaf too instead of the pan seared salmon,
i actually love pan seared salmon but i won’t choose that on my date, simply because it’s some sort of chicks choices, sorry to say that, lol
Haha you should just order what you want to eat! I do find that guys tend to order meats while girls gravitate towards lighter dishes like salmon. For me, it just depends on what I’m in the mood for 😉
Looks amazing! Thanks for sharing these!
You’re welcome! Always happy to share pictures of food 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Mmmm lovely pictures, looks so delicious!
Pomegranate pearl studded Salmon is going to be my weekend treat to myself 🙂 What an adorable, sweet recipe to adorn my weekends! Hope life is treating you nice and kind, dear Ada 🙂
It would definitely be a nice treat! Thanks for stopping by, Nusrat! 🙂
This looks like my sort of meal- super delicious!
Oh it was quite delicious! I still think about this meal once in awhile haha. Thanks for stopping by! 😀
I love seafood too!Especially Calamari, so crispy and tasty! Uhm…Now I’m hungry! 😉
I could have seafood pretty much every day! Mmm I’m thinking about the Calamari now 🙂
me too! Slurp! 😉
That salmon looks great! The only thing that bothers me about ordering salmon in a restaurant (other than the price ;)) is the small portion. I like to eat a HUGE amount of salmon when I eat it and the restaurants just don’t want to comply with that. 😉
Hehe I agree with you! This portion wasn’t big, but the entire dish was still delicious and filling. It’s always better to have a larger amount of salmon though!