Reviewing Cork Fire Kitchen: Farm-to-table American delights in Temecula Valley.

One of the culinary highlights of my visit to Temecula Valley wine country last fall was Cork Fire Kitchen, a stunning farm-to-table gem located at the Temecula Creek Inn. Its creative takes on dishes that are core to American-style cooking are phenomenal, and their menus are downright mouthwatering. 

Chef Ben Diaz at Cork Fire Kitchen

Cork Fire Kitchen is perched above the Inn’s verdant golf course greens. Our evening began with a tour of the lovely Chef’s garden, which sits right at the golf course’s edge. It bursts with color, full of yellows and dusty pinks and greens. Chef Ben Diaz’s vision is to make the restaurant a beacon of sustainability, taking care with how the operation fits into the wider ecosystem’s health and functioning

The instant we stepped into the gardens, I was taken with the care, passion, and pride that Chef Ben and Ciarán, the Kitchen’s marketing director, showed. This carried over into cocktails and food as they conversed with our group of travel writers throughout the evening. 

Helping the Monarch Butterflies Thrive

The whole golf course is a member of Monarchs in the Rough, which helps courses learn how to manage their landscape architecture so that endangered monarch butterflies, native to the region, can thrive. To attract beneficials to the ecosystem, just below the Chef’s Garden, where Cork Fire Kitchen grows its greens, they’ve created a butterfly garden for pollination. 

Spacious and Airy Interior at Cork Fire Kitchen

The restaurant itself is a spacious, airy chalet-style building with open beams, tall windows, and large circular wrought iron chandeliers. Rustic long-plank tables make this space fantastic for groups and the better for sharing small plates.

Lucious libations like the Cherrywood Cocktail 

I adored my Cherrywood Cocktail, made with small batch whiskey, luxardo, simple syrup, chocolate bitters, and smoked with apple hickory. The wine list is stellar. It’s full of California wines from throughout the state—Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Sonoma, and, of course, Temecula.  

Creative dishes prepared with a flair 

Being a fan of cheeses, I tried the Fromage Provisions first. Four small batch creamery cheeses of various flavors and textures were joined by a large dollop of delectable creamed honey—made by whipping crystallized honey and liquid honey together—purple grapes, raspberries, blackberries, slices of sourdough baguette, and fruit preserves. Cut into thin slices, pickled cauliflower and carrots provided an unexpected cleansing, a sour flavor explosion. 

Next, the grilled Spanish Octopus, which came in a delicate saffron rouille accented with crispy Coppa ham, peewee potatoes, and citrus jam on the side. The octopus was tender and slightly chewy with a bit of char. 

How many ways can you enjoy a creamy Burrata? This one was a Waldorf Burrata Salad with apples and grapes, crunchy celery, candied pecans, local greens, and fennel dressed in a creamy cider vinaigrette. 

The Cast-Iron Brussels Sprouts came in a small cast-iron pan, roasted in a delightfully savory black sesame miso caramel dotted with chunks of mushroom bacon. I thought I had already tasted the range of Brussels sprouts preparations, but the flavor combinations in this one were lip smackingly unique. 

I ordered the chef’s special Braised Lumina Lamb Shank for my main. It was generous and fall-off-the-bone tender, deliciously bathed in a Vadouvan red wine reduction, resting on a bed of honeynut squash puree, braised pearl onions, and tomato confit.

My colleague’s main was the seared diver scallops. They were tender with crisp outsides in a kaffir lime nori emulsion that was insane. The lemon spaetzle fusion went well with umami of the roasted maitake mushroom. 

While I didn’t try dessert, it was a lovely Ricotta Doughnut Holes covered in powdered sugar on top of a whiskey caramel and lavender. 

Cork Fire Kitchen Final Review

Each dish was beautifully presented, full of bespoke ingredients, some of them from the garden outside. The food, libations, and service were all top-notch.