Restaurant
Review Press Enterprise - June 21, 2007
By VANESSA FRANKO
The Press-Enterprise
Good things come in nondescript packages, like the food at Duke's Steakhouse
in Hemet.
From the road, the restaurant looks like an ordinary beige building.
However, inside owners Bob Kulwicki and his wife, Tammy Laliberte, serve
up some of the tastiest steaks around.
The Temecula couple bought the former Ryan's Dinner House and they've
been operating it as Duke's Steakhouse for about a year and a half.
Bob Kulwicki had worked at the Original Roadhouse Grill in Temecula,
providing the foundation for Duke's menu.
The restaurant is known for prime rib, which is served after 4 p.m.,
steaks and ribs. While steaks are the big draw, the menu includes seafood
and sandwiches.
Except for a few salad dressings, ice cream and some of the cheesecakes,
everything is made in-house, Kulwicki said.
Duke's combines fine steaks with tasty bar food, a dichotomy that is
like the restaurant itself.
Parking is in the back. After entering through the back of the building,
there's a bar with tables and televisions to the right, with a sports
bar/roadhouse vibe.
But down a hallway is the dining room of green banquette booths. There
are only 12, so they fill up fast.
Kulwicki said the restaurant and bar can fit 150 people.
The restaurant's appetizers range from typical bar food of hot wings
and potato skins to baked Brie.
We started with the Texas Wraps ($6.90), skinny eggroll-like pieces
filled with cream cheese and jalapenos.
They came with a peach jalapeno sauce, a nice sweet spot to offset the
piping hot wraps. The wraps were chewy and not crunchy.
Kulwicki described them as a jalapeno popper with a wonton shell.
Our waitress brought hot rolls, soft, fluffy and slightly sweet served
with honey butter. Kulwicki said the restaurant has a staffer continually
making the rolls.
We had a choice of soup or salad. I opted for the Caesar salad and my
dining companion selected beer cheese soup.
The soup selection changes daily but Duke's chili is always available.
The salad was standard and a good portion -- not too large, not too
small.
My dining companion said the soup was all right -- it could have been
hotter, but it was nice to see this Midwestern soup as an option.
Then it was time for our entrées.
My 8-ounce filet mignon ($19.90) was cooked just right, medium -- pink
throughout without being too bloody or too dry. It was melt-in-your-mouth
tender, flavored with a basic salt and pepper rub with just a slight
kick. All of the meat is cooked over a flame grill.
My baked potato with butter, sour cream and chives was also good --
not overdone and not undercooked.
My dining companion selected a half-rack of baby back ribs ($14.90),
and the meat was practically falling off the bone. A half-rack included
eight large ribs.
While most restaurants put far too much barbecue sauce on ribs, Duke's
didn't. In fact, the ribs could have used just a touch more sauce.
For a side, my dining companion had fresh fire-grilled vegetables, served
on a skewer over a bed of moist rice.
We finished by splitting a slice of the cherry cheesecake ($4.95), which
blended a rich chocolate top with the creamy cherry cheesecake.
It was the cherry on top of a delicious meal.
Review meals are paid for by The Press-Enterprise.
Reach Vanessa Franko at 951-368-9575 or at vfranko@PE.com
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