Review: Peppercorn Grille, Big Bear Lake Village

Peppercorn Grille
553 Pine Knot Avenue
Big Bear Lake, California
909-866-5405

Cuisine: Fine Dining,
steak and seafood grille/Italian
Food: B
Service: C-
Price/Value: C
Atmosphere: B
Overall: C+
Beer, wine and champange is served,
guests may bring a bottle for corking service


Peppercorn Grille in the Village is an enticing place to visit for a taste of the fine dining experiences available in Big Bear Lake. We headed over on a sunny afternoon to try their lunch menu which differs from their dinner menu both in selection and price. This review reflects Peppercorn Grille's lunch prices. We weren't concerned about menu prices. We wanted to experience fine ingredients and impeccable service in a luxurious setting with beautiful views. We have a lot of good things to say about our lunch at Peppercorn Grille, but there are some critical issues that we hope the owners, chef and staff will consider addressing to improve the overall experience at this charming location.

Appetizers

Calamari, crisp and tender

Out of the four lunch menu appetizers, we were interested in trying the Maui Crab Cakes ($8.95) with their crisp macadamia nut and Panko breading. However it was the Calamari with Lemon Aioli and Spicy Marinara ($6.95) that won us over. We also wanted to try one of the chef's afternoon specials so we ordered Sauteed Mushrooms which were not on the menu.

Sauteed button mushrooms

We wouldn't order these sauteed mushrooms again. Once they arrived we weren't sure what to do with them. They were thin sliced, white mushrooms with very little flavor. No star ingredients or seasonings seemed to stand out. It wasn't until much later in our meal when we got up and walked to the back of the dining area that we noticed all the other tables had bread but ours. The bread may have been helpful in eating the plain mushrooms. We would have liked to experience Peppercorn Grille's house bread but we didn't know it was available.

Two appetizers combined

What was most impressive about our lunch was the chef's presentation of fried calamari. This is the kind of dish that you hope to find in a restaurant. It's difficult to create something this delicate at home and it's difficult to find expertly prepared calamari at most restaurants. Peppercorn Grille's calamari steak strips are surrounded by a delicate breading that provides a satisfying contrast to the succulent calamari. As simple as it appears, perfect calamari can be an indication of a chef's skill. This graceful appetizer is gilded with a velveteen lemon aioli. The marinara was a chunky and fresh accompaniment to the calamari but had more of a sweet than spicy flavor. The sauce was commendable but the fresh aioli is special and we recommend making sure to get a taste of it on it's own in addition to combining the sauces.

Soup and Salad

Romaine and baby greens

We appreciated Peppercorn Grille's House Salad ($4.95) for it's tender and varied greens. The two small, pear shaped tomatoes were a little withered. We missed the vibrant taste and firm texture of high quality tomatoes. You can sort of make out a little bit of crouton by the dressing on the right in the picture and that was the only crouton on the salad, but at least it didn't have a stale flavor. We sampled the Honey Mustard and Bleu Cheese Dressings. All of the dressings are made in house at Peppercorn Grille. The honey mustard dressing stood out with a strong bite from it's bordeaux style mustard and taming hint of honey. The bleu cheese was a bit runny and lacked the sharp flavor we hoped for. The plate was a bit crowded which made it difficult to eat.

The Soup Of The Day ($3.95) was Tomato Bisque. We ordered their Homemade Clam Chowder ($3.95) but as with the house bread, we were not served our soup.

Entrees

Individual pizza

For one of our entrees we ordered a Pesto, Roma Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Artichokes Individual Pizza ($8.95). What could have made this entree exquisite is that the dough at Peppercorn Grille is made in house daily and they have a brick oven for firing the pizzas. The quality of the mozzarella cheese at Peppercorn Grille is terrific, steps above your average pizza topping. However the boring white mushrooms from the appetizer reared their heads again in this dish. They were not flavorful or tender. The roma tomatoes were mealy and lacked deep tomato flavor, they simply were not a fine ingredient. The artichokes desperately needed something to take away the canned flavor. If it's not possible to have in house marinated baby artichoke hearts we would have preferred them from a glass jar. The tin flavor from the artichokes distracted from the delicious pesto. What was out of the hands of the chef that destroyed the remaining merits of this pizza was that it had been left at the hot plate too long. Condensation had collected between the pizza and the plate. The bottom of our pizza was not only wet, but mushy and unpleasant to taste. It went back to the kitchen half eaten.


Perfectly seared, rare ahi tuna in crusty bread

The Pan Seared Ahi Tuna Sandwich ($9.50) with Wasabi-Ginger Aioli did not suffer as much damage from sitting in the heat, although the sandwich plate was so hot it was untouchable. The thick cut of ahi tuna was rare, not medium rare as specified in the menu but we loved it's melt in your mouth freshness and unspoiled flavor. The Wasabi Ginger Aioli wasn't as sublime as the Lemon Aioli. Although it had a light green tint and we tried hard, neither of us could detect much wasabi or ginger. Perhaps the ahi tuna would have been brightened by more of the mustardy zip of wasabi and warmth of sweet ginger yet still the consistency of a freshly made aioli is far better than any mayonnaise could ever be. There was a very delicious dressing served alongside the sandwich and we think it might have been Peppercorn Grille's House Caesar Dressing, but we're not certain. We had this sandwich served with Sweet Potato Fries which were straight out of the bag but as with the fried calamari, they came from a frier at the right temperature with clean oil. They were light and crisp.

Desserts

Dark chocolate and pre-made sauces

All but one item on Peppercorn Grille's dessert menu are made in house. We were informed by our waiter that the "Grand Finale" Chocolate Cake ($6.95) is shipped from the Cheesecake Factory so we knew that it would be a good piece of cake, but we were there to try Peppercorn Grille's house offerings. Homemade Tiramisu ($6.95) was tempting and we'd try that on another visit, but the menu boasts an intriguing item. Chocolate Pate ($6.95) is billed as truffles that have taken on a different shape. The firm ganache that you would normally find in the center of a truffle is cut into thick ribbons and stacked high. The chocolate didn't have that glossy, rich mouthfeel that excellent truffles have when they begin to melt in your mouth.

This dessert was like a chocolate bar melted and planed into strips rather than artisan truffles made by chocolatiers. Once you begin to eat this dessert the charm of the stacked chocolate strips wears down and it feels like you're eating a giant garnish. You cannot pick up the sticks with your fingers but it's difficult to get a good bite on your spoon. What could bring life to this quirky but disappointing dessert is a unique and aromatic sauce such as a raspberry vanilla coulis or even something daring like a chai or Earl Grey infused white chocolate sauce. Anything besides the Lyons Designer Dessert Topping that was drizzled all over it would have made a more inspiring finish for this dessert.

Exceptional cheesecake on manufactured fruit gels

We wish we had a high definition camera to justly illustrate the beautiful texture of Peppercorn Grille's Homemade Cheesecake ($6.95). Cheesecake can be tricky to make in house and it takes skill to achieve a consistency that's flawless. You don't ever have to suffer the homogeneous consistency of the manufactured cheesecakes ordered by many restaurants for service if you stick with Peppercorn Grille to get this dessert. The signature Vanilla Wafer crust of this fluffy New York style cheesecake qualifies it as one of Big Bear's hard to find, great desserts. The top of the cheesecake we were served had reached the pinnacle of golden brown. It's a discredit to this cheesecake that it's finished with Lyons Designer Dessert Toppings. Lyons is a convenient tool for coffee houses and restaurants serving premade desserts to quickly add the visual flair of plate merchandising. For example, Denny's Restaurants feature Lyons Designer Dessert Topping to finish off their Apple Crisp presentation. Lyons Designer Dessert Toppings are promoted to foodservice establishments as a "premium" way to increase dessert sales but Peppercorn Grille's luscious and well crafted desserts are worthy of a topping that's just as exceptional, rather than industrial.

Dining Experience Summary

Apart from some disappointing toppings that were not up to fine dining standards on the pizza and desserts, the preparation and presentation of food at Peppercorn Grille is rewarding. The atmosphere of the restaurant is certainly fine dining quality. The burgundy colored ceiling and dark wood furniture alongside the crisp white dinner tablecloths creates a warm, inviting environment. The large windows that make up the front of the restaurant provide a charming view of Pine Knot Ave. In the daytime the window near the side entrance frames Big Bear's beautiful mountain tops and the open sky. Chandeliers boast dramatic lighting from above in the evening.

The bathrooms are as luxurious as the dining area. Roomy, private, and tastefully decorated they are stocked with high quality soap and toilet paper. Peppercorn Grille has been thoughtful in providing automatic paper towel dispensers with a motion detector. We really appreciate such accommodating restrooms.

Peppercorn Grille has a wide selection of beverages. They offer Thomas Kemper Root Beer, Cream Soda, and Orange Cream Soda ($2.95) in bottles in addition to Coca-Cola fountain drinks ($1.95). The quality of their fountain drinks is perfect. We tried the lemonade and it we think it was a standard brand like Country Time or other similar lemonade mix. They serve Imported Water ($2.95) Juices and Milk ($2.95). The Coffee (1.95) was fresh and strong. They offer Hot Chocolate ($2.95) and French Vanilla, Pumpkin Spice, and English Toffee Cappuccinos ($2.85) as well as a beer, wine and champagne menu. They charge a Corking Fee ($12.00) if you bring in your own bottle.

Where Peppercorn Grille suffered most on our visit was in service. The front of house didn't seem understaffed while we were there. Two ladies were at the hostess stand and helping in the dining room as well as a server assistant and busser. Our server let us down throughout our meal. Very impatiently, he would cut us and other customers off mid-sentence and talk over our questions. He seemed hassled, dramatically and loudly sighing comments such as "Oh God, what a day" as he cleared off a table and grumbling when children arrived. We were spoken to with phrases such as "Well if you'd let me get to that" and "Well have you had enough food yet?". We didn't see our server treat any other table with more respect until two people he seemed to really like came in. He hovered over them and discussed wine and other chatty subjects. We watched while we were served no soup or bread as he stood and poured the charm on for just this one table. He stayed at this one tableside for so long that the plates our entrees were served on had become too hot at the hot plate where dishes wait to be picked up for him to handle. He came rushing out with them, hurried us to get out of his way while exclaiming "sss ow it's hot!". He dropped our plates down in front of us so hard, one of them bounced three times. We wondered why he didn't use a tray jack for plates that hot.

We understand that in fine dining restaurants, strange substitutions and very fussy customer requests can often slow down the line too much and cannot be accommodated. Food costs and prep time must be considered. The finest five star chefs often create specialties and signature dishes that they will not compromise by making changes to and if the chef has achieved such a grand status that their restaurant will succeed despite a rigid attitude, then perhaps they have earned that. This afternoon at the Peppercorn Grille, every customer that asked for a reasonable consideration was loudly and rudely told that the chef would never allow such a thing. One gentleman was laughed at and told "I can assure you the chef will not do that" when he asked for chicken breast in a wrap. The most ridiculous denial was when our waiter cried out "No no no no no no no! I can tell you right now he will NOT do that" when a guest asked for mushrooms on only one side of his pizza. The customer asked our server if he'd please ask the chef just in case and our server returned a moment later to say that the chef said he couldn't possibly put mushrooms on only one half of an individual pizza. We cannot see how leaving mushrooms off of half of the pizza could cause a problem for the kitchen in any way. The couple politely finished their appetizer and left quickly without ordering anything else. It was ironic that such a pretentious attitude would be taken over a pizza that is presented with canned vegetables on it.

We waited a long time for the check while our waiter continued to get to know his special table. Our bill included the forgotten soup. We asked our server if he'd take it off the bill and he grabbed the book from our hand, looked at our ticket and exclaimed "I didn't give you your soup! Why didn't you tell me I would have brought it?" When our salad was delivered we weren't asked if we needed anything else. We weren't asked if we were happy with our salad. We weren't acknowledged by our server again until he dropped our entrees in front of us. These are the reasons why we didn't ask. It's never acceptable for a server to tell a guest that they should have done something different to get better service. He did removed the charge very quickly and apologized for the mistake.

Peppercorn Grille could have come close to a true fine dining experience with it's atmosphere and cuisine. Standard fine dining service could have easily saved this experience from it's minor shortcomings. We can forgive off season tomatoes and avoid a pizza that has canned artichokes, but service is part of what you pay for when you indulge in fine dining. The dismal service we received at this visit to Peppercorn Grille is one reason why we gave a low grade for value. We aren't judging the value of our dining experience simply on the prices and amount of food. In fine dining the server's role is more than just someone that brings your food to the table and clears away dishes. He should be gracious as well as knowledgeable. Service should be treated as a crucial part of the ambiance, which is why we didn't give Peppercorn Grille an A for atmosphere even though we wanted to. To our server's credit he was very knowledgeable of the menu.

We recommend Peppercorn Grille to people that can take service mishaps light-heartedly. The chef does make beautiful food presentations, the food comes out of the kitchen steadily, and they offer a diverse menu in a comfortable environment. If you are looking for a place to get luxurious desserts with friends after an evening at the theater, Peppercorn Grille has a satisfying variety, apart from the use of manufactured gels and sauces for plate decorating.

If you have dined at Peppercorn Grille please share how you felt about your experience by posting a comment.