When longtime Temecula chef and former “Chopped” contestant Jason Rivas and his wife, Jakota, opened their new restaurant, Latitude by JR, in Old Town Temecula late last year it marked the accomplishment of a goal more than 15 years in the making.
“We both wanted our own place,” Jakota Rivas said. “I wanted a karaoke bar with pool tables and stuff and he wanted a fine dining, white tablecloth tweezer food restaurant. Over the years, after having kids and going out a lot to eat ourselves… our dreams kind of changed and evolved into what we’re doing here.”
The new restaurant, which opened its doors in late October, specializes in what they describe as “refined casual California cuisine.” The menu offers up a selection of small bites, soups, sandwiches and larger entrees such as sweet potato gnocchi and Skuna Bay salmon.
The opening of Latitude is just the most recent development in Jason Rivas’ culinary-career, which spans two decades. He’s worked as a chef at several other establishments, including South Coast Winery and Temecula Creek Inn, before being able to open his own.
Rivas also has experience in melding ingredients together in the most extreme setting possible.
During season 18 of the Food Network TV show “Chopped,” Rivas was tasked with making a dish from a giant jawbreaker, watermelon soda, smoked catfish and ricotta salata in one round and lamb shank, white miso, a Cronut and squash blossoms in another.
“What I remember about it is it’s 100 percent real,” he said. It’s not like cut, retake, cut, retake. When they say ‘Open your baskets and cook,’ you cook, and I really appreciated that about it. And not only that but it’s a testament to really test yourself.”
The next big test? Operating a restaurant in one of the city’s hippest dining spots.
Rivas said he and his wife wanted to have a menu that was representative of California with its different ethnicities and ways of life. He also wanted to capture what he called California’s attitude.
“We in California have kind of an attitude about ourselves, not in a negative way, but it’s just one of those things… We know what we like and how we like it,” he said. “And that for us as Californians is to bring everything together on a plate.”
One of the dishes that Rivas says encapsulates that California cuisine and attitude is the sumac pork ($24). The pork chop gets a Texas-style rub and is left to roast before being finished off with a Korean barbecue sauce.
Or the cucumber and avocado salad ($10), which Rivas says is a tribute to the traditional Mexican dish but is modified by adding fresh avocado, kale and a sesame seed cracker for crunch.
While Rivas appeared on “Chopped,” you won’t see TVs in the inside of the restaurant because the couple wants to encourage a social dining experience.
“We really want people to get back to, my husband likes to say, what breaking bread was all about,” said Jakota Rivas. “Where people would sit down around a table and enjoy good food and good company and actually talk to each other.”
Don’t expect hefty portions that require a to-go box either, Jakota Rivas said.
“We want them to be able to enjoy more than one course and walk out feeling as good as you did when you walked in if not better,” she said.
If you go
Where: 41955 5th St., Suite 102, Temecula
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Information: 951-595-3711, latitudebyjr.com
http://www.pe.com/former-chopped-contestant-wife-open-restaurant-in-old-town-temecula 2019-01-12 17:35:00Z
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