Taste of the Town Backwoods Inn, Canyon Country – 2020.01.16
Winter ideally brings us in Southern California some much needed rain and one of those wet days happened to occur on January 16th, the day of our first Taste of the Town of the new year. I was anxious to attend and have a good meal at the Backwoods Inn on Sierra Highway in Canyon Country, finally back from a bout with a virus. Steak instead of chicken soup was the order of the day.
I rolled into the Backwoods Inn lot at the appointed hour expecting to find it full of Corvettes. I saw just one. I thought maybe attendance was down due to the weather or maybe others had my virus. Steak was still calling so I went in and asked where the Corvette club was meeting, directed to the back room. I was surprised to find the room filled with our members, who were busy enjoying one another’s company and preparing to order. Like me, everyone apparently didn’t want to wash their Vette on Friday and also drove the “tin-can”.
I have to give a shout out to prospective members Jim and Patt Watkinson for acknowledging that Corvettes have wipers and using his to wave the Corvette colors at our social event.
The Backwoods Inn says it has the “Best Steak in the book”, and it’s “Where the Locals Eat”. I tend to agree. The restaurant has been a favorite in our community since its opening in 1968 and I must say, my steak was excellent.
Did you know that the Backwoods Inn rakes the sawdust on the floor every morning and it is changed once a week on Sunday? Good to know I suppose.
Our Taste of the Town was another success and thanks to our organizers and attendees for making our night out a good one. And, thanks too to the Backwoods Inn staff for taking good care of us.
Taste of the Town on February 20th will be at Mama’s Table on Cinema Drive. See you there…in your Corvette!
Following the short drivers’ meeting, we began the short drive to Sylmar, where we gathered again in the lower level of the Nethercutt Museum to find ourselves folded-in with several other car clubs, an Elk’s lodge, and a number of civilians who were all there for the tour.
They greeted us with baskets of warm bread-sticks, bowls of Italian dressed salad, and wine that ran freely.
Well, maybe not so much the wine, but the rest of it was plentiful. It was a great Taste of the Town.
One of the most popular aspects of the Olive Garden are the combination plates made up of pasta and other Italian favorites, and this night they did not disappoint. Other popular entrées included the chicken and shrimp carbonara, meat lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo, and the wide variety of frittatas—there was something for every Italian food lover. Some of the members even took advantage of the $5.00 take home entrees, for meals the next day!
Please join us next month at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews, located at 27063 McBean Parkway, in the Prominade Shopping Center. mark your calendars, and we’ll see you there!
The amazing spring weather made for a perfect evening of conversation, laughs, and biscuits n’ butter!
The members’ dinner choices ran the menu from freshly battered southern fried chicken strips, to the crispy Caesar salad, and many of the house favorites such as the fried chicken and gravy, smoked beef brisket, and baby back ribs, all of which included the full complement of side dishes and beverages.
The friendly wait staff worked hard to set up for our group, and they helped make our meal enjoyable with friendly and efficient service.
After dinner, the evening was just too beautiful to call it a night, so a small but dedicated team set out on a reconnaissance mission to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, where the mission was deemed successful.
We started out on a really nice Saturday morning with twenty-five Corvettes, which included seven cars from the Ventura County Corvette Club, all gathered in our usual meeting spot next to the Outback Steakhouse. Mike and Judy joined us for a little while to greet our Ventura guests and to see us off before they had to breakaway for a prior engagement with the Solid Axle Corvette Club.
After the drivers meeting, we gathered up, lined up, and radioed up, before rolling out
It’s always a challenge to keep a caravan of Corvettes together, and more so after encountering some Saturday morning traffic along the 210 corridor. But good coordination kept everyone on track, and we arrived together at our destination.
Once we pulled into the grounds at Santa Anita Park, we were welcomed by personalized signs that directed us to our reserved parking area.
A short walk to the prestigious Club House entrance put us inside where everyone went their own way for a little while to visit the restrooms, restaurants, bar, or find the clubhouse seating.
Some of us also found our way to the Winner’s Circle Championship BBQ area to sample the wide range of treats prepared by the competitors.
By post time, we had gathered back in the grandstands for a full afternoon of more fun, food, drink, conversation,
Our group’s luck—or dare I say skill—with betting the ponies was not without its highlights. Some of us did quite well, some did okay, but most broke even. As for those of us who didn’t quite have the equine touch, we still came out winners by enjoying good times with good people!
The servers got us started with water, wine, and other beverages, and of course as a ravenous crowd, we dove into the warm bread and whipped butter. 
Overall it was a great evening, and we are already looking forward to next month’s Taste of the Town, which will be at Lucile’s BBQ on April 18th, so mark your calendars, and we’ll see you there!
The popularity of these TOT events never disappoints, and neither does Maria Bonita’s. Baskets of crunchy chips and tasty salsa got everyone started, as did the cold cervezas and salty margaritas. The food was hot, the guacamole was fresh, and the staff was friendly and attentive.
Your writer missed this one but dispatched the lovely Virginia to take copious notes and to document the event with dozens of photos. But alas, notes were taken per directions, but camera/phone was forgotten at home. No problem here though with all of our modern members equipped with photo equipment!
Our Taste-of-the-Town events are always a lot of fun, so join us! Plan ahead with our upcoming events schedule here in the newsletter. Of course, plans do change occasionally, so always be sure to confirm the date and location by checking the events section of the webpage at scvcc.org.