Temecula bloomed into a magnificent wine country that’s been giving Napa Valley some very heated competition for years now. My favorite place, without a question, is Small Barn in Old Town Temecula which provides mind-blowing food and pairs it with great wine.

The chic restaurant launched during the pandemic with outdoor seating which means when you arrive at the restaurant, it feels like you walked in on groups of people having a feast in someone’s front yard. It’s beautiful but also welcoming and homey. I think this is a perfect Saturday nightspot that can double as either a date location or group dinner.

The staff made me feel like I was at Tia Blanca’s house when she keeps refilling my plate. However, instead of the usual Guatemalan food from home, I experienced a more elevated version of home cooking. I ate some salads, fish, chicken, beef and roasted vegetables. Sounds pretty basic right? But when I say elevated, think ground floor to the penthouse.

The first salad included organic roast beets with honey, yogurt, and almonds. It was refreshing after a hot day, yet not heavy or overly sweet. This was a surprise to my palette and prepared me for my voyage of heavenly flavors. Next was the greens salad. On the menu. It’s simply listed like that, but I’ve never had such sweet crisp lettuce pair so perfectly with pistachios, dates, and goat cheese. I think because it arrives looking pretty unassuming, but the flavors slap you to attention.

The trout crudo reminded me of fish ceviche but without the overbearing citrus flavor. The dish allowed you to enjoy the fish, the texture, and the seasonings which included some chili. This is very mild but somehow reminded me of agua chiles. I think if agua chiles were a baby, this dish is what it would be. Now to the chicken. This was tender, juicy, a pleasure to devour, and a must-try for those people who never order chicken at a restaurant because they find it boring. Chicken isn’t boring, you just haven’t had it well prepared. Eat this dish to reset your expectations.

When they brought out the ribeye, my mouth started watering before the plate even hit the table. Get this, it’s cooked in bone marrow truffle butter and red wine reduction. You don’t even want to chew because the flavors are so perfectly rich you just want the food to sit on your tastebuds. I was pacing myself and I really wanted to fill up on this but I waited and I’m glad I did.

The last entree was the whole Baja seabass and yes they brought the whole fish out. head and all. It was an experience. The dish arrives with a side of lettuce and slightly spicy cashew sauce to create your own lettuce wraps. This was my favorite because while individually everything tasted amazing, the flavors blended so perfectly together I just sat there focusing on the tastes that emerged after every bite.

The only thing I talked about was how amazing the food was. That’s it, no small talk, nothing. The food was so good it consumed all my attention and I would apologize to those sitting around me but everyone essentially did the same.

You thought that was the end of my eating journey? No, there was more! Out came the dessert which consisted of chocolate cake, peanut butter ice cream with whipper pepper cream and miso caramel. I’m allergic to peanut butter and that bite of dessert was absolutely worth it. No regrets and luckily no reaction.

They also brought out something that looked like a pink mess on a plate named summer strawberry brioche. By then, I had learned that the most unassuming plate from this restaurant usually blows my tastebuds, and the brioche did just that. It’s fresh and sweet but not artificial. This was my favorite dish. It was perfectly portioned where you ate it up and then smiled at the plate because you felt like the chef just gave you a birthday present.

The final thing I ate was a plate of milk and cookies. How do you elevate the most simple yet beloved dessert? The fresh cookies were baked with Cordillera chocolate and the milk was from almonds and was just freshly made… squeezed … extracted? Not sure how to properly describe the process but it was delicious and only semi-sweet.

So now we’re at the end of the food journey. Yes, I ate through nine plates of food… ten counting the charcuterie plate when I first sat down. I did not regret any of the stomach space allocated for this experience and would happily eat the leftovers in the car ride home, but there were no leftovers. It was that good.

Go eat at Small Barn and have your own food journey to paradise in the middle of Temecula Valley.