Excellent Italian-style pizzas are also served. The wine list includes many fine Italian wines. Originally built as a stagecoach stop on the route linking Escondido and San Diego, the Big Stone Lodge has been a Poway landmark for nearly three-quarters of a century. Now owned by San Diego Padres legend Randy Jones, the restaurant has been renovated, but the Old West ambience remains. Today the focus is on family fare, and Santa Maria-style barbecue cooked over red oak logs is the specialty.
Prices are moderate.
Nicely prepared and modestly priced Northern Italian fare matches the cheery surroundings at this popular restaurant in a shopping center anchored by a Target store. The hand-crafted pizzas, which may be ordered without cheese, include such vegetarian choices as primavera, mushroom and Margherita. Stir Fresh, where you can create your own Asian dish and watch chefs quickly stir-fry it, is geared to introducing folks to how Mongolian barbecue works. Customers grab a bowl and fill it from a buffet line filled with 14 kinds of thinly sliced veggies and four kinds of sliced meats, as well as an array of sauces. There's a chart that explains how to sauce your pile of veggies and meat to make it mild, medium or spicy.