Featured Restaurant (November 2009) - The Parlour 216 N. Glendora Ave. Glendora, CA 91741 626-852-5522 www.theparlourwine.com

As of August 2009, downtown Glendora has a new hidden gem: The Parlour. Located in a small alcove on Glendora Avenue, The Parlour welcomes guests with a cozy yet chic interior, reminiscent of a Parisian Café. Upon walking in you are greeted by a hand-picked selection of wines from around the world (one of which is the Carina Cellars “7 percent” Syrah!) Turn the corner and you’ve just entered the dining room where you can choose to dine at the elegant black booths along the wall, the long marble table in the center of the room, or at the bar. I usually go for the bar because bartenders make excellent company, and bartender Ryan was no exception!

I had a difficult time choosing what to order off the menu because it presented such a unique array of seasonal treats. Eventually I decided on the watermelon salad because both the sales rep I was with (Dustin), and owner Kathleen could not stop talking about it! I quickly understood why when my salad arrived moments later-it was an absolutely delicious cacophony of flavors! The sharp flavor of the crumbled feta and saltiness of the olives entangled with the mouthwatering sweetness of the watermelon and light drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette…if watermelon were in season year-round I would be eating this salad for lunch every day!

For my main course I ordered the squash blossom Panini, because not only did it intrigue me, but my own zucchini plant in my front yard had several of these same blossoms all over its vines, and I was curious as to how to prepare them. I’ve only had squash blossoms once before in a fried state (highly recommend it!), but in its raw state the blossoms were an equally fantastic, especially when prepared with goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, arugula and a red pepper aioli.