It’s a brisk, drizzling winter night in Temecula, the kind of evening where you kind of just want to curl up on your couch with a blanket and a hot beverage. But it’s also the type of evening where the last thing you want to do is cook yourself or your family a meal, which makes venturing outside a slightly more attractive option. If you’re not going to be in the comfort of your own home, the comfort of Farm House Kitchen at the Temecula Creek Inn is the next best option.

With a rustic, home-like ambiance and menu, the newly-opened Farm House Kitchen will likely soon become a premier dining option in Temecula. After undergoing a $2.5 million renovation that was completed in October, which included a complete redesign and name change, Chef Igor Krichmar came onboard and infused a refined, farm-to-table program to the restaurant.

“It’s like you mom’s cooking … but better,” he describes.

The dinner menu reflects that, with comfort food like Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Pot Pie, Roasted Chicken and Shrimp N’ Grits, but each are elevated to a sophisticated level most don’t experience in their own kitchen. The Chicken Noodle Soup, for example, comes with a 7 minute egg and a house made herb spaetzle, and the broth is one of the best you’ll ever have.

There’s a long list of entrees to have after your soup, but if you can be convinced of one thing, it should be to order the Slow Braised Short Ribs, which come with a carrot puree, pommes puree, port-braised shallots and crispy onions on top. The meat is tender and full of robust flavor, while the carrot puree is so tasty the chef should make a soup out of it to serve on its own. And you can enjoy these hearty, home-style foods on comfortable couch-like seating.

And if there’s room for desert, let us suggest the bread pudding, which is accompanied by the house-made caramel, vanilla poached apples and whipped crème fraiche.

While the chef works his magic, he’s helped by the freshness of his ingredients. Committed to utilizing local produce, meat and fish whenever possible, Chef Krichmar visits the local farmer’s market every Saturday.

“We’re very geared towards a farm-to-table menu, and Temecula provides one of the best sources of that with all the local farms,” says Krichmar, who opts to provide diners with a number of house-made items such as maple syrup, siracha, ice cream and chocolate sauce.

If you’ve made a golf weekend out of your trip to Temecula, committing to dinner at Farm House Kitchen should be a must. Whether or not wine tasting is also part of that weekend getaway, the extensive wine list at the restaurant will please even those who ventured e out to the area purely for its wines.

But for those just there for the day, and likely playing on Temecula Creek Inn’s 27-Hole championship golf course, the lunch menu is surely suited for the sophisticated golfer.

“Our lunch menu certainly caters towards the golfer,” says Krichmar. “Making the golfer happy is our No. 1 goal.”

Sandwiches highlight the lunch menu, and golfers will see their typical post-round favorites, but often with a twist. For instance, check out the ingredients in the FHK Club Sandwich and try to stop your mouth from watering: Fallbrook avocado, pork belly strips, roasted chicken, local heirloom tomatoes, boutique romaine, mustard aioli. Then there’s the steak sandwich, which features sliced prime rib, caramelized onions, St. Andre cheese and a house pickled jalapeño. But those looking for something a little more basic can stick with one of four different burgers, or opt for the Farm House Trio, which is a trio of chicken, tuna and egg salad sliders.

The icing on the cake for lunch at Farm House Kitchen is the view from the patio, which overlooks the scenic golf course, making both the scenery and cuisine a step above that of which you can get at home.

Temecula Creek Inn, temeculacreekinn.com/farmhousekitchen

44501 Rainbow Canyon Road, Temecula, CA 92592