A longtime Inland Empire Long John Silver’s has gone belly-up.

The restaurant, 145 E. Highland Ave., San Bernardino, appears to have shut down in mid-December.

A fire caused the restaurant’s closure for several months in 2010 and 2011.

Long John Silver’s restaurants have slowly been disappearing from the Inland Empire landscape.

Among the closures:

Another San Bernardino location at 601 W. Second St. closed and became a Starbucks in 2011.

A longtime Montclair location closed in 2013.

A Redlands location closed in 2016.

A Riverside location closed in September of last year.

The only remaining Inland Empire locations appear to be at 33911 Yucaipa Blvd., Yucaipa; 32425 Temecula Parkway, Temecula; and 14258 Highway 395, Adelanto.

Dragon’s Tale Brewery turning two

Montclair’s Dragon’s Tale Brewery is celebrating its second anniversary from 1-10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9.

The event will feature food from Baby Come Back Ribs and Pupusas, musical performances from Eric J. Olague and Michelle and the Magic Tones, and even a psychic, Michael Mirth.

Commemorative pint glasses will be available, and of course, there will be plenty of beer, including two new releases, and five returning favorites.

Dragon’s Tale is at 8920 Vernon Ave., Suite 122.

Cake fundraiser

Portillo’s is partnering with the American Red Cross with its Cakes for a Cause fundraiser.

The chain will sell heart-shaped chocolate cakes for $15.99, and a portion of the sales of the cakes — up to $25,000 — will be donated to the relief organization.

The cakes will be available in restaurants from Feb. 8-17, but guests are encouraged to order in advance by visiting www.portillos.com or by calling 866-YUM-BEEF (986-2333).

The Inland Empire’s sole Portillo’s location is at 12840 Day St., Moreno Valley.

Free fry day

Farmer Boys is continuing to promote its new, crispier French fries with another giveaway on Friday, Feb. 8.

From 2-5 p.m. that day, customers can receive a free order of fries with purchase at participating locations. The Riverside-based fast-casual chain reformulated its fries late last year to make them crispier, and to make the crispiness last longer.

The chain is using low-moisture potatoes sourced from family farms in the Columbia River Basin in Washington and Oregon. The fries are also lightly battered and are fried at a lower temperature.

However, the deal is not available at the following Inland Empire locations:

Chino: 13675 Central Ave.

Corona: 1625 E. Sixth St.

Indio: 81959 Highway 111

Rancho Cucamonga: 11499 E. Foothill Blvd.

Redlands: 27471 San Bernardino Ave.

Riverside: 3303 Madison St.

Chocolate fundraiser

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside’s annual Chocolate Fantasy fundraiser is turning 25 with a event from 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Mitten Building, 345 N. Fifth St. Suite A, Redlands.

Attendees can enjoy both sweet and savory bites from local restaurants, bakeries and chocolatiers. The event will also feature live and silent auctions and a live band.

Tickets for the 21-and-over, black tie-preferred event are $100 and are available by visiting www.begreatie.org, from the organization’s administrative offices at 1251 Clay St., Redlands, or by calling 888-822-6535.

Pieology goes veggie

Add Pieology to the growing list of restaurant chains offering plant-based meat substitutes.

However, unlike other chains which are using next-generation items from Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat, Pieology is using a more traditional faux-meat producer, Gardein.

The toppings — “Spicy Italian Sausage Rounds,” “Beef Meatball” and “Diced Chicken” — are available for a $1 upcharge.

Wine pairing dinner

Bluewater Grill — which has a location at 26700 Ynez Court, Temecula — is offering a special “From Europe With Love” menu featuring the restaurant’s versions of French Bouillabaisse and Italian Cioppino, along with a split of Chocolate Lava Cake or Key Lime Pie.

The special, which is available Feb. 13-28, costs $40.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, guests can receive the special, paired with Domain Ste. Michelle Brut or hand-selected French and Italian wines, for the same price.

Free lunch

Who says there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino is hosting a soup lunch, “Ladles of Love,” from noon-1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12 at its warehouse, 2950-B Jefferson Street, Riverside.

Though the event is free, attendees will be asked to donate $11 — an amount that would provide up to 100 meals — or more to the food bank.

For reservations, visit www.feedingamericaie.org/ladles-of-love-2019.

Black Bear Diner update

The Rancho Cucamonga Black Bear Diner has reopened after fixing plumbing issues that shut the restaurant down a few days after it opened Jan. 21.

The restaurant, 10910 E. Foothill Blvd., is open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.