The return of the Big Boy!

There's a new cowboy walking tall in Horse Town U.S.A. and he's a big boy. Actually he's THE Big Boy. Bob's Big Boy, in the midst of a nation wide expansion, has dug his big spurs into Norco, CA. And he's been wranglin' up some some big boy crowds on the weekends.

Now, this is a nostalgia treat for my wife, who has fond memories of Big Boy patty melts from her youth. I don't have a lot of memories of Bob, but he speaks my language, "All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffet". Now, this is not a "Home Town Buffet" size buffet, but then you can hardly expect that of a restaurant with a full "to order" menu. It's sufficient, however, to be the breakfast go-to for an indecisive guy sizing up the Big Boy.

As much as I hate crowds, busy usually means fresh. And I had no complaints with the buffet fare. Sausage, bacon, assorted preparations of scrambled eggs, biscuits and country gravy, pancakes and waffles, oatmeal, and bagels and cream cheese. There was more, but these are the clearest in my memory. It was quite fresh as I saw some items stocked several times while we were there. It was very tasty, but not too distinct. Again, this is sort of a "buffet" issue, and not a "Big Boy" issue.

My wife had the patty melt with a generous serving of fries that she did not finish. She said it was everything she remembered it to be, and I gathered we'd be coming back again soon. The staff was friendly, helpful, and punctual as I ran them ragged with demands for Diet Coke and water. The prices were disappointing, as the seemed a bit high for this kind of restaurant. Be warned, two people getting out for under 30 bucks looks tricky.

They have balloons and a wandering Big Boy for the kids and a full blown nostalgia gift shop. Speaking of kids, it was not a hassle to have my daughter with us, and the accommodated parents very well, which is to be expected of a family restaurant.

Interesting to note, to comply with the Norco City Council, I was informed a custom Big Boy in Cowboy Hat and Boots is on it's was to the location for an upcoming Grand (re)Opening.

I can't give a definitive "yea" or "nay" yet, but we will be going back. I intend to make sure I sample something off the menu next time, and see what the Big Boy is really made of. Bob's Big Boy 1689 is located at 3521 Hamner Ave. in Norco, CA.

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That's it, thanks. I'm stuffed.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Filippi's Pizza Grotto, Norco CA

This one is late. The Madness of the weeks up to my daughter's first birthday was too much for me. 10 relatives from Holland and 3 from Seattle.Anyway...
Filippi's is Norco's poorly kept little secret. Nestled in the "Blue" Shopping center at 1192 6th St., Norco, it's a locally raved about authentic Italian restaurant. It's actually a chain, and you can find their website at RealCheesePizza.com. Still, it has a real family owned feel, and according to the website, it is owned by a relative of the founder.
First off, on a Sunday afternoon, the place was sparsely populated and we got a seat straight away. This is ALWAY a big plus. The service was very attentive even though both our waitress and hostess seemed very young.
I had an excellent combination Spaghetti/Lasagna plate with home made sausage. It was a HUGE portion and I should have took half of it home, but... well you know. The sausage was spectacular, though slightly sweet, which is not usually my preference. This however, is a must try.
My wife had linguine with a white sauce teeming with clams. I'm not a fan of clam sauce, so I'll take her word it was excellent.
Prices are slightly higher at 8 to 12 dollars a plate. The places is obviously set up to watch a lot of football with big flat screens and the obligatory Budweiser banners. I suspect it may be a bit more crowded at game time. I'll definitely be going back.

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That's it, thanks. I'm stuffed.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal