Restaurant of the Week: Richie's Diner, Harry's Pacific Grill
Monday I ate at two new-to-me restaurants, Richie's Diner for lunch, Harry's Pacific Grill for dinner, both at Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga.
I'm familiar with the Richie's in Victorville, an occasional lunch stop when I lived and worked there in the mid-1990s. That one, if memory serves, had a virtually all-white interior and was fairly utilitarian. The food was OK but nothing exciting. The VG one is more a modern take on a diner, outfitted in browns and gray, with comfortable booths and classier touches. It's a little disconcerting to see a wall niche with bottles of wine not far from a lineup of classic bottled sodas and emblems of old-school gas station pumps, but it mostly works.
I ordered the California tuna melt ($8.95) on sourdough with slaw as my side and a Pepsi with vanilla flavoring ($2.19), which came in a metal cup. A tuna melt is my baseline sandwich. This one really was a melt -- sometimes the cheese isn't melted at all -- and was one of the better examples I've had. It came with avocado, probably a treat for most people, but to be honest, I've never really liked avocado. The slaw was good too.
All in all, Richie's beat expectations.
Dinner that night was at Harry's. I've been to Honolulu Harry's, owned by the same chain, but this is virtually nothing like that. It's a more upscale experience, without the tropical gimmickry (which is fun, by the way).
I had the Paniolo skirt steak ($17), which was said to have been marinated 24 hours, with fries; my friend had the Asian Pacific Pescado ($16), which came with baby broccoli, kalamata olives, fresh tomatoes and white wine reduction.
What was Asian or Mexican about the fish's preparation wasn't clear, but it was flavorful and served on a bed of scalloped potatoes. My steak was tender and juicy. Even my fries were good. Harry's atmosphere hit that sweet spot where you feel you're in a nice place but it's not so stiff that you're intimidated.
So, two meals, two winners. If only all days were like this.
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A journalist for more than two decades, David Allen has been writing a column for the Daily Bulletin since 1997 and blogging since 2007.He lives in Claremont.
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We ate at the new Richie's Diner in Rancho Cucamonga last friday, 4-04-08 and had really bad food poisoning. We ordered the country sampler and the BBQ Trio. We were so sick the following early morning and the whole day---throwing up and just bedridden. Called the restaurant and notified them of the incident.
Manager Needs Service Training
Called in order for Family BBQ pack that comes with TWO side orders, got only one, staff called in the Manager, how the Manager “Fix It” , divide the side order in 2 containers…WTF! The Manager was sooo rude… NEEDS SERVICE TRAINING! Canceled my order and went to nearby LUCILLE`s Smokehouse BBQ and got good food with prompt and excellent service.