Recently in Restaurants: Rancho Cucamonga Category

Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, 10742 Foothill Blvd. (at Aspen), Rancho Cucamonga

Farrell's means a lot to many longtime Inland Valley residents who marked birthdays and other occasions at the Montclair Plaza ice cream parlor, which operated through the 1970s and into the mid-1980s before folding like other locations after a disastrous buyout. Now the chain is back, with SoCal restaurants in Rancho Cucamonga, Brea, Mission Viejo and Santa Clarita, with more in the works. Here's its website.

Me, I was a Farrell's newbie when I showed up for lunch recently with two Farrell's fans, my friends Dave and Rose Linck of Rancho Cucamonga. They grew up on the place and had already been to the Rancho location twice, once for Rose's birthday. (She wasn't asked to stand on a chair.)

In fact, Rose wrote several letters in recent years to Farrell's suggesting they take over the closed Romano's Macaroni Grill, advice that Farrell's took. They should give her free ice cream for life or something.

The restaurant has been completely made over. After a short wait even at 1 p.m. for a table, we were seated. We were among the few adults not accompanied by children. It's a festive atmosphere, the Chuck E Cheese of ice cream. Every few minutes a siren would blare and employees, dressed in straw boaters and vests, would gather around a table and sing happy birthday while the child stood on a chair. They've revived all the old traditions, including the Zoo and the Pig Trough ice cream platters.

I got a half BLT with chicken noodle soup and fries ($7.79), Rose had chicken strips known as Cock-a-Doodle Dippers ($8) and Dave had the Gastronomicaldelicatessenepicurean's Delight (whew!), a cold cut combo with fries ($10.59).

Surprisingly, this was all pretty good. My BLT, for example, used a better grade of bacon that you'll find almost anywhere else and the soup tasted fresh. The others were impressed by their meals too.

For dessert, we each got hot fudge or hot butterscotch sundaes, the single-scoop versions available if you get a meal ($3.29), and it was delicious, as you'd hope. Including the $2.79 vanilla Coke I got from the soda fountain, my tab was $17, a couple of bucks more than I'd have preferred, but fine given the quality of the food and the attentiveness of the service.

Would I go back, though? Maybe, but it's hard to imagine when I would. (Other than if any friends choose Farrell's for their own birthday, which one is threatening to do.) I don't think I would go even for my own birthday (when you get a free sundae), although I reserve the right to change my mind.

It's evidently a good facsimile of the old Farrell's, a parent would probably not be disappointed by the food and a kid would probably love it. But unless you're a retired fireman who misses the sound of a siren going off every few minutes, or deaf, this is not a place many adults could endure. Nostalgists, of course, will want to try it, and should.

Koyla Indian Restaurant, 8140 Haven Ave. (at Foothill), Rancho Cucamonga; also at 1845 Holt Blvd. (at Vineyard), Ontario

Koyla opened earlier in 2011 in a former Daphne's Greek fast-casual spot at the Chaffey Town Square center, and it's a big upgrade. Koyla is swankier inside than expected, with muted lighting, white tablecloths and table service.

Dinner entrees are from $10 to $20 and encompass chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetable dishes. See the menu here. Of course they do a lunch buffet too, which seems to be a requirement for an Indian restaurant, at least the ones out here, but I visited at dinnertime.

A friend and I shared an appetizer, tawa mushrooms ($10); two entrees, chili fish ($15) and shrimp saag ($14); and an order of plain naan ($2), the Indian flatbread, and basmati rice ($4). A little of all the above is pictured at top.

The mushrooms were sauteed with onions, bell peppers and tomatoes; good stuff. The chili fish, chunks of deep-fried fish, came with tamarind sauce, onions, bell peppers and spices. A little spicy for my taste but I'm a sensitive Midwesterner. My favorite was the shrimp saag, which is a sort of creamed spinach; you can also get it with chicken, vegetables or lamb.

We liked all the dishes, although the chili fish stuck out a bit as an offering that didn't seem particularly Indian. We had a coupon that knocked a chunk off the bill as long as the total was more than $40, which it was.

Koyla has two locations, both aggressively located near longstanding Indian restaurants; the one in Rancho Cucamonga is a block from Haandi, while the one in Ontario is equally close to Bombay. I'd give Haandi the edge over Koyla, but Koyla was pretty good too.

Red Chilli House, 9795 Base Line Road (at Archibald), Rancho Cucamonga

The Inland Valley has a lot of Chinese restaurants but only a handful that serve what might be called modern, authentic Chinese cuisine, a la the San Gabriel Valley. The short list is made up of Peking Deli and Good Time Cafe, both in Chino Hills, Foothill Bistro in Rancho Cucamonga and a recent addition, Red Chilli House, also in Rancho Cucamonga.

Red Chilli opened in June 2011 near the 99 Ranch Market. Other than kung pao shrimp and chicken in spicy garlic sauce, everything on the menu was unfamiliar. There's no chow mein or orange chicken or cream cheese wontons. They don't bring a basket of chow mein noodles to your table with a plate of ketchup and spicy mustard. Instead they have dishes like boiled pork intestines in chili sauce and stir-fried kidney with pickled chili. Yum!

Just kidding. Well, for all I know, those are delish. But don't be put off: They also have many non-frightening dishes. (The menu has 112 items.)

A friend well-versed in Chinese cuisine ordered for us: a plate of cold appetizers (seaweed, cucumber, beef with Szechuan peppercorns; price forgotten; pictured above right), something called crispy rice crust dishes with pork ($10, middle right) and Dan Dan noodles ($6, below right).

The noodles came in a bowl with a peanut-sesame sauce. The pork dish had vegetables and crispy rice. I liked both, as well as the appetizer, although the edge goes to the noodles.

Service was low-key but helpful; they refilled our water glasses regularly and answered questions. The dining room was pleasant if utilitarian. There's a boba shop a few doors down and an Asian market in the same center.

I meant to write this visit up weeks ago but delayed; I was considering writing a tie-in column about the place, or the whole shopping center, but that fell by the wayside. So, at last, here's the Restaurant of the Week version. For what it's worth, people on Yelp like the place.

If you want sweet and sour something, don't go here. As my friend said mockingly: "Chinese food is supposed to be slivers of white meat deep-fried in a sugary glaze!" If you want something that's not that, try Red Chilli House.

Corner Bakery Cafe, 12375 S. Main St. (at Victoria Gardens), Rancho Cucamonga

Corner Bakery is a chain, but one with only two Inland Valley locations, fewer than some of our mom-and-pop restaurants, so it's fair game here. I haven't been to the one in Chino Hills (4517 Chino Hills Parkway) but over the years I've been to the Victoria Gardens location many times.

It's one of the more affordable restaurants there, falling into the fast-casual category. A purveyor of sandwiches, soups, salads and pasta, not to mention fresh bread and other bakery items, Corner Bakery is similar to Panera, except for the pasta, and similarly priced $1 or $2 above what you'd like to pay; a sandwich and drink will run you about $11. Still, it's a lot cheaper than a sitdown meal at, say, Lucille's or King's.

A friend prefers Corner Bakery, I prefer Panera. The Corner Bakery menu (view it here) is awfully complex, with a lot of items (I count 21 sandwiches and 19 salads), and you can stand there like a dope for some minutes figuring out what you want. On the bright side, there's usually a line, which buys you time.

The pesto cavatappi pasta (about $8, pictured, as a "Corner Combo" as a small portion with a side salad) is a solid choice. One time I got the full-size order with a side salad for $1 that, mistakenly I think, turned out to be a full-sized salad. I ate the salad and two bites of the pasta and took the rest of the pasta home for an entire extra meal. Best dollar I ever spent. That hasn't happened again.

They also have breakfast, with pastries, oatmeal (including a chilled version), egg paninis and fruit bowls.

A lot of people on Yelp think the VG location is subpar, with indifferent service and crumbs on the seats. That's never stood out for me but then I've never visited other, allegedly better locations. I just take it for what it is.

At the VG, it was easy enough to park in a surface lot nearby, hit Corner Bakery, hit Borders, hit Pinkberry (if desired) and then hit the road. I had three recent meals there during the Borders closeout sale.

I like the VG, but there's not a lot of interest for me there and there'll be even less so without a bookstore. But Corner Bakery will be there when I need it.

The Deli, 9671 Foothill Blvd. (at Archibald), Rancho Cucamonga

The Deli is a sandwich-making institution at the epicenter of old Cucamonga, the crossroads of Foothill Boulevard (Route 66) and Archibald Avenue. It's in half of an old market that apparently dates to the 1920s.

I don't know the age of The Deli, but it was in full swing in 1997 when I arrived here and it's still packed at lunchtime, with no obvious change or dropoff in quality.

It's not an ethnic deli, just a sandwich shop. Most of the sandwiches are hot. They have dip, steak, sausage and chicken sandwiches, burgers, cold cuts, hot dogs and salads. i haven't made a survey of the menu, but the grilled Cajun chicken breast sandwich ($6, pictured) is my standard order; the burger ($2.89) and Italian steak ($7.69) are pretty good too.

The oak-intensive interior is full of character, especially with the two model trains that chug along on tracks suspended from the ceiling (pictured) and the vintage photos of the intersection that line one wall. The soda machine stands atop an old safe. The shaded patio, which has its own order window, is a nice place to hang too.

At noon, the place is a hive of activity. (It's open until 8 p.m.) One can't help but notice that almost every employee is female, an observation a staff photo makes even clearer. Is The Deli an EEOC complaint waiting to happen?

Who knows, maybe it already has. When I visit I'm often reminded of the "Seinfeld" episode in which Elaine files a complaint with the feds against the diner over the pulchritude of its staff, and the investigators, two men, in the name of research become regulars.

But the eye candy is unnecessary (or a bonus, depending on your viewpoint). It's the food, atmosphere and sense of tradition in a young city that make The Deli well worth a visit.

Oporto, 8220 Haven Ave. (at Foothill), Rancho Cucamonga

Oporto is an Australia-based restaurant chain that opened its first U.S. location in (why not?) Rancho Cucamonga. A quirky way to launch, I suppose, but we would expect no less from the Aussies. The website promises coming locations in Ontario and Glendora. We appreciate their laser-like focus.

The Rancho Cucamonga restaurant is in the former Pei Wei location, much missed by some of us, in the Chaffey Town Square center at the southwest corner of Haven and Foothill. Oporto opened in February. I went in with a friend recently for dinner.

They specialize in Portuguese-style chicken, unbreaded and unfried, served either as whole chickens or in a variety of sandwiches, in which the chicken is pressed and served as one, two or three stacked "patties." It's a casual, order-at-the-counter place, with an overhead menu of similar-looking sandwiches whose variations can only be read when standing directly underneath it.

We had a single Bondi meal (one-patty sandwich, fries, drink, $5), which has "chilli" sauce, and a double Otropo meal (ditto, but with two patties, $7), which has pineapple, bacon and "creamy mayo" sauce.

Well, it was no Pei Wei, but the sandwiches were tasty, and served on above-average buns. The crusty fries were different, enjoyable, but salty. I would go back and so would my friend. (*Correction: She says she wouldn't.) The food is very different from Chick-fil-A but of comparable quality. There's plenty of seating indoors and a large patio.

Throw another chicken on the...oh, never mind.

Zaky Mediterranean Grill, 1013 W. Foothill Blvd. (at Mulberry), Upland; also 6622 Carnelian St. (at 19th), Rancho Cucamonga

Zaky Grill, which has a mostly-takeout location in Rancho Cucamonga off the 210, expanded to a larger second location in Upland a few weeks ago along Foothill Boulevard.

As an occasional customer at the Carnelian spot, which has just a couple of molded-plastic tables, I stopped in for dinner recently in Upland, where Zaky's shares a new-ish minimall with a Starbucks, a cell phone store and a pizza parlor.

This Zaky's has plenty of dining space. You still order at the counter, and the menu of sandwiches, plates, salads and rotisserie chicken turns out to be exactly the same in both locations. (View it here.)

I had the chicken kabob sandwich ($5), which is prepared to order on pita bread with garlic sauce, onions, pickles and tomatoes. Delicious.

The owner recognized me from previous visits and gave me a dessert, knafeh ($4), a pastry with cream cheese and honey, very nice.

I'd been to the minimall location before when it was B-Man's Teriyaki and later when it was a Philly's Best. The interior hasn't changed much, being a bit stark, with track lighting near the ceiling that is mildly unpleasant. But Zaky's food is pretty good stuff and the dine-in option is welcome. I hope they beat the location's curse.

Pho(to) above: John Valenzuela

Pho Ha, 9319 Foothill Blvd. (at Hellman), Rancho Cucamonga; also 695 Indian Hill Blvd. (at Keystone), Pomona

Pho Ha is reputed to be among the best Vietnamese restaurants locally, and none of my experiences there would refute that. The one in Rancho Cucamonga is in the Chuck E. Cheese center. At busy times it's like a food hall, every table lined up in rows and occupied, a few diners standing and waiting for a seat, waiters scurrying.

They do a very good version of pho, the beef noodle soup that is a Vietnamese staple. There's also an extensive menu of appetizers and entrees, which are what I usually opt for. I've never had a bad meal there.

The Pomona location is also good, albeit a notch below the Rancho Cucamonga location in ambience. At last count there are 128 reviews on Yelp.

I ate at Freddie Mae's Southern Cooking, in the food hall of Victoria Gardens, on April 22, eating a not-bad fish po'boy sandwich ($7.95). Freddie Mae's was in the first slot on the west side of the hall, where Nathan's Hot Dogs had been. I took photos and expected to share them here today.

Because I didn't get a menu and felt I didn't know quite enough about the place, I decided to try another lunch on Thursday, three weeks later. Perhaps my spidey sense was tingling. When I walked into the food hall, the Freddie Mae's space was vacated!

I had already filed Friday's column with a mention in my weekly blog report that Freddie Mae's was my Restaurant of the Week. Oy. So I used my new cell phone to email my boss to ask him to hold my column until I could rewrite the last item.

The Freddie Mae's website says they have a location in Fontana. Well, maybe I can go there sometime.

So what did I do for lunch? I went back to Crepes de Paris, already the subject of a Restaurant of the Week in 2008. But this time, I took photos, which I've added to that post.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 7945 Haven Ave. (at Town Center Drive), Rancho Cucamonga

The Inland Empire's first Five Guys outpost of the East Coast chain opened in March in the Terra Vista center north of Foothill Boulevard. Lines are usually out the door, showing either strong curiosity or repeat customers, probably both.

I visited with three pals on a recent Saturday at high noon, in retrospect perhaps the worst time to have picked. The place was jam-packed and noisy and tables were scarce.

It's a simple menu of burgers, fries, hot dogs and a couple of veggie sandwiches, and no milkshakes. They have free peanuts while you wait. Bags of potatoes are stacked around the otherwise utilitarian red and white interior. (A familiar color scheme...) A chalkboard sign notes where the day's potatoes are from. OK, so they're a little fanatical about their potatoes.

Burgers ($3.59 to $5.79) come with your choice of toppings, all the standard stuff plus rarer ones such as jalapenos, grilled onions or mushrooms and hot sauce, all free. A burger, fries and soda will run you about $10.

Your order comes in a paper bag. Even the regular fries ($2.59; $3.89 for a large) filled a cup with twice as much more in the bottom of the bag. They're good, very potato-like. In the hubbub we overlooked the option of Cajun fries, darnit; others rave about them.

The standard burger turns out to be two patties; the menu's "little hamburger" is one. It was fresh and filling. But the presentation looked sloppy and the burger is messy if you get a lot of toppings, which I did. I will go back, but my initial take is that I prefer the tidier offerings (and less hectic atmosphere) of Fatburger and the Habit, not to mention In N Out.

My friends were less ambivalent. (We'll ignore the one who got the veggie sandwich, which was a bun with a bunch of vegetables on it.) One praised the peanuts as a welcome touch and the fries as excellent. The other said: "I would give this a thumbs-up over In N Out. I thought this burger was tastier. But In N Out sure has a shorter wait."

* Update: I returned later in April for a single burger with ketchup, mustard, pickles and onions and found this simpler burger neatly presented and quite good. The Cajun fries were a nice change. However, the music remained far too loud and I couldn't concentrate on the book I'd brought. Five Guys has its uses, but it's just too pumped up for me.

Photo: Thomas R. Cordova/Daily Bulletin

Magic Lamp Inn, 8189 Foothill Blvd. (at Red Hill Country Club Drive), Rancho Cucamonga

The Magic Lamp is the venerable restaurant on Route 66 in far western Rancho Cucamonga with the rococo roof, stained glass windows and neon lamp sign that burns a gas flame at night. The look is Old World European despite the Arabian Nights name and theme.

The restaurant opened in 1955, taking over from Lucy and John's, a spaghetti parlor, and was the brainchild of the man behind Clearman's North Woods Inn, who clearly loved high-concept eating places.

The Lamp's interior hasn't much changed in recent years. There's still a round fireplace in the center of one dining room, a lot of wood in the decor and a specially made lamp-patterned carpet. The Lamp is a little fancy for a casual meal so my visits have been rare over the years, but some friends and I had lunch there not long ago.

One had the Chinese chicken salad, which did not skimp on the chicken; the other had the Cobb salad, which was tossed tableside and declared to taste "just the way I like it"; and I had the peppercorn top sirloin (pictured), which comes with rosemary potatoes and vegetables. Good steak and sides, and just the right size for a lunch. (I forgot to note the prices but the steak was about $15 and the salads about $10.)

Service was friendly and our waters and iced teas were refilled regularly, although the server's response when asked for recommendations, that "everything is good," didn't provide any guidance. Then again, since we liked all three of our entrees, she might be right.

It's quiet and sedate in the Lamp, making it a good place for conversation and an unhurried meal. As we relaxed post-lunch in our leather chairs, one of my friends said: "They don't make restaurants like this anymore." True dat.

Check the Route 66 Landmark sign below; the fine print reads "Recognized by Hampton Hotels Save-a-Landmark program as a site worth seeing." Who would argue?

Myung Dong Tofu House, 9799 Base Line Road (at Archibald), Rancho Cucamonga

Korean restaurants are relatively rare in the Inland Valley, and the subset of Korean tofu restaurants is even smaller. The only ones I'm aware of are Young Dong in Chino Hills and Myung Dong in Rancho Cucamonga.

The latter is in the shopping center where the 99 Ranch market recently opened. Based on the pit area, Myung Dong appears to have taken over a Korean barbecue restaurant. The furnishings aren't quite up to snuff; merely plopping into a booth rattled the booth back and the customer sitting behind me.

I ordered a bibimbap with beef paired with pork tofu soup ($12) and friend got mushroom tofu soup ($9). Bibimbap -- assorted vegetables with a meat of your choice, rice on the side -- is a basic Korean dish, albeit one I'd never had. The thick soup, spiked with chunks of tofu, comes in a hot pot and arrived at our table bubbling.

Service was helpful. The food was okay if unspectacular. Too much tofu and not enough of the main item (pork or mushroom, in our cases). The spice legend on the menu ranges from four peppers (extra spicy) past mild (one pepper) to white. (I joked that maybe white is for white people.) My friend's spicy soup (three peppers) wasn't very spicy; even I could eat it, and I'm sensitive to spiciness. So the food, at least in this one experience, was blander than it should have been.

Young Dong was a better experience. But if you're closer to Rancho Cucamonga than to Chino Hills, and you'd like to try Korean tofu, Myung Dong is good enough.

I would advise against the combinations unless you're a bigger eater than I am. Either the soup or the bibimbap would be enough for a decent meal, especially with the free appetizers you always get at a Korean restaurant, the small dishes of kimchi, bok choy, potato, cucumber and other items.

Classy Cafe, 9135 Archibald Ave. (at 7th), Rancho Cucamonga

Ensconced in a business park, Classy Cafe doesn't get its name from its surroundings. Taking the former Angelina's Cafe space, the cafe offers breakfast and lunch, weekdays only, with an uncommon focus on quality ingredients. They bake their own bread daily, make their own soups and even roast their own meats for the sandwiches.

A friend and I dropped in for lunch recently. The bistro-style interior, with its bare concrete floor, is a bit underdone, but I like the script over the entrance: "Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what's for lunch. -- Orson Welles." It was a warm day so we ate outside at one of the umbrella-shaded tables.

They have deli and panini sandwiches and salads for lunch and omelets, sandwiches and bakery items for breakfast.

The daily special ($8.99) is half a sandwich, a cup of soup or a cup of pasta salad or potato salad, a soda and a small dessert. We opted for that. I had ham on onion-cheese bread and potato salad; he had turkey on wheat and the steak onion bleu cheese soup (which is more a list of ingredients than a name, isn't it?).

We were both impressed by the quality of the food and the freshness of the bread. Each lunch came with a small wedge from a blueberry muffin; that was the sweet treat.

The cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You can view the menu on the cafe's website. Bread is sold by the loaf from $4.50 to $5. Despite what they seem to think, they're selling artisan bread, not "artesian."

Vince's Spaghetti, 8241 Foothill Blvd. (at San Bernardino Road), Rancho Cucamonga

While I prefer the Holt Boulevard Vince's in Ontario for history, as it's been there since 1945, the location in Rancho Cucamonga, known as the Route 66 Vince's, is closer to the newspaper, and thus more convenient at lunchtime.

By this point the upstart, in operation since 1984, is starting to feel historic too. The high-backed wooden booths are private and some are capped by the top of a wine barrel, stamped name faded but visible.

The food, of course, is the same. The In-N-Out of pasta, Vince's has six menu items, and I don't know that anyone orders one of them, Victoria's antipasto salad. Actually, this Vince's has a dinner item known as mostasagna, a combination mostaccioli and lasagna, unique to this location.

On a recent visit, a friend had his standby, a half-order of spaghetti with meat sauce ($8), which comes with soup or salad and bread, either garlic or cheese. Having been there fairly recently for spaghetti, I plowed new territory and finally tried the french dip ($7) with soup.

Have you had the Vince's french dip? That was the main item when Vince's opened as a six-stool dip stand. As a history on the website says, "If Frank Cuccia's uncle hadn't eaten a plate of his grandmother's spaghetti in front of the customers, Vince's Restaurant might still be a French Dip Stand."

The sandwich turned out to be tender and delicious, even better when dipped in the au jus. I began wondering if they don't put a little extra care into the dips simply because it's more of a specialty item. In any event, while I dote on the pasta, the french dip may be Vince's secret weapon. Why, it might almost be the "revelation in taste" the menu quaintly promises about the cheese bread.

Sonic Drive-In, 11370 4th St. (at Milliken), Rancho Cucamonga

Sonic Drive-In opened its first Inland Valley location in June across from Ontario Mills -- it's in Rancho Cucamonga, as only the south side of 4th Street is in Ontario -- and the place proved an immediate hit. There's a drive-thru, a drive-in with car hop service (!) and patio seating, but no indoor seating.

I went on a recent evening with a friend whose family is from Oklahoma, where Sonic is based. Sonic, Dairy Queen and Braum's ice cream are ubiquitous regional chains in Oklahoma and Texas, he says, comparing their popularity to In N Out here.

He's become a regular at this Sonic. I'd never been to one. (Our RC Now blog beat me there.)

We grabbed the only available drive-in slot. We got footlong Coney dogs with chili, mustard and onion as combos with tater tots rather than fries and cherry limeades ($5.69 for a medium combo, $6.19 for a large).

Ordering is done via speaker and perhaps 10 minutes later the food was delivered by a young man on in-line skates. Pleasant service.

The food was okay, nothing special, and the whole thing is, let's face it, a watered-down version of the "Happy Days" experience.

That said, even this pale version is fun, and the options (tater tots, Coney dogs, various limeades) are a break from the fast-food norm. And Sonic is open until midnight Monday to Thursday and until 1 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

Have you tried Sonic?

Wahoo's Fish Tacos, 11561 Foothill Blvd. (at Mayten), Rancho Cucamonga

I don't write about many chains here, but I'm not dogmatic about it; if it's a chain without many locations around the Inland Valley, I don't mind. Wahoo's fits that category. The shop in east Rancho Cucamonga, a block east of Milliken, is the only one near me (the store locator function on the Wahoo's website is giving me the "can't connect" message so I can't check for sure).

Wahoo's has a beach theme. The decor involves bare wooden booths, a faux grass hut, an "Endless Summer" movie poster and surf-gear stickers affixed to poles, booths and windows. So the vibe is relaxed, but you won't feel out of place if you're dressed in chinos instead of board shorts. The food is mostly fish tacos, burritos, bowls and salads.

I've eaten there a few times, most recently for lunch with a couple of friends. One had a carnitas burrito, which was loaded with pork and was proclaimed "scrumptious." The other had Baja rolls, which were like sushi cut rolls, except with a flour tortilla instead of rice, and had chicken, cream cheese and spinach; the verdict was "I'd order that again." (I didn't jot down the prices and they're not online, but you can see the menu here.)

I had a fish taco ($2.35) and a shrimp taco ($2.60). I liked 'em both. The shrimp taco had a pleasing coconut taste.

We also appreciated the self-serve lineup of four iced teas: plain, tropic green, passion fruit and mango. Service was unusually friendly for a quick-service restaurant; a server paused at our table to chat about the Baja rolls, one of her favorites.

It's been a while since I've tried Senor Baja, but I'd judge the fish tacos here better than Rubio's or Baja Fresh.

Legends Burgers, 2420 W. Arrow Route (at Monte Vista), Upland; also 1645 N. Mountain Ave. (at 16th), Upland; 8775 Baseline Road (at Carnelian), Rancho Cucamonga; 1155 E Route 66 (at Loraine), Glendora

Our local legend is the Legends chain of burger parlors, which are favorites in Alta Loma, Upland and Glendora and which added a fourth location near Claremont and Montclair in late 2009. (The Glendora Legends may no longer be officially connected to the chain as it's not mentioned as a location on the menus.)

They have 20 burgers, a variety of sandwiches and salads and some Mexican items, plus pancakes and omelets for breakfast. In that way they're similar to the valley's better burger spots, the ones that have expansive menus and seem to put more effort into things.

I've been to the two longstanding Upland and Alta Loma Legends but more recently have visited the new one, which is technically in Upland but is only a block from the Claremont Colleges.

Legends does a decent fast-food burger ($3.29), on a sesame bun with lettuce, tomato, purple onion, pickles and Thousand Island dressing, and a chicken gyro ($5.89), with tomato and onion, of similar quality. On one visit I got a small vanilla shake ($2.69), which is made with real ice cream. I found the food acceptable but nothing to rave about.

Legends' decor, all four locations, might best be described as "aggressive kitsch." Almost every square inch of wall space is covered in posters, tin signs, portraits and street signs, involving the usual suspects: I Love Lucy, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Route 66. Lining the walls is a string of license plates, one from each state, in alphabetical order.

It's overwhelming and a bit much for my taste, but the good thing is that Legends is so clean it almost gleams. The service is exceptionally cheerful. The food isn't exactly legendary but the cleanliness and friendliness make for a positive experience.

Nancy's Cafe, 9759 Arrow Route (at Archibald), Rancho Cucamonga

One of my favorite breakfast spots, Nancy's opened in 1994, faltered a couple of years ago due to a divorce and returned as good as ever in April 2009, the namesake Nancy back at the helm. It's open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days.

The strip center behind a Jack in the Box doesn't look like much, but Nancy's is a cozy place, cheery in both decor and service. Nancy's collection of pig-themed objects, some large, some tiny, are placed subtly throughout the restaurant. 1950s music plays constantly and employees occasionally sing.

For breakfast, Nancy's has all the standards. The pancakes are especially good. On a recent visit I got the two-egg breakfast with sausage, country potatoes and biscuits ($6.95). A very good meal, and the sausage is among the best I've had, plump and meaty.

I'd never had lunch at Nancy's, though, so I went in on Wednesday to try it out. Lunch is strictly burgers, sandwiches and salads. I got the turbo turkey melt ($8.95), which came on sourdough. My choice of sides was cole slaw, a decent version. The sandwich was filling and tasty; there's an attention to quality here. A tiny cup of jello was on the side.

Half a chocolate cake was perched on a domed pedestal on the counter a few feet away, but I managed to resist. In fact, my meal was so filling, I didn't even eat dinner. Thanks, Nancy's.

Antonino's, 7945 Vineyard Ave. (at Foothill), Rancho Cucamonga

A Rancho Cucamonga favorite, Antonino's has been part of the California Winery Center on the northeast corner of Foothill and Vineyard since the 1990s (although the original name, Chianti, had to be changed for copyright reasons). Antonino's recently moved a few yards within the center to make way for Fresh & Easy, offering a reason to give them another try. (Intriguingly, it's owned by the same man who owns Haandi Indian Restaurant, also in Rancho Cucamonga.)

Antonino's is fine-dining Italian and it's got the white tablecloths to prove it. My recollection of the old place is that it had a dated look and a pink and teal color scheme (or is that redundant?). The new interior is more inviting, with more windows and a fresher appearance. The atmosphere is sedate.

Service was friendly. We ordered clam linguine (technically, linguine con vongole) ($15) and salmon griglia ($18). My friend wasn't impressed by her salmon. My linguine came loaded with clams, both fresh and canned. I liked my dish a bit better than she did. One flub: the server, in reaching across the table to put down my dish, tipped it, spilling clam broth onto my pants. Sigh. Well, at least she was apologetic about it. The dish was more liquid than she'd realized, I think.

Overall, I'd say Antonino's is a nice local choice, inoffensive for business lunches or dinner with your parents, but your experience would be about the same at a Macaroni Grill, only less exciting. You could do worse, but you could also do better.

The Thai T, 9000 Foothill Blvd. (at Hellman), Rancho Cucamonga

In the Orchard Supply/Big Lots center, The Thai T isn't in the flashiest location, but I've been there a half-dozen times since its opening a few years ago. The restaurant has plenty of windows for natural light. The atmosphere, and the service, is quiet and serene. And the food's better than average.

At lunch recently, I had the yellow curry (pictured) with pork, simmered in coconut milk with potatoes and carrots. My friend had broccoli with oyster sauce with shrimp. We both liked our meals, and he noted favorably the fresh, not frozen, shrimp. The 13 lunch specials are $7 with pork, chicken, beef or tofu or $8 with shrimp. They come with a small salad, soup, steamed rice and fried wonton.

My Thai iced tea was refilled for free, a rare touch. Everything I've ever had there has been good. It's a nice little place, not spectacular, not a destination, but a solid choice if you're in the area. But note the B in the window.

CLOSED 2011

Chef Tim's BBQ With Spices, 10431 Lemon Ave. (at Haven), Rancho Cucamonga

Soul food, it must be admitted, is not my area of expertise. Nevertheless, I've heard good things about Chef Tim's, a barbecue and Southern-style food joint in Alta Loma right off the 210 Freeway.

It's a small operation, seating for about 20, in a neighborhood plaza next to a used textbook store and a Tio's Mexican restaurant. The eccentric decor includes a Toybox novelty vending machine. It's comforting to know that even in the sophisticated 21st century, you can buy a whoopie cushion in Alta Loma.

The menu has staples like ribs, pulled pork, fried chicken, shrimp, blackeyed peas, red beans and rice, po'boys, and chicken and waffles. This first-timer went in for lunch on Tuesday and got a two-piece entree with two sides for $8: catfish, greens and fries.

The catfish had a light, crispy batter, the greens were speckled with pieces of pork. Only the too-salty fries were left unfinished. The chef had just made cornbread and brought me out a square just to be neighborly. Unlike the crumbly cornbread commonly found, this version had a crunchy top. It's the best cornbread I can remember eating.

You won't be a stranger long at Chef Tim's. "How are you doing, Mr. Dave?" Tim Hanson called across the room as I ate. Uh-oh, there goes my anonymity. But it turned out he had no idea how he knew me or my name; he was sure that I'd been in a couple of times before and didn't know what I do for a living. He must have a great storehouse of names and faces in his head; either that, or there's another guy named David who looks like me roaming around (the poor sap).

The meat is cooked over oak and mesquite in two drum-like smokers out back. Hanson has 20 years of restaurant experience, but Tim's, which opened in January 2009, is his first venture. I'll have to go back for a po'boy sometime. Especially since he already knows my name.

Here's a charming YouTube video about Chef Tim's. Dig his puffy hat.

Chef Dave's Cafe, 10574 Acacia St. (at Haven), Rancho Cucamonga.

Chef Dave's is in a nondescript office park, as the photo indicates, there primarily to serve nearby workers and do catering. The cafe interior has a bit more individuality, with burgundy tablecloths and paintings on the walls, but it's slightly bare, indicating that dining-in is only one component of the business. This first-timer went there for lunch on a rainy Tuesday and was the only diner, although two people came in for takeout.

Someone alerted me to this place a while back, recommending the gumbo. The menu, which is written on a chalkboard, changes frequently, and there was no gumbo this week, alas. Dave's has a bistro-type menu and feel, with hot and cold sandwiches and salads, nothing more expensive than $6.89. Customers order at the counter.

I ordered the jerk chicken sandwich ($6.89) and an iced tea. I didn't know what to expect, but the sandwich was a pleasant surprise, mildly spicy and accompanied by onions and cheese. A few pieces of grilled pineapple made a nice garnish.

Open weekdays only from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., they do lunch and a few breakfast items. If you want to ask what's on the menu, phone (909) 941-0303. While I wouldn't recommend driving across town to eat here, if you find yourself in the neighborhood -- it's a block east of Haven and just south of the new underpass -- Chef Dave's is worth hunting down.

Shakey's Pizza, 12455 Victoria Garden Lane (at Monet), Rancho Cucamonga.

While it's rare that I write about a chain restaurant, I have a soft spot from childhood for Shakey's, and the new location at Victoria Gardens, which opened in December 2009, was mentioned in our paper recently for its "green" features. It has bamboo flooring, recycles its oil for biofuel and has 100 percent recycled napkins. Oh, and they serve pizza, too.

The ragtime music, straw boaters and picnic seating are long gone, I'm afraid, but this Shakey's still does a lunch buffet ($6.99) plus soda ($1.99) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, with chicken, "Mojo" potatoes and plenty of pizza. At the peak of lunch they had 10 pizzas on the buffet. Shakey's is my favorite corporate pizza. I like the crispy crust. The buffet also has salad, as well as a watery pasta that should be avoided.

This Shakey's has a bar with 12 beers on tap, including Sierra Nevada, Newcastle and Blue Moon. I sat at the bar because it's the best seating for a solo buffet diner, read a Jack Smith book and sipped a Pepsi. The bar is said to be a twist on the "Ye Olde Public House" identity of the chain and an appeal to adults, not just families and youth sports teams.

The restaurant also plays up its own kitsch to good effect with vintage advertisements and signs from the chain's glory days.

"Ye Olde Notice," one reads. "Take advantage of Shakey's generosity...Persons over 90 accompanied by parents receive free pizza."

WaBa Grill, 9670 Haven Ave. No. 104 (at 6th), Rancho Cucamonga; also 4110 Edison Ave., Chino; 9870 Sierra Ave., Fontana; 1055 W. Philadelphia St. and 800 S. Milliken Ave., Ontario.

WaBa Grill is a new name to me, although as you can see above, it has four other Inland Valley locations, as well as others around SoCal. The Rancho location just opened in a new center next to Dickey's BBQ just north of 4th Street.

It's a teriyaki bowl place, but one emphasizing the reputed healthfulness of the items: all-natural ingredients, no additives, no skin-on chicken, no oil and no frying.

I had been wary after a sign in the window during construction promised, among other things, "vegitables." Misspellings of core products aside, I gave WaBa a try earlier this week.

I got the No. 2, the chicken plate ($6.99), with brown rather than white rice (80 cents more) and a soda ($1.60). The portion was filling, often an issue with chicken bowl places, and the food tasty. A small salad and orange slices come with.

WaBa also has steak, salmon and veggie bowls and plates from $4.19 to $8.99.

The interior is kind of cool, done in white, orange and red and with mod-ish wall treatments resembling giant brackets. It's like Pinkberry with chicken. WaBa is a decent option if you're in the area. And I am.

Manila Sunset, 11815 Foothill Blvd. (at Rochester), Rancho Cucamonga.

One of a small chain of Filipino fast-casual restaurants, Manila Sunset is located in the Masi Plaza center. I'd been meaning to go for a long time but kept forgetting, as I don't get to Far Rancho all that often. Then my friend Rose had lunch there and sent me a glowing report. Finally I made a point of going there with a friend on our way to "The Crucible" at Lewis Family Playhouse last week.

It's a clean, bright place, done mostly in yellow, with murals and a large patio. You order at the counter, which can be intimidating, since the menu is full of unrecognizable items (if you're unfamiliar with Filipino food, as I am) with names like Pancit Malabon and Tokwa't Baboy. But the manager is very gregarious, explaining the menu and recommending items.

We had the pork BBQ skewers plate ($5.95), milkfish, which was one of the daily specials (price forgotten but around $7), an order of fresh lumpia ($3.95), which is sauteed vegetables in a crepe-like wrapper, and two unusual but delicious beverages, sago at Gulaman, which is an iced gelatin drink, and the iced melon drink ($2.75 each).

We liked our food and thought it was reasonably priced. The menu has a lot of fried items, and eating off foam containers isn't really my thing, so Manila Sunset probably won't be a regular stop. But I have nothing bad to say about the place. The numerous daily specials were on a separate board and may be unique to this location. It was neat to see how the menu doesn't seem to be dumbed down.

The Rancho Cucamonga/Fontana area has a sizable Filipino population. Several other diners that evening were Filipino. Having a Filipino restaurant here is a boon for them and helps make Rancho Cucamonga just that much more cosmopolitan.

Did I really just use "Rancho Cucamonga" and "cosmopolitan" in the same sentence?

Joey's BBQ, 9538 Foothill Blvd. (at Archibald), Rancho Cucamonga; also 1964 W. Foothill Blvd., Upland; 117 W. 2nd St., Pomona; and 3689 Riverside Drive, Chino.

In June Joey's, the Chino-based chain dating to the late 1970s, opened its fourth location, in the former George's Burgers building a bit west of Archibald on Foothill in Rancho Cucamonga. Unusually, Joey's retained the drive-thru, making it one of the few non-burger drive-thrus in the valley -- and the only one where you can get a $28.50 filet mignon.

Inside the restaurant recently at lunchtime, our server wore a headset so she could double on the drive-thru. Not much business there yet, under a dozen customers per day, she reported. I suppose one benefit of the drive-thru is that you could order ribs and feel like Fred Flintstone, except that your car probably won't tip over.

Other than that feature, and the slightly more fast-food feel to the place, this Joey's is pretty much like the others. The menu features beef and pork ribs, steak, chicken, sandwiches and other items. The barbecue is smoky in the Texas style, except for the tangier St. Louis-style pork ribs. The meat is cooked in a closed-pit barbecue, whereas larger chains use a faster, rotisserie-like process.

I've eaten at Joey's downtown Pomona location numerous times over the years, especially before concerts. The food is pretty reliable, although some carp about the prices, which for ribs start at $12. In a cute touch common to Joey's, each table has a miniature wooden steer with a pole from which you can hoist a Joey's flag when you need service.

Our table had pulled pork and turkey breast sandwiches ($12 each), which come with two sides. They were meaty sandwiches -- my friend took home half the turkey -- and tasty too. Our sides were a corn cobette, baked beans, cole slaw and sweet potato fries.

Almost any self-respecting valley resident has eaten at a Joey's at least once. Your thoughts?

This week's restaurant: Chile Red, 9608 Base Line Road (at Archibald), Rancho Cucamonga.

Chile Red has been a reliable fixture in the shopping plaza at the northwest corner of Base Line and Archibald since at least the mid-1990s. It's a comfortable sit-down Mexican restaurant that does a lot of takeout. It was a newsroom hangout in '97 when I started at the Bulletin but I hadn't eaten there for a few years.

Well, I had dinner there last week. The dining room has been redone with yellow walls and dark brown tables and chairs; the last I remembered, the tables had red-checked tablecloths. It looks good. Chile Red still specializes in burritos, touting their foot-long "killer burritos," but they have normal-sized burritos, tacos, enchiladas and dinner platters ($8 to $13) too.

I got the Chile Green burrito ($6), stuffed with chile verde pork and a smattering of rice and beans. It was a knife and fork burrito, good stuff, probably 7 inches long and 4 inches wide, and a mild lip tingler. I took home half and got a second meal out of it.

My take is that while Chile Red isn't the best Mexican food in town -- contenders would be Taco Hut, El Ranchero and Los Jalapeno's -- it's pretty good, and the atmosphere is sedate and pleasant. And by Alta Loma standards it's practically historic.

Online chatter says Chile Red has changed hands, apparently for the second time, and now is closer to the original style. Anyone else been there recently, or have memories of the place?

Haandi, 7890 Haven Ave. (at Town Center), Rancho Cucamonga

India is a mild curiosity of mine, and Indian food likewise, but I'm barely conversant with its basics. Most of my dining is done at lunchtime, and most of our Indian places do nothing but buffet at lunchtime. I don't like buffets much.

Recently, however, I thought to try dinner at Haandi, which is in the Deer Creek Center on Haven north of Foothill. The interior is plush, with lacquered tables and booths divided by etched glass. Indian art is on the walls and Indian music videos play on a flat screen TV.

The restaurant's backstory is intriguing; owner Sartaj Singh is from India but studied cooking in Italy, and so he owns an Italian restaurant (Antonino's) and an Indian restaurant (Haandi), both in Rancho Cucamonga. You can read about him on the RC Now blog here. The Haandi location began as a second Singh-owned Italian restaurant (Primavera) and still looks vaguely Italian.

But what of the food?

Chicken tikka masala ($12.99), chunks of tandoori chicken in curry sauce, and shahi paneer ($10.99), cheese in tomato sauce with ginger, were both delicious. And colorful: one dish yellow, the other red. The papadum (free), a crispy flatbread, came with green and red condiments. So most of the color wheel was represented at the table.

The papadum is an acquired taste, but the naan ($2.25), a pita-like bread served hot, was more to my liking. Many other menu items sound enticing, including lamb and seafood dishes, and there's plenty here for vegetarians.

I returned Wednesday for lunch and to take a photo of the sign. Of course the buffet is a given; it's what everyone does, so you don't even get a menu.

Well, the buffet ($9.99) isn't bad: salad, saag, bhindi masala, chicken tikka masala, vegetable samosas and tandoori chicken, among other items, plus kheer, a rice pudding, for dessert.

But I'm looking forward to my next dinner at Haandi.

This week's restaurant: Stevie Dee's Cafe, 8890 E. 8th St. (at Vineyard), Rancho Cucamonga.

Stevie's is the shack perched a few feet below the railroad tracks on Vineyard. The blue and white striped building appears to have been there forever. The building was Chuck's Diner for at least a decade prior to Stevie Dee's arrival. Anyone know more of its history?

Inside there's a counter, a few tables, frilly curtains on the windows and '50s kitsch on the walls: Marilyn posters, Elvis photos, etc. The walls also hold 45s tacked up in a row near the ceiling and an autographed photo of that late-night yodeler, Slim Whitman.

I'd been to Stevie's once, maybe three years ago, eating a fish sandwich and a cup of soup. The sandwich was fine and the soup was the standout. This time I went with two friends who'd always been curious about the place. It serves breakfast and lunch and now also has dinner.

Our sandwiches -- tuna melt ($7.25), tuna sandwich ($6.75), avocado burger ($6.99) -- were deemed average to slightly above. They were all generously sized. The burger seemed to have both mayo and Thousand Island, which made it a little goopy.

An order of onion rings to share ($2.75) was thick cut and tasty. Our sandwiches came with a side of soup, salad, fries, onion rings or zucchini. My salad was standard. My friends got two of the day's housemade soups, Northern bean and beefy noodle, and that's where the action was. Instead of cups, the soup came in bowls and could have been meals in themselves. The beefy noodle had big pieces of tomato, as well as pasta, beef and corn. "I would come here just for the soup," one friend said.

Twice during lunch a Metrolink train roared past, whistle blowing. People have been hearing train whistles in that building for decades. You could do worse than to join them.

Here's a review with photos at the fun Dinerwood blog.

This week's restaurant: Don Marcos Mexican Restaurant and Cantina, 10276 Foothill Blvd. (at Center), Rancho Cucamonga.

Don Marcos opened last week in the former Whole Enchilada/Socorro's space a bit west of Haven Avenue, an ambitious startup in a down economy. But the restaurant is said to have been hopping from day one, and on Wednesday evening, cars continually pulled in or out of the parking lot and dozens of diners nearly filled the sprawling restaurant. Depression? What depression?

A hostess kept an eye on the parking lot and came out to open the door for anyone entering, a nice touch. There was no wait when we arrived, but the waiting area is inviting and next to a station where the staff makes tortillas. Much as before, the seating area is divided into small rooms of a half-dozen booths. Our room had an aquarium.

Our table got arroz con pollo ($12), chile verde ($11) and chicken mole enchiladas ($10). The first dish, chicken and rice, had both relleno and ranchero sauce and was topped with jack cheese. The second dish was chunks of pork with green sauce. The third was two enchiladas topped with mole, a sauce of chocolate with cinnamon.

We liked all three dishes, and the corn tortillas were especially good. A margarita was half ice but, at $5.50, deemed reasonably priced. The only real complaint anyone had was about the indie rock music in the background, which brought us the Dave Matthews Band, Gwen Stefani and Fallout Boy. "I'm not here for white guy music," the Latina in our group groused.

There is better Mexican food to be had, at sitdown places like Chalio's Birrieria in Pomona or Taco Hut a few blocks west of Don Marcos (and far worse Mexican to be had a few blocks east at On the Border). But Don Marcos seems to bridge the gap between homestyle Mexican food and Chevy's, being comfortable for diners skittish about an authentic ethnic experience while offering what is actually pretty good food.

Verdict: A pleasant surprise. But ditch the lame music.

This week's restaurant: China Point, 9028 Archibald Ave. (at 7th), Rancho Cucamonga.

For my dozen years at the Bulletin, I've noticed the aging blue Inland Business Center that has China Point as a tenant -- and continued driving past. But on Wednesday I finally pulled in.

China Point's interior has a '70s ambiance and feels almost personality-free: one wall mirrored, the other lavender, with generic booths and tables and a few small pictures and hangings for a Chinese touch. If China Point ever lost favor, a taqueria or pizza parlor could take over the dining room with about an hour's notice. But that's unlikely, because the restaurant has been there for years and was half full when I went in for lunch (although not half full of Asians).

The China Point menu is separated by price points, with items listed under headings for $6.25, $6.95 and $7.95 -- I didn't see any takeout menus so I'm doing this from memory -- with a daily $5.95 special. China Point is old school Americanized Chinese, with chop suey still on the menu, and when you order from one of the no-nonsense waitresses, the default rice is fried.

I got No. 23, shrimp with garlic sauce ($7.95), with steamed rice, hot and sour soup, a wonton and an egg roll. Well, the food was a little better than expected: sinus-clearingly spicy and generous with the shrimp -- I counted a dozen, and they were decent-sized. And there was so much food I took home half the entree.

In the hierarchy of Inland Valley Chinese restaurants, China Point falls in the middle: Not truly authentic (Good Time Cafe, Peking Deli), not even moderately authentic (China Gate, Chu Chinese, Dragon Inn, etc.), but well above steam-table outfits.

Incidentally, the fortune in my cookie read as follows: "You will be called to fill a position of high honor and responsibility."

Well, Obama is still looking for a Commerce secretary...

This week's restaurant: Johnny Carino's, 12240 Foothill Blvd. (at Day Creek), Rancho Cucamonga.

Carino's is an Italian chain with a location near Victoria Gardens. I stopped in for lunch last week while I was in the 'hood.

It wasn't packed -- is any place packed for lunch these days? -- but there were several full tables. The greeter, who turned out to be the manager, sat me in the bar area. There's a lot of wood and a moderately classy feel to the decor.

A basket of doughy hot rolls was brought out, as was a plate of roasted garlic and olive oil for dipping. I ordered the salad/sandwich combo, getting a Caesar salad and half an Italian meatball panini ($8.99).

The salad was blah, but the sandwich, loaded with split meatballs, provolone and marinara, was inhaled. Housemade potato chips, not bad, accompanied the sandwich.

Johnny Carino's is perhaps slightly better than Olive Garden, although your mileage may vary. Find the lunch and dinner menus here.

This week's restaurant: Bright Star Thai Vegan Cuisine, 9819 Foothill Blvd. (at Ramona), Rancho Cucamonga.

A vegan restaurant in the Inland Valley? Unlikely as it seems, there is one, in an aging strip mall east of Archibald Avenue that also boasts a Korean market. Bright Star opened a few weeks ago and on a recent lunchtime was doing decent business.

Since few Thai dishes use eggs or dairy products, this is essentially a vegetarian place, but they do use soy milk rather than condensed milk in Thai iced tea, which is less sweet than what you're used to. Bright Star has soups, salads, curries, noodle and rice dishes, and some non-Asian sandwiches.

Our table had two of the lunch specials, garlic soy chicken with mixed vegetables and sweet chili soy fish ($6.95 each), which come with miso soup, salad, steamed brown rice and two dumplings. The faux chicken was indeed chicken-like, the faux fish less so but acceptable. This isn't precisely my sort of thing, but it wasn't bad, and you can't help but feel more virtuous after a vegan meal, which counts for something.

I was impressed that a niche restaurant that would seem better suited to Santa Monica appears to have found a place here, and a multi-ethnic clientele: Over the course of a lunch hour, diners included a half-dozen blacks, a few Asians, one Latino and a white couple besides yours truly. Not cutting into meat must cut across all sorts of boundaries.

(This area has just two other vegetarian restaurants, according to HappyCow's restaurant guide: Veggie Era, 903 W Foothill Blvd. in Upland, and Veggie and Tea House, 641 Arrow Highway in San Dimas.)

This week's restaurant: Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 9670 Haven Ave. (at Trademark), Rancho Cucamonga.

Dickey's opened recently in one of the new buildings just north of the aloft hotel at Haven and Fourth. It's in the same modern-minimalist style as the hotel with steel and big windows. The interior is done in orange, burgundy and chocolate; you order at the counter and everything looks clean and shiny.

Of course, a purist will argue that barbecue should only be consumed in a shack with a corrugated tin roof and a smoker out back that looks like a piece of a steam locomotive. I can empathize, and you are hereby directed to Red Hill BBQ, across town but a world away in ambience.

But back to Dickey's, which if it has a barbecue pit, as the name indicates, it's probably tasteful and scrubbed clean twice daily. They have six meats -- brisket, Polish sausage, pork ribs and the like -- and prices are for a sandwich with zero, one or two sides or for a plate with two sides and one, two or three meats.

I got the pulled pork sandwich with two sides ($8.59): cole slaw and mac and cheese. The meal arrived switfly. Some would say the pulled park was too fine in texture, and perhaps that a 4-oz. portion was too small. But I enjoyed it, and with the two sides, it made for a filling meal. It's convenient to our office and I would go back. *

Drinks come in one size only, in a yellow plastic 32-oz. cup, for $1.99.

Free with each meal are pickles -- serve yourself from a giant jar -- and soft-serve ice cream, a nice touch. And kids eat free on Sundays.

Dickey's is a family-run chain started in Dallas in 1941, according to its website. The original Mr. Dickey probably never guessed his descendants would one day have a restaurant in Cucamonga.

* Update: I've gone back repeatedly, largely due to the convenience factor. The restaurant's gas oven did a terrible job on the rib plate the one time I made the mistake of ordering something more ambitious. Go to a real BBQ joint (i.e., an actual barbecue pit) if you want ribs. Stick to the sandwiches, which are pretty good.

Yatai Sushi Express, 8956 Foothill Blvd. (at Vineyard), Rancho Cucamonga.

Yatai is in the winery center on the northeast corner, in a building between Souplantation and Bobby Baja's. The interior is small, clean and colorful. Even though it's "express," the tables have waitress service.

This is far from a high-end sushi palace and, expectations adjusted downward, I opted for the Yakisoba Chicken ($6.95). This began with a small lettuce salad. The main course had noodles, teriyaki chicken and cabbage. I ate every bit.

Meanwhile, my friend had one of the lunch specials, the Alaskan Roll ($6.99) -- salmon atop a California roll, baked -- and thought it was quite good. I sampled it and agreed. Who knew? It came with a choice of two other items, the proverbial one from column B and one from column C; she got two pieces of salmon sushi and a Coke.

Yatai has a large array of sushi and sashimi, plus bento boxes, $6.99 three-item lunch specials and meals no pricier than $12.95.

Not fine dining, but a pleasant surprise.

Update: Yatai has since moved elsewhere in the same center to make way for a Fresh & Easy market.

This week's restaurant: Green Mango Thai Bistro, 11226 4th St. (at Milliken), Rancho Cucamonga.

My unholy love for Mix Bowl Cafe in Pomona has been well-documented. It's Thai fast food, essentially, not far from home and casual enough -- with its bright lighting, colors and neon and its T-shirt-clad servers -- that a lone diner can eat there without feeling self-conscious.

On the other end of the spectrum is Green Mango, which opened a year ago cater-corner from Ontario Mills (but in R.C.) in a space formerly occupied by Mi Tortilla. The family owned restaurant is decorated in teak direct from Thailand, and with its straight-backed chairs, square plates and staff in traditional dress it feels slightly elegant.

The menu, too, is lighter on the noodle and rice dishes Mix Bowl favors. There's a nice range of entrees: chicken, duck, pork, beef, curries, seafood and vegetarian.

I've been to Green Mango a half-dozen times in its year or so of operation, in groups of two to five, but have never written about it. So on Thursday, I went in for a solo lunch. The place was, thankfully, busier than I've seen it. It may, finally, be catching on.

Since my last visit, the lunch menu has expanded from nine items to 30, and prices dropped a bit, with the lowest special at $5.95, which may be helping.

I got Panang Salmon ($8.95), which was chunks of salmon in a red curry with coconut milk, mildly spicy. Quite good, and as with all the lunch specials, you also get a small salad, a wonton, a scoop of rice and a cup of soup. Candidly, these sides are smaller than before, and not as good, either. A cream cheese wonton? That's too American for a restaurant like this. But for the money, you get a filling meal.

In past visits I've had Jade Curry Chicken, Pad Thai (both $7.95) and, for dinner, Pra Ram Long Soung Prawn ($15.95), which is sauteed prawns with garlic, peanut sauce and sauteed spinach. The Sweet Coconut Sticky Rice With Mango ($6.95) dessert is delicious.

There's no special need for me to mention the amusingly named Angry Beef, Angry Chicken, Drunken Noodle and Dancing Crispy Duck entrees, but I can't resist.

Oh, and I can attest that Green Mango is a good choice after a movie at the Mills. Boston's, BJ's, etc., are packed, with lines out the doors. Green Mango is quiet and you'll be seated quickly. It's not as popular as it deserves to be but hopefully it'll be around a while.

While I haven't made a comprehensive survey, it's up there with Thai T in Rancho Cucamonga and Swasdee Thai Cuisine in Chino Hills as the nicest Thai restaurants in the Inland Valley.

Although I still love Mix Bowl best.

This week's restaurant: Flamingo Palms, 9223 Archibald Ave. (at 6th), Rancho Cucamonga.

Located in a nondescript business park next to a nail salon and employment center, this is a high-turnover space most recently home to a Mexican restaurant, Mi Casita. Recently a new banner went up over the entrance: "Cuban Food."

A welcome change, since there's no real Cuban restaurant in the Inland Valley outside of Norco's Little Bit of Cuba. (Coco Palm in Pomona, from what I can tell, is kind of a hybrid. Some of us remember the late Mama Inez in downtown Pomona.)

The interior is improved: pale yellow walls with ironwork sculpture and deep brown trim. It's pleasant but spartan. The stackable chairs are strictly hotel ballroom. Partitions and plants would help.

I know almost nothing about Cuban food, to be honest. The menu has stews, salads, sandwiches and seafood. Lots of chicken and pork. Some of the dishes (in the $10-$12 range) indicate more ambition than might otherwise be surmised from the menu's rather homely appearance.

I stuck with one of the basics: a Cubano sandwich ($6.75) of ham, pork, cheese (or, as the menu put it, "chesses") and pickles on a long roll, pressed and then sliced diagonally. Fried plantains were on the side. The result was as good as my memory of the Cubano I had once in Miami.

Service was friendly; it looks to be a family operation.

I hope Flamingo Palms lasts longer than recent occupants because it bears further investigation.

This week's restaurant: Famous Dave's, 11470 4th St. (at Richmond), Rancho Cucamonga.

This is a Minnesota-based barbecue chain that recently opened a location across from Ontario Mills. The large-ish dining room has a high ceiling with rafters, wavy tin trim and silly signs, such as, in neon, "Eat like a pig."

I like barbecue as much as the next person, but I'm not one of those people who know the difference between the styles of St. Louis, Texas, Memphis and wherever. What I can tell you is that I went in for lunch on Tuesday and ordered the Dave's Favorite Burger ($8.99) with a side of slaw. How could this Dave resist?

The burger took a while but the server said that's because the beef is ground only when ordered. It's not this Dave's favorite, but it was a darn good burger, a fine pile of beef chargrilled medium well until crunchy. Too much barbecue sauce, though. Oh, and the slaw was above average, dry and crisp.

My friend had a pulled chicken sandwich ($7.49), quite tasty, and a side of sweet potatoes with brown sugar on top. I'm not a sweet potato fan but I could have eaten more than the bite I sampled.

Is Famous Dave's better than Lucille's, the chain at Victoria Gardens? Is it better than the local places, like Joey's or Red Hill BBQ? Ask an aficionado. But I'd eat at Dave's again. Or any of those places, for that matter.

Weird trivia: Famous Dave co-founded Rainforest Cafe and is a former assistant secretary of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

This week's restaurant: Barboni's Pizza, 7270 Victoria Park Lane (at Base Line), Rancho Cucamonga; also 9792 19th St. (at Archibald).

I'm a flexible diner, rarely so gripped by desire for a particular cuisine that I can't be waylaid by something else. Case in point: I was in northern Rancho on Thursday at lunchtime and figured I'd head east on Base Line past Day Creek to Nodaci (?), an out-of-the-way sushi bar I'd once seen a sign for. So, I'm there at the quaint Victoria Park neighborhood center, walking under the awning toward the sushi place, when I see the B in the window.

While I'm not totally opposed to eating at a B, it did give me pause, especially for raw fish. Barely breaking my stride, I veered a few feet to the right and into Barboni's Pizza.

This is a new-ish second location for Barboni's, with the original location on 19th. According to the menu, they've been in Rancho Cucamonga since 1986, which makes them practically historic. I'd never been there. The menu is slightly broader than most pizza parlors', with more than a dozen pastas, all said to be prepared fresh daily.

I ordered the half lasagna lunch special ($6), which comes with a salad, garlic bread and drink, and took my seat. The dining room is spartan, well-lit and set up for families and sports teams, with most of the seating picnic-style on long tables with benches. A women's softball game played on the flat-screen TV that dominated one wall.

As for the food, I wasn't blown away, but for a six-buck lunch it was pretty good. A simple salad of shredded lettuce and mozzarella was improved by the oily Italian dressing. The lasagna came out bubbling in a teardrop-shaped dish. And I mean bubbling aggressively. It continued bubbling for 1:15 (I timed it, fascinated). My expectations dropped. But the sauce had some kick to it and in the end I wasn't displeased.

Service was indifferent even though at 1:45 p.m. I was the sole customer.

Like a lot of places I visit, Barboni's is a neighborhood restaurant, not one worth driving across the valley to try. But if you're in the neighborhood, they may be worth investigating. Even if you thought you were in the mood for Japanese.

This week's restaurant stretches the definition: Costco, with locations at 11800 Fourth St. (at I-15), Rancho Cucamonga, and 9404 Central Ave. (at I-10), Montclair.

When a few budget-conscious friends invited me to lunch at Costco, I wasn't sure what to make of it. I'm not a Costco member and I didn't even know you could eat there. But they said anyone can eat at the cafe, which is on the patio, and that the $1.50 hot dog and soda special couldn't be beat.

So a group of us met at the Rancho location across from Ontario Mills. You line up, place your order at a window from the very basic menu depicted in giant blow-up photos on the block wall above, get your food and sit at the one of the plastic benches on the utilitarian, hose-it-off-before-closing-time patio.

I got only the 1/4-lb. hot dog and 20-oz. soda, $1.62 with tax, to relish the novelty of the cheapest lunch I've had since Del Taco halted its three tacos for 99 cents deal.

The hot dogs and Polish sausage are Hebrew National, all-beef. I had the Polish and asked for the off-menu sauerkraut, one friend's tip.

The dog didn't live up to the hype and didn't taste like anything other than a hot dog, but for the price, it was outstanding.

Curious about the $1.99 pizza slices, I visited the Montclair Costco a few days later. This time I got the frozen yogurt chocolate and vanilla swirl ($1.35) as well as a combo slice, and no drink. Total: $3.61. While these prices, and the 59-cent soda with free refill, are eye-poppingly low, my guess is that with its high volume and low overhead, Costco still makes a profit.

The pizza slice was only average, which still made it better than some pizza I've paid more for. The swirl was tasty but as it came in a 5-inch-tall plastic cup, there was enough for a whole family.

It would take only three more visits for me to try every type of food on the menu: the chicken caesar salad, the turkey wrap, the berry sundae, the berry smoothie, the ice cream bar and the most mysterious item, which is called the chicken bake. It seems to contain chicken, cheese and bacon, all deep-fried into a hot dog-like form. It's oddly compelling.

Social critics will grind their teeth at hearing that at $3.99, the salad and turkey wrap, the healthiest items, are the most expensive other than a full pizza, thus encouraging us all to stuff our faces with hot dogs and chicken bakes.

The two Costco cafes are identical except in Rancho there were ropes to funnel us through in one line, whereas in Montclair we lined up at individual windows, like we were at a ballpark. Also, in Rancho the patio has overhead heaters. Perhaps corporate HQ thinks Montclair has a naturally hotter climate.

Both locations are good for people-watching if you take an academic interest in the type of people who shop at Costco. In fact that thought was just crossing my mind in Montclair when a mother with two children in tow passed by pushing a shopping cart containing one item: a crate-like box of diapers with the number 264 on the side.

This week's restaurant: Brandon's Diner, 8689 Base Line Road (at Carnelian), Rancho Cucamonga; also 870 E. Foothill (at Campus), Upland, and 10271 Magnolia, Riverside.

Brandon's is a hugely popular breakfast spot, and maybe lunch and dinner spot too. For whatever reason I'd never been there. An online review at the Dinerwood site (an LA guy, he's also reviewed BC Cafe) caught my eye a while back, so last Saturday, a friend and I went in for breakfast to the Rancho location in the Sunrize Center. Even at 10:30 there were five small groups waiting for a booth, but the wait wasn't long.

Inside, Brandon's is surprisingly old-school: tile floor, booths, a long counter with swivel seats and signs with regular daily specials. The kitchen is in the back, not behind the counter. They have the full complement of breakfast items as well as sandwiches, Mexican food and dinner plates, plus beer and wine.

I had the half French toast combo with two eggs and two sausages ($7.45); my friend had Polish sausage, two eggs, home fries and two French toast halves ($7.95).

The French toast was very good, thick and dusted with powdered sugar. They also have a French toast variety with the name Cinnamon Revolution, which seems to promise a spice insurrection in your mouth. ("Vive le Cinnamon Revolution!")

The sausage links were plump, some of the best I've had. However, my over-medium eggs arrived over-easy.

My friend's Polish sausage, split and grilled, was tasty, and the scrambled eggs very nice when flavored with the two (!) kinds of salsa brought to the table. However, she described her watery coffee as perhaps the worst she's ever tasted. "This is like gas station coffee," she said, before quickly deciding that even gas station joe is better.

So Brandon's isn't perfect. That said, we enjoyed our meal and the atmosphere, and also the people-watching.

The clientele was diverse -- whites, blacks, Latinos -- and included a Goth couple, the woman in white gloves, the man in Kiss-style platform boots, striped pants and a belt buckle that read "666." Goths tend not to smile so it was hard to tell if they were enjoying themselves. They certainly livened the place up for everyone else.

This week's restaurant: Dragon Inn, 8031 Archibald Ave. (at Foothill), Rancho Cucamonga.

This place was recommended by Robert Karatsu back when I was asking about decent Chinese restaurants in the Inland Valley. Since then I discovered the exemplary Good Time Cafe and Peking Deli, both in Chino Hills. But I met Robert for lunch Thursday at Dragon Inn to give it a shot.

It's on the northeast corner of Foothill and Archibald. Belying the faded yellow paint on the exterior, the interior is quite nice, with Chinese prints on the walls, wooden chairs and smartly dressed servers. A short bar has a computerized register and that whole area resembles a Starbucks.

Right inside the door is a framed Jonathan Gold review of Chu's Mandarin in Rowland Heights, which he praised for its hand-pulled noodles. The connection? Mr. Chu owns Dragon Inn, in existence seven years, as well as Chu Chinese at Fourth and Milliken, which I've tried and liked. Chu's Mandarin, however, closed several years ago. But at least Dragon Inn has a good pedigree.

I ordered Szechwan Chicken Noodle ($6.95), figuring with its reputation I should get a noodle dish, and Robert got what he said was his usual, Shrimp with Broccoli ($12.95). His dish was average, mine was very good. Or am I biased? The spaghetti-like noodles were soft and chewy, in a slightly spicy sauce with bell peppers and mushrooms.

The menu is dumbed-down, as expected -- cream cheese wontons, anyone? -- but some interesting dishes surface, such as chow fun. Try a noodle dish and experiment with an appetizer or second entree.

This week's restaurant: Monaco's Pizza, 7325 Day Creek Blvd., Suite 101 (at Base Line), Rancho Cucamonga.

Monaco's is in the Henry's Market center at Base Line Road, just up the road from Victoria Gardens. The interior has an upscale look: There's a greeter's station, backed by frosted glass, and the decor includes faux-marble tabletops, dark wood chairs and wine bottles behind glass.

The menu has a page with the restaurant's backstory. I didn't finish reading it before the waitress arrived but did manage to glean that the same family ran Red Devil Pizza prior to this restaurant.

We ordered the seafood linguine ($16) and the cheese ravioli ($9.50). They came with dinner salads, which were basically iceberg lettuce, cheese and olives, with dressing in a small plastic container, as if we'd ordered the food to go. This salad would cost $3.50 if ordered separately.

Now, this is essentially the same salad you get at San Biagio's in Upland, only San Biagio's is an unpretentious place where you order at the counter. The Monaco's salad is kind of a weak for a place with upscale pretensions. The entrees, however, were perfectly acceptable, if not up to the level of the decor.

I went back on my own for lunch to try the pizza. I read a bit more of the Monaco's story, such as the family's arrival here around 1960 and someone's (the mother's?) employment at Nordstrom, but once again had to order before I could get very far. I ordered a small pizza with anchovies and mushrooms ($14). Pretty good stuff, with generous, quality toppings and a moderately thick, slightly crunchy crust.

My friend Bob, who lives in the neighborhood and recommended the place, especially likes the pizza. If I lived nearby I'd probably go there more frequently. (For one thing, maybe then I could finish reading the family's story.) But Bob agrees the food is more casual than the decor.

Salad Farm, 9090 Milliken Ave. (at 7th), Rancho Cucamonga.

Salad Farm opened recently in the small center on Milliken at Seventh Street that also houses Gandolfo's, a NY-themed deli (already visited). The 'Farm is part of a very small L.A.-based chain that appears to have just five locations thus far.

You order at the counter and they make your salad right then and there for you. The menu shows 28 salads, from $5.95 to $8.50, plus panini sandwiches, baked potatoes, soup and quesadillas. A helpful photo menu depicts virtually every item.

I had the Greek salad with chicken ($8.45), and it wasn't bad. It was also enormous and I don't know who could finish it. It came with two pieces of pita bread.

It's a similar concept to So Fresh Salads and More in the Claremont Village Expansion (also visited before), and perhaps slightly better -- at least at Salad Farm I didn't have to wait, I got what I ordered and the amount of dressing was reasonable.

Harry's Pacific Grill, 8009 Day Creek (at Victoria Gardens Lane), Victoria Gardens, Rancho Cucamonga

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.

On a later visit I had a good "Nuevo Latino" pork chop with pepper jack potatoes and vegetables ($16, pictured). View the menu here.

Richie's Diner, 8039 Monet Ave. (at Victoria Gardens Lane), Victoria Gardens, 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.

Crepes de Paris, 7876 Monet Ave. (at South Mainstreet), Victoria Gardens, Rancho Cucamonga

This was a pleasant surprise. They sell crepes both savory (entree-style) and sweet (dessert), plus salads, hot and cold sandwiches, French onion soup and coffees. I ordered a chicken-spinach crepe ($9.95) and, while it appears I ended up with a chicken-mushroom crepe, it was large and tasty and, the place being crazy-busy and the staff shorthanded, I had no complaints. There are cheerful French cartoon drawings on the wall. A better-than-average dining option, especially if you're tired of the same old same-old.

* Update: Evidently my tastes haven't changed much in three years: Turns out I ordered the exact same thing when I went back in 2011 for photos and lunch. Same price for the chicken-spinach crepe, too. And this time it had spinach.

Terry's Burgers, 6709 Carnelian Ave. (at 19th), Rancho Cucamonga.

Terry's is the restaurant I was trying to find last week when I headed east on Base Line from Carnelian. Terry's is actually along 19th Street just around the corner from Carnelian, in the shopping center with the new Korean supermarket, Market World. I had lunch there Thursday.

Inside, Terry's looks like a sitdown restaurant (perhaps it once was?) with comfortable booths and hanging lamps. You order at the counter, they give you a number and bring the food out.

There's an extensive menu, much like Legends and Jim's, two other local burger-and-more joints. Besides the standard fare, they have hot sandwiches, salads and Mexican food. Dinner specials include roast beef, chicken fried steak, pork chops (all $6.96) and N.Y. steak ($7.50). Ambitious.

Going for the namesake item, I got the burger special ($5.55 with tax), a burger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and Thousand Island dressing. It arrived in a basket atop a mound of fries. In my considered judgment, it was an above-average burger, at one of the valley's classier burger restaurants.

I'm glad I kept looking for Terry's.

Stuft Pizza Cafe, 7251 Haven Ave. (at Base Line), Rancho Cucamonga

I was heading east on Base Line on my Friday lunch hour, looking in vain for a different restaurant, when I gave up and pulled into the Haven/Base Line shopping center, the one with the Ralphs ("Double Coupons!"), Salsitas (unimpressive) and Noble House (pretty good). Cruising through, I found Stuft Pizza, a new-to-me restaurant. My friend Bob Almanzar swears by the place so I'd been anticipating going there at some point anyway.

Inside there was a small bar, lots of tables and booths, a game on the TV and two tables full of UPS drivers in brown. It was well lit, the TV was moderate in size and the atmosphere was far more restaurant than bar. I took a seat and a waitress brought out a menu. Yes, it's an actual sit-down restaurant, not an order-at-the-counter operation.

There's the usual array of pizzas and pastas, including a Cucamonga Pizza that contains "everything, including the Rancho." Several items sounded good, like the Italian sausage sandwich and the meatball sub. You can get those from the lunch-special menu with a salad and soda for $6-$7.

Figuring I should sample the pizza, I went for the cheese slice/salad/soda combo ($6.66 with tax). The salad was basic but acceptable and the pizza wasn't bad, doughy and with the cheese a little burnt, but pleasantly so.

A standout was the service. The waitress was attentive and friendly, moreso than one often finds. What with the menu descriptions, the table service and the helpfulness, Stuft Pizza tries harder, and you have to respect that.

This is a good neighborhood spot and who knows, even though it's a ways from our office, I might go back for a meatball sub sometime.

Update: I've since had the meatball sandwich (very nice) and the mini-pizza/salad/drink lunch special ($6.95 and plenty of food for the price), the pizza from which is pictured.

Islamorada Fish Co., 7777 Victoria Garden Lane (at I-15), Rancho Cucamonga.

Islamorada is the in-store restaurant at the huntin', fishin' and campin' paradise, Bass Pro Shops in Rancho Cucamonga's Victoria Gardens, as mentioned in today's column. While writing that piece, incidentally, my spellcheck suggested that I replace "Islamorada" with "slumlords"; I declined.

You can access the restaurant from the parking lot or from the store. On Monday about 7:30, the dining room was said to be full, so a friend and I ate in the lounge, where they have full service. Even the bar is impressive, with a lot of wood, an aquatic motif and, behind the bar, an aquarium some six feet high that wrapped around the bar. It made for a great view.

A duo performed until about 7:45, a woman singing and a man on keyboards. First full number we heard: "I Will Survive." I pretended the lyrics were being sung from the point of view of a tenacious fish or defiant deer.

The server brought out a small loaf of tasty, sugar-topped bread. The cajun pineapple tilapia came lightly blackened, with a sort of chutney on top. I liked it. The grilled scallops were even better. The rice was OK, the fries were above average and the vegetables slightly mushy. Service was attentive.

Overall, a better meal than expected, or even necessary. While not as good as Market Broiler in Ontario or Kings Fish House at the other end of Victoria Gardens, I'd go back.

Fatburger, 11226 4th St. (at Milliken), Rancho Cucamonga

Yes, Fatburger -- in Rancho Cucamonga, across from Ontario Mills -- is a chain, but as there's only one in the Inland Valley, I'll allow it here.

Besides, Fatburger makes my favorite local hamburger. East down Fourth Street from our newspaper, Faburger is a convenient spot, and there's an attention to quality and freshness that puts it up there with In N Out. Fatburger's signature item is fat, juicy and cooked to order, and loaded with shredded lettuce.

The skinny fries are pleasantly crispy, the onion rings lightly battered. The shakes are a little disappointing, they stopped carrying Cherry Coke in the dispenser and the "fat" fries are mushy for my taste, although friends like them. Fatburger also sells quite good chicken sandwiches and turkey burgers. You can even get a bacon and fried egg sandwich, which I tried once and liked.

The seating is comfortable, moreso than In N Out's, with actual tables and chairs, plus booths. There's a nice vibe to the place. One day my food was brought to my table by an employee wearing silk pants, like he was stopping off before hitting the clubs. The jukebox plays great R&B, rock and soul classics. Friday I heard Sly and the Family Stone, the Coasters, the Spinners and Janis Joplin.

This may reflect the clientele. This Fatburger, at least, is popular with the black community. Sometimes half the diners, as well as a majority of the employees, are black. The place opened in October 2005 and feels like it's made a niche for itself.

Anthony's Italian Kitchen, 11368 Kenyon Way (at Milliken), Rancho Cucamonga.

At last week's Rancho Cucamonga council meeting, a proclamation was given to Anthony's Italian Kitchen in honor of -- wait for it -- 10 years in business. Does a decade in young Rancho Cucamonga qualify you as historic?

Despite the arguably premature award, I had to admit I hadn't eaten at Anthony's, nor had I even heard of it. To erase my shame, I headed to the Albertsons shopping center on Milliken just below the 210 for lunch Monday to try it out. The center doesn't appear to be thriving. Anthony's is one of just two or three restaurants.

It's a real hole in the wall, with just four tables. Two were occupied by sheriff's deputies, who soon had to rush out on a call, and the other by a lone diner.

The walls are crowded with plaques from youth sports teams and testimonials from fans. A postcard from one admirer begins: "In the Last Judgment, Anthony's Pizza will sit at the right hand. It's that good!" The far wall (which isn't that far) has three video games and a pinball machine with a "Demolition Man" theme, a tie-in to the 1993 Sly Stallone-Sandra Bullock movie.

More deputies came in, and a steady stream of people arrived to pick up take-out orders, including a man with an eight-ball tattooed on his neck; I hope he had better luck with his meatball sub than with the rest of his life. The lone diner told me I looked familiar and asked if I'm a writer. I replied that I write for the Daily Bulletin and my picture is in the paper. "Brewster?" he inquired. Stifling a sob, I gave him my name, and he said he likes my work, although I'm wondering if he was complimenting me or Lou Brewster.

I'll tell you now that my gold standard is San Biagio's New York Pizza in Upland, where I always get the single slice, salad and soda combo, for $5.12. There is no single slice-salad combo at Anthony's, so to get a salad I got the No. 3 combo: two slices of cheese pizza, a salad and a soda, all for $6.89.

The Anthony's salad is very similar to Biagio's, being iceberg, shredded mozzarella, tomatoes and black olives. The pizza is similar too, thin crust with a lightly spiced sauce, but with (maybe) a bit more cheese, marginally thicker crust and a slightly wider cut.

Excellent stuff, and at first blush I'd rank Anthony's a close second to Biagio's for Inland Valley pizza. (If you prefer a medium or thick crust, you'll have your own opinions.) The menu includes a dozen specialty pizzas, hot and cold subs and a range of pastas.

I thank the Rancho Cucamonga council for tipping me off to a good restaurant, and hope Anthony's makes it another 10 years, and beyond.

Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen, 9090 Milliken Ave. (at 7th), Rancho Cucamonga.

Rancho Cucamonga, which has a Central Park, now has a Big Apple-themed deli. Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen, in a strip center at 7th Street and Milliken Avenue, is a chain operation with an array of sandwiches, all with NY names: the Holland Tunnel, the Yonkers, the Greenwich Village, the Throgs Neck Bridge, etc.

I went there a couple of weeks ago and had the Little Italy, a cold deli sandwich with ham, salami, pepperoni and provolone ($5.49 half/$8.49 full). Not bad. I went back on Thursday with an East Coast transplant who grew up in Rhode Island to get his take on it. He had the Bronx Barbecue, with roast beef and cheddar ($4.49/$7.49), and I got the King of Queens, with pastrami and Swiss ($4.69/$7.69).

We were mixed on the experience. Service-wise, we had to pick up our order at the counter despite being told it would be brought to us. My friend wasn't impressed by the sauce or the bread on his sandwich. I found my sandwiches acceptable both visits. But we agreed the place was a little cute for our tastes. Keep in mind I'm not generally a fan of chains.

Still, a NY-schooled friend who has seen the menu is enthralled by the place names, and other New York expatriates may find Gandolfo's a nice haven. Bear in mind that according to the corporate website, there are no Gandolfo's in New York, and the headquarters is in Utah.

Corky's Kitchen and Bakery, 6403 Haven (at I-210), Rancho Cucamonga.

The interior (cheerful, bright, with an inviting bakery case and country clutter-type decor) and the menu (pancakes, sandwiches, salads, homey dinner entrees, pies, muffins) remind me of Polly's Bakery Cafe, a SoCal chain I like. Corky's is ambitious: It's open an astonishing 24 hours a day. At least until it sinks in with the owners that no one in Rancho Cucamonga is up past 8:45 p.m.

At any rate, I ordered my baseline sandwich, a tuna melt on sourdough, which proved better than average. The sandwich came with a dinner salad that showed some effort. As Corky's had a half-dozen pies on hand, I tried a slice of Dutch apple. It was practically a meal in itself, bursting with tart apples. Corky's is pretty far out of my way, and yet I can see myself going back on a long lunch hour sometime. Unless the mood strikes me at 3 a.m.

UPDATE: Corky's, I've since learned, was opened by Mike and Jennifer Towles after closing their Tole House Cafe in the same shopping center. It's named for Mike's late grandmother.

El Ranchero, 8697 19th St. (at Carnelian), Rancho Cucamonga.

Every week I try at least one new restaurant, usually on my lunch hour, and usually on Monday. This week, delaying my foray until Wednesday, I hit El Ranchero at 19th and Carnelian, in the upper reaches of Rancho Cucamonga. It's in a standalone building in a small shopping center and, based on the sign out front reading "El Ranchero Fast Food Mexican Restaurant," my hopes weren't high.

Inside, though, the place had colorful tile and a mural on one wall. Bright and cheery! At the counter I ordered three carne asada soft tacos and a horchata. They came in the traditional way, small tacos with onions and cilantro, and weren't bad at all. The booths were full up even at 1 p.m., so it's a popular place. There's also a generously sized patio. All in all, it's one of those restaurants that, like the Transformers, is more than meets the eye.