Fat Burrito

Fat Burrito
9608 Baseline Rd
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-527-3588

Just when I thought the only places in the Los Angeles area for a puffy taco was at Arturo's Puffy Tacos and BAR Ama- which is a terrible, overpriced version of a puffy taco, David Allen wrote about Fat Burrito in Rancho Cucamonga.

So, I head out to Fat Burrito for lunch.  It's a small restaurant, on the corner of a strip mall.  You walk right into the counter where you order.  There are tables to the right of the counter.  It's a nice cozy atmosphere.

$3.55- Vegetarian puffy taco- Beans, rice, guacamole, lettuce, onions, cilantro, cotija cheese and sour cream.  The puffy tacos are fried to order.  My tortilla came out hot and flavorful.  The beans and rice were cooked well and seasoned perfectly.  All the other toppings were fresh!  A great example of a puffy taco.

Service was good.

If I had to choice between Arturo's and Fat Burrito, I think Arturo's is slightly better, but both are great choices for a puffy taco!

The Melt-Closed

The Melt
7870 Monet Ave Ste 1050
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
909-332-3342

The Melt is a San Francisco Bay Area based chain.  I went toThe Melt at the Americana in Glendale, which is now closed, and thought it was pretty good.  I found out that The Melt had a location at the Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, and since I've never been to Victoria Gardens, I decided to go.

The Melt is on a corner lot with a good sized dining area in the middle of the room.  The line to order is to the left as you enter. The Melt trys to appeal the hipster crowd with their decor.  I find it boring, but whatever!

3 Cheese classic with sharp cheddar, muenster, and fontina cheese, $5.99 on artisan French bread with jalapenos.  Florentine bacon mac & cheese, $4.99- No bacon, creamy cheddar, fontina & provolone with spinach and crispy onions.

The 3 Cheese classic was ok, but I was expecting more flavor!  Maybe the muenster and fontina balanced out the sharp cheddar or maybe the sharp cheddar isn't as sharp.  But, it was lacking flavor.  Good thing I added the jalapenos!  That added a nice kick to the grilled cheese.  The artisan French bread was good though.

Like an idiot, I ordered the Florentine bacon mac & cheese without the bacon, instead of the trio mac & cheese, which is $3.99.  For that extra $1 I got bits of spinach.  Totally not worth the extra price.  Florentine actually means a dish serve with spinach!  But, the mac & cheese was very creamy and the amount of cheese was great.  The macaroni was a bit undercooked, too tough and chewy, maybe another 2-3 minutes in the pot and it would have been fine.

Service was good.  Nice and friendly.  But, you can order on tablets instead of the counter, but the tablets only accept cards, no cash!  I wish they would have a sign, wasted a few minutes ordering on the tablets, only to find they do not accept cash.

I wouldn't go back to The Melt again.

The Deli

The Deli
9671 Foothill Blvd
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-989-8122

A few blocks east of Bright Star Thai Vegan and Supreme Plate, is The Deli.  A Rancho Cucamonga institution since 1968.  It's not a true deli, it's really a sandwich place.  A big dining area inside is highlighted by a toy train track with a working train!!  The place could use a good dusting, especially the train track, otherwise it's a pleasant place for a sandwich.  A great place to eat your sandwich is the covered outdoor patio. 

Egg salad on wheat, $5.99.  The wheat bread was straight out of the bag, not toasted or anything.  The egg salad was all eggs, no fillers.  It was a bit salty, but otherwise acceptable. Nothing outstanding.

Service was good.  The lady who took my order was nice and friendly.  The sandwich came out quickly.  There is a window at the covered patio.  Not sure if the window is to place an order or a pick up window! 

I wouldn't go back to The Deli.  There is nothing special about the sandwich I ordered.

Monaco’s Pizza

Monaco’s Pizza
7325 Day Creek Blvd Ste 101
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
909-463-7301

The owner of Monaco's Pizza also owns Red Devil Pizza in La Verne.  They bought Red Devil Pizza from the owner of Sal's Pizza & Bagelry, also in La Verne.  When Monaco bought Red Devil Pizza, they had a clause written into the contract, that Sal could not open another pizza restaurant within so many miles for ten years.  When the ten years was up Sal bought what was a bagel place and added pizza, thus becoming Sal's Pizza & Bagelry!

Located in a busy shopping center, Monaco's Pizza is a fairly large restaurant.  What I didn't know is that the picture I took of the outside of the building, is actually the entrance to the restaurant.  There is a side entrance for pick up. 

Medium mushroom and jalapeno, $18.78.  This pizza was good.  It was loaded with toppings, you get what you paid for!  The crust is firm enough to handle all the toppings, but has a nice chewy texture.  The cheese is piled high.  The mushrooms and jalapenos were fresh.  The sauce is kinda of bland, and they could have put a bit more on the pizza.  But, overall I really liked the pizza!  It's been such a long time since I went to Red Devil's Pizza, I don't remember if they pizza tastes the same.

Service was pretty good.  When I walked in there was nobody at the front and I waited a few minutes before somebody came.  They should have a sign saying that pick up orders are at the side.  Otherwise, no complaints about service.

I did like the pizza at Monaco's, but if I have to drive out to that area, my first choice would be Sal's Pizza in Alta Loma, but I would have no problems going to Monaco's.

JP Latin Deli-Closed

JP Latin Deli
9047 Arrow Rte Ste 190
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-806-0061

I like Peruvian food!   The first Peruvian restaurant I went to was Choza Mama in Pasadena, which I really enjoyed.  My other trips to Peruvian restaurants were disappointing- Intiraymi Restaurant, Mario's Peruvian Seafood Restaurant, and Pollos Kikiryki.  So, I'm on the look out for a good Peruvian restaurant.  So, when a friend told me about JP Latin Deli, I had to make a trip!

JP Latin Deli has an interesting history!  This Rancho Cucamonga location is their third location and have been here for about seven years.  Their first location opened in Montclair on Holt Ave. and then moved to Upland, before settling in this business complex.  The exterior blends into the other buildings and without a sign on the marquee, it can be a little tough to find.  It's a fairly big restaurant with simple tables and chairs.  The set up is a bit confusing, is this counter service or table service.  It is table service, though you go to counter to get seated.

Calamara frito $12-fried calamari with red onions, cilantro, and tomatoes.  The calamari was chewy, pretty sure it was frozen, and wasn't crispy.  Small portion too.  Not worth the $12 price tag.

Saltado de mariscos, $14, seafood sauteed in peruvian spices- mussels, shrimp, octopus, with onions tomatoes, green peppers, with with rice.  This may look like a lot of food, but when you cut the tomatoes and onions into big pieces it is deceiving.  This was pretty flavorful, you got about three of each seafood but this is mostly vegetables and little amount of seafood.

Service is friendly but off.  As I mentioned before, you're not sure if this is table or counter service.  The soda machine is out on the counter and another table was refilling their drinks at the soda machine, so when in Rome or should I say Lima?  Anyways, the owner/chef would actually come out and sit at the table with people he knew.  His wife was working the register and being the server.  Again friendly but you're not sure if you're eating with friends or at a restaurant.

I think JP is overpriced and with the saltado de mariscos was flavorful, the calamari wasn't good. My quest continues for a good Peruvian restaurant!

Bright Star Vegan Thai

Bright Star Vegan Thai
9819 Foothill Blvd Ste F
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-980-9797

I had high hopes for Bright Star Vegan Thai after trying Bulan Thai and My Vegan Gold.  Bright Star is in the same shopping center as Supreme Plate, a very good restaurant for New Orleans style food.  A fairly big restaurant with booth seating along the right side of the restaurant, along the window and table seating at the left of the restaurant.  Pretty bare in terms of decor, except for the buffet table that has been turned into a Buddhist alter.

Thai fried rice, $8.99.  Brown rice, peas, carrots, onions, and tomatoes with soy chicken.  I didn't see any or taste tomatoes in the fried rice.  The soy chicken was sliced into thin pieces and they were pretty bland and flavorless.  The brown rice was cooked perfectly, the veggies were good.  But, this was too sweet for me.  They added too much sugar and it was also very greasy.  Not impressed.

Chow mein, $8.99 with tofu, yellow noodles, celery, carrots and cabbage.  A pretty bland version of chow mein.  The noodles and veggies were cooked perfectly.  But, there was only a small amount of tofu and it was bland!!  This needed more seasoning or flavor!

Service is pretty average.  Not the most friendly or welcoming interaction, they are just doing their job.

After trying Bulan and My Vegan Gold, I was disappointed in the quality of Bright Star!

Citrus Kitchen

Citrus Kitchen
10431 Lemon Ave Suite H
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91737
909-941-1444

David Allen reviewed Citrus Kitchen back in September 2014, and it's been on my bucket list of places to try.   I finally went to Citrus Kitchen and felt I was going Back to the Future!!  Why?  Because this restaurant used to be Chef Tim's and Gerald Willhite's Spices BBQ.  I understand after Chef Tim's the location was a Chinese restaurant and at one time used to be an Indian restaurant.  I found it interesting that there are two pizza places in this shopping center, a national chain and a mom and pop's.  On a side note, this is the second time this year I went Back to the Future!  The first time was Jay's Pizza, which used to be Joe's Pizza.

Citrus Kitchen is a small place, with a two tables and two sets of counter seating, one facing the window, another facing the prep area!!  It was fairly busy on a Saturday night.  

The ordering system at Citrus Kitchen is choice of protein, then one side with a snack portion, or two sides with a meal portion.  Then a choice of sauce.  Seafood and beef items are about 50 cents higher for the snack portion.  I got two snack portions and two different sides to get a variety.  I got my order to go.  While waiting for my order, a woman, who was dining in, asked for a plate.  The guy behind the counter said they do not have any plates!!  Now, I'm not sure if that means they ran out of plates or no longer serve food on plates!  In the pictures from David Allen's review, the food was served on plates.

Blackened salmon, $7.99.  Perfectly cooked, but lacked flavor!!  Very little spices and seasonings! 

Citrus shrimp, $7.99.  Very well cooked and seasoned!!  Didn't even need the limes!  I would order this again!

Vegan black beans.  A very good sided portion for a side!  Beans were cooked perfectly and they were full of flavor with a nice kick.  Though I'm not sure what spice they used to get that heat.

Mac and cheese.  As well cooked as the black beans were, the macaroni was undercooked!!  But, the cheese was great; lots of it, creamy and nice flavor.  If the macaroni was cooked properly this would have been great!!

Service was friendly.  The order took about ten minutes to prepare, which is fine.  But, I got my order to go, and they didn't put napkins or utensils in the bag!

I was disappointed in Citrus Kitchen.  I thought the food, especially the salmon, was going to be much better.  

The Supreme Plate

The Supreme Plate
9849 Foothill Blvd Ste K
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730
909-987-3474

As many long time readers of The New Diner know, I use David Allen as a resource for my restaurant choices.  Back in December of 2014, he reviewed The Supreme Plate and I put it on my bucket list of places to try.  I finally made it out to Supreme Plate and wondering why it took so long!  What a great place!

A New Orleans style seafood restaurant, located in a mini mall that doesn't have a sign-other than on the window, that's Supreme Plate.  A small sized restaurant with 10 tables and counter service.

Shrimp o' Boy, $9.99!  This was amazing.  First of all, it was huge! The bread is shipped in from New Orleans-nice and pillow soft, perfectly toasted, with tomatoes, lettuce and pickles.  But, the fresh shrimp were the highlight!  Lightly breaded in cornmeal, fried perfectly, and plenty of them.  Must have had at least half a pound of shrimp on the sandwich.

Mac n Cheese, $4.50. A unique mac n cheese!  Lots of different spices than regular mac n cheese, but very tasty and creamy.  Maybe a bit overpriced for the portion size, but quality was spot on!

Hush puppies, $2.00.  Deep fried balls of cornmeal with some onions.  Very good but they could have been served hotter.

Service is friendly but slow.  The people working there are very nice.  But, service is slow, it took about 25 minutes for our order to arrive.  That would be fine if the food was served pipping hot.  But, the food was warm, not hot.

Next time I go to Supreme Plate, I'll just call in my order.  Very good food served by nice friendly people.