Fat Times at Fat Daddy's

by Joe Lyons

What constitutes great barbeque? Many people feel it is a geographical thing. Memphis, New Orleans, Texas, Carolina, even Chicago. Let’s not forget your own backyard. Some people will tell you it’s a racial thing. African-American ribs are better than Caucasian ribs. Go figure.

Most rely on the old-family recipe theory. Grandpa used molasses, Karo syrup, honey or maybe a cup of Jack Daniel’s.

Barbeque restaurants have to build their reputation based on such assumptions. Many have been covered in these pages before. Fat Daddy’s BBQ Bistro in Corona is one more on the list.

Actually, Fat Daddy’s sits in the Mervyn’s Plaza on that stretch of Main Street that is North of the 91 Freeway. Many people think that all of that area is Norco. It is not.

Much of the menu is what you would expect to find in any barbeque restaurant. To avoid arguments, we went for the platter order, which gave us samplings of much of the faire.

I am personally not a great rib man. That being said, the St. Louis-style ribs were excellent. The BBQ chicken was delicious. I do like brisket, but the order we got was a little dry. Maybe I needed to add more homemade secret recipe BBQ sauce. I did love the hot links. They were served sliced and grilled.

Many New Orleans-style barbeque restaurants sweeten their ice tea with fructose syrup. Such is the case at Fat Daddy’s. It is positively addictive. They also have great corn bread, served in small loaves, wrapped in plastic. The sweet potatoes are truly sweet.

Other treats include the rich tasting pulled pork, the deep-fried and breaded okra and very good coleslaw and potato salad, made on site.

Meats at Fat Daddy’s are smoked for four hours and spend four more hours in the oven.

That was about the extent of the preparation secrets we were able to get out of our host, The C-man (I think his real name is Clarence). Everything else is a family secret.

Desserts included a great peach cobbler and an amazing banana cream dish that was thick and sweet and didn’t last long at our table. The only thing missing is pecan pie. They told me that that is a seasonal treat. Other desserts include something called a Famous Cake Shake.

What we did not try, and should have, was the seafood. Catfish, of course, is a BBQ staple. Fat Daddy’s also features halibut, snapper and tilapia. The side dishes include mac & cheese, southern greens, momma’s yams, baked beans, black-eyed peas, fries and hush puppies.

There is also a threat on the menu called the Great Grand Daddy Burger. It is described as two pounds of meat with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and pickle. It is eight inches of “hamburger heaven” for $14.95 and includes two side dishes. The menu asks, “Are you up to the challenge?” I wimped out.

The staff of the Inland Empire Business Journal has visited many BBQ facilities in and around the Inland Empire. We all agreed that Fat Daddy’s is possibly the best we have been to.

Fat Daddy’s BBQ Bistro is located at 718 North Main St., Suite #102 in the Mervyn’s Plaza in Corona, north of the 91 Freeway. The phone number is 951-736-3510