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I had heard about Bob's Big Boy's weekday all-you-can-eat breakfast and fruit bar, and I couldn't wait to give it a try.  So Wednesday, March 18, 2009, before starting a hard day of four wheeling in the Mojave Desert, I walked the 100 yards from my motel room at Bun Boy Motel over to Bob's, to give their breakfast buffet a try, and see what all the fuss was all about.

Photo:  Bob's Big Boy, with the iconic World's Tallest Thermometer in the background, on Baker Blvd.

As I walked in the door, and was greeted by the friendly greeter, but I really wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to her, as my eyes shifted to the right of me, as I took in the warm, inviting sight of the breakfast bar, loaded with breakfast goodies, basking in the limelight, and waiting for me.  The greeter offered me a menu, but I told her that it wasn't necessary, as I was here for the breakfast bar, and all I needed was coffee.  I found a table, and within a minute, a friendly server appeared with a coffee pot, to fill my waiting cup.  Now that I'd staked out my territory, it was time to pursue my objective, which was the breakfast and fruit bar.

Photo:  The entrance to the restaurant is pure, classic, pseudo 1950's, nouveau art deco, American Graffiti.

The selection of items at the breakfast bar is rather modest, but everything is fresh, and not wilted and dingy, in the style found at many Nevada casino breakfast buffets.  Besides fruit, the Bob's Big Boy offers scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, sausage links, bacon, home-style potatoes, hash browns, along with biscuits and gravy, and probably something that I either forgot about, or didn't notice.  As far as I'm concerned, they have all of the breakfast basics covered, as I don't need no stinkin' tofu or keish for breakfast!  I have a trucker mentality when it comes to breakfast, so I happily filled my first plate with a couple of the giant sausage links, home-style potatoes, scrambled eggs, a biscuit, and sausage gravy over practically everything.

Photo:  After you walk in, you'll be greeted by a friendly greeter, who will seat you.  The kitchen, the pie display, and a small amount of the breakfast counter can be seen in the background of the photo.  The breakfast bar is mostly out of sight, to the extreme right of the photo.

Good breakfast, maybe even great, as the food was surprisingly fresh... you'd think that it had just been brought out of the kitchen to your table.  The benchmark in breakfast buffets is the eggs, as they don't keep under a heat lamp, and easily become rubbery and nasty if they've been away from the kitchen too long.  Not so at Big Boy, as the eggs were absolutely wonderful; you'd think they had just been brought to you.  I was really impressed by the sausage links, as they were big, and thick, and the juice oozed out of them when cut.  The home-style potatoes were cooked to perfection, as they were nice and golden on the outside, but warm and chewy inside, and had sliced onions and bell peppers in them... oh boy!  The biscuits were light and fluffy, and the gravy was thick, creamy, and full of sausage chunks.  As I dug into my plate, the coffee kept on comin' ...

Photo:  Although quite modest, the breakfast bar is stocked with fresh, hot food that's super delicious.  In this case, it's quality over quantity of selection.  Besides, it's all you can eat!

Between platefuls, I had a chance to admire the decor of the restaurant.  It's thoroughly contemporary, as its light, airy, and done in pastels.  Dining room seating is a mixture of booths and tables, and seating is also available at the breakfast counter, which faces the kitchen.  It seems that most of my fellow diners had opted to choose their breakfast from the menu rather than the bar, but that's their choice.  Personally, I love a buffet, as I love to have the choice to choose whatever I want, and to go back as many times as my stomach will allow.  

Photo:  The dining room is very contemporary, comfortable, and very clean.  These folks are enjoying sit-down meals from the menu, which is an option if you're not interested in the breakfast bar.

I didn't want to make a pig of myself, but since it was a buffet, and the food was so good, I just had to have a second plate.  I rarely order bacon when I'm dining in a restaurant, as most restaurants cremate bacon so it resembles beef jerky; I prefer my bacon on the soft side.  Much to my amazement, Big Boy's buffet contained bacon cooked in all stages, from barely cooked to cremated, so I grabbed a couple of pieces on the barely cooked side.  I had to have another helping of eggs, but I put hash browns on this plate instead of the country-style potatoes, and I just had to have a second helping of biscuits and gravy.  When I returned to my table, I was happy to see that my coffee cup had been filled.  At Bob's Big Boy, the delicious coffee keeps coming...

Photo: The breakfast bar, up-close and personal, showing the many items available.  Not shown is the fruit section, which is to the left of the breakfast bar.

Gee, I really wanted to take a third trip to the breakfast bar to sample a pancake or two, but my stomach wouldn't let me, as I was full, and I just couldn't eat any more.  Darn!  I'm certainly not the man that I used to be, as just a few years ago, I could have made five trips to the buffet, but alas, those days are long gone.

Photo:  My first plateful, with biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, giant sausage links, and home style potatoes, complete with sliced peppers and onions.  Truly a delicious breakfast!

The grand total for the weekday breakfast bar, including coffee and tax came to only $7.74, which is a huge bargain.  I felt so happy and satisfied that I gave the gal at the register a 10-spot and told her to keep the change.  I was glad to see that it put a smile on her face, which is a good thing during these tough economic times.

Photo:  I had to go back for seconds, and my biscuit and hash browns are nearly covered up by the gravy.  I helped myself to a second helping of eggs, and a couple of pieces of bacon, that were still chewy, which is the way I prefer my bacon cooked.

Bob's Big Boy has a great breakfast bar, as it includes quality, fresh food, that almost tastes like its home cooked. What the breakfast buffet lacks in quantity it more than makes up in quality and value.  Your mother would be happy that you chose to enjoy breakfast at Bob's Big Boy, and you'll leave the restaurant with a full stomach, a smile on your face, and lots of loose change in your pockets.  Highly recommended!

Bob's Big Boy
72155 Baker Blvd
Baker, CA 92309
760 733-4660


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