Eat Local: Big Daddy’s Diner

I have eaten at Big Daddy’s Diner several times. Memories of my previous visits there have been painful and fuzzy, it being within walking distance of the party location from the night before, and also providing a reliable hang-over remedy of a bacon cheeseburger and Lagunitas IPA on tap.

My most recent experience with this diner was on a sunny February weekday around noon; I was in rare diner-dining form, well rested and completely sober. I walked through the front door to the small dining room and was immediately and warmly greeted with smiles and words of welcome by Vicki, the server working the day shift, and Karin Quirk, the wife of co-owner Jim Quirk. I’m impressed.

I’ve gotten used to going places where you’re lucky to get eye contact from just one person with a forced, generic greeting and a saccharin smile. Vicki told me to sit where ever I’d like, informing that there was also a larger room around the corner.  I chose a two-top table by the window in the cozy front room that shares it’s dining space with the kitchen.

Vicki brought me a menu and took my drink order as soon as I sat down and got settled in my seat. I ordered coffee and a glass of water. She returned promptly with the beverages and filled me in on the specials. Again, impressive. She was giving quick, efficient service in a relaxed friendly manner. So far, so good. Then I tried a sip of the coffee.  It was a typical watery diner brew, but reminded me fondly of when I was 19 and wrought with insomnia, sitting alone in the wee hours of the morning writing and drinking coffee at the Denny’s in Napa, so I proceeded to slurp it down merrily while Vicki in turn swiftly refilled it throughout my entire stay.

I looked down at the menu. It had the likenesses of the two cooks I could see through gaps in the stained glass partition between the kitchen and dining room drawn on the cover (I later find out that the artwork and menu layout was done by Karin herself). Inside I found a good, solid menu of classic diner breakfasts with a few modest twists, including: Blueberry pancakes, a breakfast burrito made with chorizo and covered with tomatillo salsa, and a vegetarian Benedict topped with fresh, real hollandaise.

I decided to order the corned beef hash and eggs with an English muffin and a single blueberry pancake. In just about 10 minutes, I received my breakfast. The potatoes were fresh and mildly seasoned, not too salty or at all greasy. The corned beef had a light seasoned crust identical to the potatoes. Both were tender to the bite. The poached eggs were text book. The whites were cooked through without any watery residue and the yolk spilled out like a buttery sauce when I pierced it with my fork.

It was humorously surprising that these poached eggs, which require such skill to properly execute being so fragile to the touch, were prepared by large burly men that appeared more suited to a ride in a biker gang. The only thing I wished for the plate was green onions for a little color and extra crunch, but that’s just my personal preference. The dinner plate-sized blueberry pancake was packed with fresh blueberries and cooked to golden fluffy perfection. The big guys in the kitchen clearly know what they are doing.

The prices are completely reasonable for an independently owned business, considering the high quality, fresh ingredients and expert preparation. Some examples: Two eggs with hash browns or home fries and your choice of toast is only $5.99, and if you want to add applewood smoked bacon, ham, or sausage, it’s only a dollar more. The most expensive breakfast choice is steak and eggs, at the very fair price of $9.50 that includes a 6 oz. ribeye, two eggs, hash browns or home fries and toast.

I had a chance to speak with Karin Quirk after breakfast, while she ate her lunch. She was having the special of the day, a French dip sandwich along with a notable salad of mixed greens. Yeah I said it. Mixed greens at a diner, not a single sorry piece of iceberg in sight.

Quirk said that she and husband Jim and his brother Richie Quirk (the brothers are also the cooks) opened Big Daddy’s in October of 2008, after Jim and Richie wrapped up their 28 year long careers in the kitchen at The Hilltop Café in Novato.

Since they are Rohnert Park residents, they decided that the location on Golf Course Drive was the perfect spot to start up their own family business. They named the restaurant “Big Daddy’s Diner” for Richie’s synonymous nickname. I listened while I watched Vicki serve another table the soup of the day, a generously sized ceramic bowl of French onion soup with a toasty dome of cheese slightly melting over the edges, and a chocolate milkshake topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Karin saw me eyeing the soup and shake. She told me that they make all their soups in house, from scratch, as they do with almost everything they serve there, including the French fries and all (except the ranch) salad dressings.

She suggested that the next time I come in I should try the Caesar salad, made with a dressing that Jim and Richie have been making for over 20 years.

So I came back the next day for lunch.

I took Karin’s recommendation from the day before and ordered a small Caesar salad ($3.95) to start, and decided upon the bleu cheese burger with bacon and French fries ($8.99) to fill out the meal. The salad was made with crisp chopped romaine, each leaf gently coated with the peppery, tangy dressing, dusted with parmesan cheese and tossed with crunchy croutons.

It was uncomplicated and delicious and could have easily been served in a high end restaurant. Then came the burger and fries. The fries at Big Daddy’s are thin cut and crispy with the skin still on, sprinkled with coarse sea salt and they are definitely fresh. They had that true taste of fried potatoes that is often lost to the frozen variety. The half-pound beef burger patty was cooked to medium as I requested, juicy with a light char and topped with thick, meaty slices of bacon and real chunks of a mild bleu cheese; this burger is perfect for bleu beginners and seasoned stinky cheese lovers. It was served on a hearty toasted sesame bun, with red leaf and romaine lettuces, thinly sliced red onion and tomato slices.

On this visit I was able to talk with my server, a pretty, sweet natured Sonoma State student named Jennifer Pingrey. When I asked her how she got the gig, she told me that her father is a regular there and she had come in a few times with him to eat. She applied, was hired on as a busser, and has recently started working serving shifts. When I asked her to tell me a little bit about the restaurant, she said “It’s definitely very family oriented.”

That much is clear. Karin definitely made me feel like I was related the day before; she went so far as to invite me to join her for dinner with her friends and family that night!

I also got to chat a little bit with the owners/cooks, brothers Jim and Richie Quirk. Jim tells me that every other weekend they make chicken tortilla soup and people come in specifically to buy a quart to take home with them. Richie (Big Daddy) has a gentle giant quality, with sparkly blue eyes and a big smile; not a scary biker gang member after all (although I didn’t ask…).

That afternoon the only other diner besides me was a man sitting outside on the patio, Tom O’Doul. I went to go talk with him while he waited for his food to arrive. We immediately connected over a shared love of Lagunitas IPA (he had a pint of it and I had a shirt on with their logo on it).  O’Doul is a regular at Big Daddy’s, so much of a regular in fact, that they put him on the breakfast menu. O’Doul’s Blue Daddy comes with two eggs, two blueberry pancakes, and three slices of apple wood smoked bacon ($8.49).

“I’m a breakfast guy” he told me, and the allure of breakfast served all day is what got him in and coming back for more.

That, and he heard where Jim and Richie used to work. He used to frequent the Hilltop Café when they were cooking there. He said the dinner at Big Daddy’s is just as good as the breakfast and lunch, and recommended the calamari dore` ($10.95). Jennifer brought him the dinner special, chicken Florentine. The plate offered a large portion of panko encrusted chicken breast served with creamy spinach sauce and garnished with avocado slices. I was tempted to taste a bite right off of O’Doul’s plate (heck, he offered) but I politely (and regretfully) declined.

So, of Big Daddy’s Diner, I will say this: if you go in there you will be treated and fed well at a fair price, and you will be supporting a local business and fantastic people. This is a great place for just about anyone. Actually, I can’t think of anything there that could bother anyone with a beating heart. It’s relaxing and comfortable to go alone, but if you have them, you could bring your kids and sit near the little play area Karin set up, or bring your wannabe cool-foodie parents. You could bring your dog and sit outside, or your sports-fan friends to watch the game on Sunday. Or, if you were partying at the house around the corner the night before, bring your hangover.

Big Daddy’s Diner, 913 Golf Course Drive, Rohnert Park CA 94928