Brenda Hill

The Cuisine Scene

News Mirror
Yucaipa/Calimesa
5/08/08
The Cuisine Scene
Brenda Hill
Moondog Family Restaurant
Beaumont, CA

For some down-home Southern cooking, try the new Moondog Family Restaurant in Beaumont. Not only do they serve fried catfish, collard greens, peach cobbler and home-cooked sweet potato pie, but they serve true barbeque ribs, the kind that’s slow-cooked on a smoker for that unbeatable barbeque flavor.



Moondog’s owner, Leron Robinson, talks about the future and envisions the area when the restaurant remodel and the city’s plans for the area will be complete. While the restaurant currently sits in a light industrial area, Leron plans patios and live entertainment on the weekends for his customers.



But I didn’t wait for the completed plans. Once Claire, my editor, told me about a place that serves catfish and collard greens, I was on my way.

For those of you who have no clue, collard greens, or collard, is a vegetable grown in the South. While technically a member of the cabbage family, the greens look and taste to me like a combination of cabbage and spinach. Low in calories, they’re also great for dieters. Not only are they filling, but they’re a good source of vitamins A and C, ascorbic acid and iron. Some supermarkets now offer them canned and seasoned, but they have no resemblance to greens prepared fresh.



So at Moondog’s, even with some great foods spread before me, I dug into the collard greens and catfish, polishing off every bite. My second favorite was the Cole slaw with that old-timey mayonnaise flavor I loved as a child. The fried catfish is boneless and in strips, about the size of chicken tenders. The coating has cornmeal in the batter so it’s crunchy with that certain extra texture that Southerners love.



Leron, a transplanted Louisiana native, and his uncle Al, who is head cook, prepares their dishes exactly the way I and the women in my family cooked at home—by tasting everything as it’s cooking. Al created Moondog’s barbeque sauce for the ribs.

“The problem with most sauces,” he said, “is they run or drip off the meat. I wanted something to stick to the rib.” His creation is a sauce that’s not too sweet or spicy, but somewhere in between. The ribs are meaty and tender and have that smoky flavor that only an outdoor smoker provides.





Leron's family moved to the L.A. area when he was a child, but he discovered the Beaumont/Banning area and loved the people and the open spaces, so in 1999, he moved his own family to the area. He owned a music store in Banning, and some of the entertainment he plans for the restaurant stems from his love of music. His great aunt was Zola Taylor, the wonderful female singer in the vocal group, The Platters. Credited with several Top Ten hits, they appeared in the first major motion picture based on rock and roll, Rock Around the Clock, 1956, performing two of their hits, “Only You” and “The Great Pretender.” I loved The Platters and their smooth, romantic sound and played their records over and over. They were perfect for slow-dancing with your sweetheart in an innocent age. Ms. Taylor succumbed to a series of strokes in 2007, but Leron says the group has reformed. He’s planning for them to appear at Moondog’s.

Moondog, his wife's nickname, is truly a family affair. Leron and his wife, Patricia, are raising six children, and most days one or more of them helps at the restaurant. Leron said the kids practically ran the music store and he’s very proud of them. He also relies on his efficient server, Jay.  



His menu has such delights as bbq beef and pork ribs, bbq sandwiches, burgers, and seafood items such as catfish, snapper, sole, shrimp, clams, and even oysters and scallops. Corn bread, macaroni & cheese, collard greens, and rice & gravy are some of the available sides. Desserts include sweet potato pie and peach cobbler. I loved the peach cobbler, made with pie crust the Southern way instead of dull Yankee dough. Okay, I have to admit, some Northern and Western dishes are good.

Prices are comparable to the area, with a half-slab of smoked pork ribs at $13.95 and a fried oyster dinner at $7.99 with your choice of two sides.

A child’s menu is available as well as party platters. Lunch and dinner specials are offered daily. The atmosphere is casual and their food and service is offered with good old-fashioned friendliness. I'm glad I stopped in.

Moondog’s Family Restaurant
174 Beaumont Ave
Beaumont, CA   92223

10am to 9pm
7 days a week
951-845-7068
951-845-7061


Take the CA-79 Beaumont Ave exit from I-10, turn right onto Beaumont, go to the first stop light, which is 1st, make a left and another left as soon as possible. Moondog’s is seen from Beaumont Ave, but with the center divider, can’t be accessed.