3 minute read
Airport
The Riversider | December 2022
BBQ Platter Cowboy Burger and Chili Cheese Fries
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Cowboy Burgers & BBQ
WORDS: KEN CRAWFORD PHOTOS: ZACH CORDNER
My mother is a zucchini aficionado and hates the traffic on the 15 between the 60 and 10 freeways. We could always check a couple boxes by skipping the interchanges and taking Etiwanda then stopping by Cowboy Burgers & BBQ on the way to the airport or the Mills. Cowboy in Fontana sits proudly by the train tracks in an industrial area of town. Plenty of room in the parking lot for semi trucks and a menu fifty feet wide.
I was surprised to see, while driving down Arlington Avenue here in Riverside, that a new Cowboy was being built. The place took a little while to open and then, one day, it was there. Of course, the cowboy is a ubiquitous mascot and I was certain that this was just another of many cowboys and couldn’t be a partner to my beloved stop by the tracks in Fontana.
I took my family with me to see if this was THE Cowboy and I was wrong. It was the same place…kinda. It’s the same high quality, big portion, family-run restaurant managed by the same wonderful family. My favorite Old West Burger was still on the menu. I was ready to eat and was thrilled that the Cowboy had ridden into town. Something was different, however. This menu isn’t fifty feet wide, but eight, ten maybe. No pastrami, no cobb salad, no zucchini!? What happened?
I was given Eleni Katelaris’ name as a contact. I got there a bit before the crew and asked the helpful young lady at the counter if Eleni was around. She offered me a cup for the soda fountain and said I could sit anywhere in the dining area and Eleni would be out in a second. Eleni came out to greet me with a genuine smile and after introductions, I asked if indeed, this was a relative institution to the Etiwanda Avenue Cowboy. She confirmed and I asked, “Why the small menu?”
My bar was set pretty high and I was ready to be disappointed, but Eleni had no plans to let me down. Eleni told me that her parents Pete and Androula Katelaris, who immigrated from Cyprus almost forty years ago, have run the Cowboy in Fontana for thirty years and saw the new, smaller location as an opportunity to provide further excellence in a smaller menu.
She wasn’t wrong. Everything I tried was excellent. The burgers are hand made and have plenty of fresh toppings without being messy. I think I would try and eat one in the car but only if I had a backup shirt. The BBQ is good. Eleni describes the style as “Cowboy” a Texas influenced brand that allows for a little bit of sauce. The pork ribs were a standout, tender but not disintegrating off the bone. The chili cheese fries were made with house made Texas style chili with no beans and were much better than what is usually served at fast-food restaurants.
I was lucky to meet the whole family and they described their mission to bring really good food to people with passion and conviction. We might not consider “fast food” when we think about passion for craft, but what the Katelaris’ produce is high quality, executed well, and delivered with an over-the-top sense of service to their customers. Even if you’re not a burger or BBQ person you can still go for the homemade brownies and their amazing date shake that isn’t an hour away.
It's a family thing. Androula, Eleni and Pete Katelaris, owners of the Cowboy.
