Quality and authenticity are king at Hoggs Gourmet Grill. You can sense the aroma of great BBQ even before you open the door. Once inside, you are greeted by a cozy backyard barbecue motif. Even if there is a queue, the staff greets you within seconds and often takes orders from the line. Jeff, the owner greets regulars by name and then... you have to choose... from among the many hamburger, sausage, sandwiches and plate dinners they offer.

Jeff promotes Hoggs as "an alternative to watered-down, over-processed franchise-food that simply costs too much". Even though you should leave your calorie-counters at home if you're going to Hoggs, I still enjoyed my fairly low-calorie Smoked Turkey sandwich on warmed Squaw Bread. The meat was cut right from a slow-baked full turkey breast, was of varying width pieces, and had no resemblance to pressed turkey or thin, so-called "deli-slices" that other places try to fool us with. Their famous thin, lightly-salted sweet potato fries actually do melt in your mouth. I washed down my lunch with a Diet Coke but others say their iced teas and microbrew bottled beers were excellent.

Located off Towngate Blvd, sort of in the back of a shopping center, Hoggs has excellent parking and has sparkling clean bathrooms and eating areas. Oh, don't forget the unusual Peach Cobbler, almost more of a custard and is one of many heirloom recipes handed down to Jeff from his great-grandmother back in Arkansas. Hoggs is highly favored by Military personnel at lunch and is family friendly, often filled soccer club kids and baseball teams for dinner. No wonder a local newspaper's readership voted Hoggs as "The Best Restaurant in Moreno Valley".

Bottom line: For not too much money you can have plenty of authentic barbecued dishes and all the trimmings. Indulge and pig out to your heart's content at Hoggs. HOGGS means "Hot Off the Grill Good, Sir! and I think you will agree.