Farmer Boy is back. Way back. Last year the family behind Brophy Bros. purchased Farmer Boy restaurant at 3427 State Street from Ralph Karleskint who opened the eatery in 1958. After closing April 30, 2014 for a complete remodel the Bennett family finally reopened the restaurant last week. Regulars will be happy to know that Farmer Boy looks much the same: a counter is still the centerpiece. Even the original hanging lamps are still there. During reconstruction crews removed the drywall and discovered a 1950’s-era wood paneling with silver-colored “bow tie” ornaments. They decided to reproduce that look at the front and back of the restaurant. “We really tried to keep the integrity of what Ralph did in 1958,” says manager & part owner Danny Quinn, who spent many years at the Farmer Boy as a kid in the late 1980s and early 1990s while his mother worked at the counter.

Though the menu is new, one item made a triumphant return: the popular over-sized cinnamon roll. The Restaurant Gal and I ordered one on their last day in business in 2014. I plan to return with her and the Restaurant Kid (who arrived while Farmer Boy was away) to let the little one give it a try.

I am told that former owner Karleskint has visited the restaurant a few times since it reopened. Customer Claudia Lash was leaving as I arrived to check out the new digs and she told me it was her 5^th day in a row to eat at Farmer Boy. Lash told me to tell you that the Chicken-Fried Biscuit Sliders with Gravy are amazing and that she ordered it the last three days in a row. Lash’s friend Pat Lupo tells me that the Chicken Club Wrap is huge and terrific. Further down the menu I found a hidden gem: you get unlimited refills of genuine Green Star Coffee for just $1.50.