In another thread someone asked for one good restaurant in Las Vegas. That reminded me, for some reason, of Harris Ranch.
It’s in Coalinga, about halfway between L.A. and San Francisco. I went there once about 20 years ago. My dad, a friend or coworker of his, and I were flying home from Medford. We dicided to stop for dinner. I was flying, so I couldn’t have any wine with dinner; but ISTR the meal was good.
I’ve driven by a couple of times recently. I think most people just drive by. I mean, it’s in the middle of nowhere. And forty bucks for a steak dinner (plus drinks, tax and tip) is enough for me to keep driving. (Och! I canna stand the rape o’ me purse!) In the back of my mind is a comment a friend made. He’d taken his family to one of the best steakhouses in Bellingham. As he ate his steak, he said all he could think of was how much better were the steaks I made for Wednesday Night Barbecue. Harris Ranch’s steaks may be good, but I don’t want to spend 50 or 60 bucks for a taste test.
No, but every time we drove down to visit my grandparents when I was a kid (from NorCal to SoCal) we remarked upon the stench that was Cowschwitz, aka the Harris Beef Ranch slaughterhouse and holding pens.
I have friends who come down to San Diego every year for the ComicCon, and they were telling me about the one time they decided to try Harris Ranch: sorely disappointed.
They said the service was horrible (it was crowded, but not that crowded). Food orders mixed up and very slow.
They also said that when the food arrived, it was disappointing. Okay, but nothing great. So on top of taking forever (and messing up the orders) the food did not make up for it.
Whenever I drive down to LA from the Bay Area I stop in there - it’s the only decent food for hundreds of miles along I-5 unless you like fast food.
I’ve eaten many breakfasts and lunches there. Service has been good, everyone is nice, food is tasty - it’s not the nectar of the gods, keep in mind this is a ranch, but it’s very good and filling. Their fajitas (both steak and chicken) are yummy.
Some of my friends spent a long weekend there at the hotel with their two young sons and really dug it (rooms are inexpensive, you can go horse riding, relax by the pool, just chill). Flying in would be fun, they have their own airstrip.
I do agree about the cow pens a little north, it’s a couple minutes of hold your breath and drive fast to get past the smell. Not an issue at the Ranch itself though.
Ah yes, Park-a-Cow. Growing up in CA, living in the north and having relatives in the south means that at least twice a year we’d road trip past Harris Ranch. The smell isn’t bad if you grew up on a farm, but it is overpowering.
I remember the burgers being good, as well as the steak sandwich. Not sure if I’d stop in as a destination restaurant, however.
Split Pea Andersen’s in Buellton, on the other hand, I’ve diverted trips to get to.
haha… I was going to mention Pea Soup Andersen’s in Santa Nella, near Gustine. The Buellton location is off 101, north of Santa Barbara.
I’ve been to HR a couple of times, and yes, they are certainly better than the usual I5 fare of burgers and fries. But…
Be prepared for a wait at most any time of day, and the prices are on the high side. Foodwise, I’d put them at the general level as Outback, possibly a half-nudge lower. They’ve never wowed me, and if anything, they disappointed by not living up to the hype.
Great place to stop, very nice rooms, not too expensive. Really nice interior courtyard and pool, with orange trees. The prevailing breeze usually keeps the cow smell safely to the north.
Decent steaks, unless you order the el primo, prime aged new york, which is about the best steak I’ve ever had.
Some very good wines at very reasonable prices (Silver Oak Cabernet for about what you’d pay in a good wine store).
We drive from LA to SF fairly often, and have taken to leaving in the afternoon just to have the excuse to stay the night at the Ranch!
Yep, same folks. To be fair, the vacuum-sealed stuff the grocery store sells is frightfully over-salted and suffers just for being packaged who knows how long ago.
Trivia bit: The city they’re in isn’t of Spanish origin, despite how the name sounds. It used to be a fuel stop for the railroad, and was called Coaling Station A. Eventually, that morphed into Coalinga.