Harris Ranch

Anybody who has made the drive on I-5 between the SF Bay Area and LA knows about Harris Ranch, rising like an oasis roughly halfway between the two areas. We've been stopping there for years, but only last week did I actually order a (pricey) steak at the restaurant, and it was kind of blah, not very well seasoned and not so tasty. I'm not sure what the problem was. Is Harris Ranch a sham? Does the restaurant there not serve the good stuff? Or was it the kitchen's fault? Harris Ranch aficionados, please help me out here.

Comments

[Chris]

What incentive do they have to cook well? They're out in the middle of nowhere with no competition. How could they even retain a decent chef?

For the record, I've eaten there several times over a period of years, and yes, the food is consistently mediocre. But it was either that or Skittles til Cupertino. Sometimes I opted for Skittles.

[E. Reader]

We used to stop there, about once a month, on our trips between LA and SF. Good place to stretch and get the kinks out. We ate there a number of times. The pot roast was quite good but very inconsistent. Indeed, their entire operation was inconsistent. And, yes, unless you want to eat at the Apricot Tree or an ARCO station along the way, there's very little choice on this well-traveled but desolate highway.

[Scott]

The incentive is to avoid tarnishing their brand. Harris Ranch is supposed to be this premium brand of beef, distributed to markets all over the west (although I've never tried it). Has anybody had a good steak at the restaurant?

[Les]

I've never stopped there, as the smell from the stockyard is much too dense--I couldn't imagine eating within 20 miles of there (or within 50 miles of Roswell, NM for the same reason, only bigger). I have eaten a Harris Ranch steak from my local grocery store, and it was very good; however, it was not particularly notable (I noticed the brand when I bought it because I thought of...the stockyards).