On Another Planet

Here's a review of the restaurant we chose to eat in last night. Pat N’ Larry’s Steak House in Willows. Now Willows isn’t on the Planet Orland, but it is in the same galaxy and looks very similar; perhaps smaller. And it really doesn’t have any better restaurants than Orland does…except, for one; Pat N’ Larry’s. Orland does have a steak house, but it’s crowded and noisy and the tables are far too small. Bah!

From the outside, Pat N’ Larry’s is… well, it’s ugly. That’s all there is to it. Even new paint wouldn’t help to correct the architectural failures of this building on the outskirts of town. You have to gather up some courage to enter and after that, it’s fine. And if you’re lucky, the sun will have set when you exit and you won’t notice anything till you get back in the car and turn on the lights.

The inside is spacious, clean, well lit and the tables are the right size. We were seated promptly and given menus. Yes, they had O’Doul’s to drink. That’s a plus. And they serve LAMB as well as beef. But we were there for beef and I chose a ‘regular’ sized New York while Laurae had the Filet. Salad, potatoes and vegetables come with the entrée. We had the Caesar salad and I chose the Garlic Mashed potatoes while Laurae had hers baked. The meat was cooked as ordered and was quite tasty. Well, not as good as I could have done it, but certainly sufficient for our evening out. The bill? $59 for the two of us. Not excessive, but not a cheap meal.

We arrived at 5:30 and found the restaurant to be pleasantly uncrowded. And by the time we left, business had picked up and about half the tables were taken. I also noted that most of the patrons were ‘regulars’, knowing one another and greeting the waitresses familiarly. And we will go again; I have to try the ‘Basque Lamb, only $18.95!