Outlaw Larry’s

Outlaw Larry’s
1825 Hamner Avenue
Norco, (951) 278-2771

The full story of Outlaw Larry’s reads more like the tale of a relationship gone badly than one of a restaurant striving to find its place in a changing community. Some of you may remember Texas Loosey’s, which occupied the same building for a number of years. They began to serve food back when Norco’s streets were still quaintly paved with dirt and there were only three or four other restaurants in town. Originally, it was part of a chain of Texas Loosey’s strung across
a couple of counties, with the location in Torrance being the hub, but what most people may well remember about Texas Loosey’s is the fact that the image of the establishment fit well with its name: Picture Hooters with a sultry Texas drawl… oh yeah, and chaps over bikinis… well, you get the idea.

That theme worked well in rough and ready horse country, well enough to make a name for itself as a restaurant with great food and a great… ahem, view. But times, they do change, and Norco has been enjoying an upswing in the quality of life that its neighboring communities have been endorsing for a number of years, and when a continual breakout of new housing communities spring up across what was once cow and horse property, with it usually comes young families. If anything, Texas Loosey’s in its original form was not a family restaurant.

About 10 years ago, the chaps and bikinis disappeared, perhaps because of Norco’s
transformation, but the restaurant still carried with it the reputation of a local saloon that also served food, a place where regulars sit elbow to elbow at the bar, watch the game and tap the keg dry. Eventually, the Texas Loosey’s chain, for whatever reason, went belly up, bankrupt, and all the properties were scattered in the wind to their new owners. The folks that bought the Norco Texas Loosey’s property didn’t change anything about the place, but to their fault, they relied on inexperienced managers to make inexperienced decisions that greatly affected not only the slim-to-none profit margin but its already fragile relationship with the community. Groups were asked not to come back if they wanted to split the check too many ways or if they announced that they were going to go somewhere else after dinner for a drink.

All of that came to a screeching halt four years ago when Larry Weinstein, wrote a check for the deed to Texas Loosey’s, and a new incarnation was about to begin. For starters, he didn’t change a thing. Everyone in the kitchen, keep doing what you’re doing. He began right away to mend the relationships soured by the previous regime… and he expanded the menu… and expanded the menu… and then expanded the menu some more. Larry grew up behind the counter of his father’s delicatessen, and decided that he wanted to incorporate some of those tried and true recipes at his new place. However, since he didn’t want to cut any of the items, afraid that he might dishearten a customer loyal to whatever dish he axed, he would lose business, so his menu is ever growing, currently topping the scales at over 220 items.

But what to do about the name? With Texas Loosey’s still emblazoned on the front of the building, Larry was anxious he was either turning people away because of prior stigmas of previous owners or reputation or disappointing people who were used to the old Texas Loosey’s. After three years of fretting about the name, and a lot of hand wringing, a friend suggested Outlaw Larry’s, and although he didn’t want to use his name in the title, it stuck.

That was a year ago, and since then, business has been picking up, as it slowly ditches the baggage of a bar that serves food and embraces the ideal that Outlaw Larry’s is a family-style sports bar and steakhouse.

Well, now that you know way too much about how Texas Loosey’s became Outlaw Larry’s, what can you expect when you open the front door? Frankly, it is a no-frills establishment, as all the tricks that attract less discerning eaters to other restaurants, like Friday’s or Red Robin, are in the kitchen at Outlaw Larry’s. The pizzazz is in the food. The décor is a western theme meets a diner, but it doesn’t punch you in the face at every turn (like Friday’s), and while you should expect some thematic atmosphere from a restaurant, it would be hard to spot it if you first didn’t know the name on the building. And that’s good in a way, because it focuses on the food and the conversation, the whole reason for being there.

First to arrive at the table were three soups, each one better than the one before. The chicken noodle that I first tried was typical of what I would have expected to find in a bowl of regular chicken noodle soup, but it was actually refreshing and light. The chicken wasn’t chewy, the noodles rubbery nor was the base salty. What followed was Larry’s French Onion soup, topped with a thick slathering of cheese (possibly gruyere), a complex beef broth and nicely caramelized onions. It wasn’t overpower or especially chunky, but it would have made a nice platform off of which to jump into a steak and mashed potatoes. The third soup was a special concoction that isn’t ordinarily on the menu, a sweet and sour cabbage soup from the recipe files of Larry’s grandmother, and without giving it away the details of this soup, I suggest you leave your card and ask that Larry call you when he whips up a batch because it alone is well worth the price of admission.

There was hardly any room on the table for the behemoth that arrived next, as Larry hefted out the flagship of his menu, the Larry’s Mega Combo, a heaving platter of meats from the land, sea and air: A 10-ounce tri-tip steak, a smoked chicken, half a rack of baby back ribs, two thick beef ribs, five jumbo fried shrimp and a variety of in-house-made barbecue sauces, dips, Texas red chili and Ranchero beans (you can get other side options, of course).

Best on the plate for me were the two large beef ribs, that once you picked them up by the conveniently exposed bone (the steam-injection smoking method Larry uses to cook these ribs causes the meat to shrink on the bone without losing juiciness or flavor) the meat practically falls off into your mouth. They have a strong flavor, and with the robust barbecue, packs quite a hefty punch of taste.

I’ve never really been a fan of baby back ribs. For starters I always feel slightly guilty that the word “baby” is in the name… I know. But they’re always a lot of work for what you get. Usually, the meat is sparse, meager, and they are amazingly messy. Larry’s are no different in many regards, but the flavor of the meat more than makes up for it.

The butterflied fried shrimp added a nice contrast to the red meat and chicken, which was like having a basket of bread nearby to neutralize your mouth between meat shifts. It wasn’t over breaded like some shrimp plates I’ve been subjected to, and they rely more on the zest of the shrimp in the marinara sauce than the amount of frying they were cooked with.

I felt the chicken was a little on the dry side, at least once you bit through the thickly barbecue-basted skins, but it could have been dry because it was one of the last things I tried from the combo platter. Then again, it is difficult to make fowl that doesn’t come out dry, especially when it is compared to dripping wet ribs or a juicy tri-tip and all of the complementary sauces and sides on the plate. However, I lathered it up with some extra barbecue sauce and it was good to go.

Of everything so far, the entrée I was least enthusiastic to try was the Homemade Country Fried Steak, only because they always remind me of Salisbury steak I’d find in an elementary school cafeteria. I understand that isn’t really fair to compare them in that way (or generalize), but it is the gravy smothered on top that triggers my memory. Usually, the gravy on other country fried steaks I’ve had in the past has been bland, predictable and frankly insipid. At least Outlaw Larry’s injected his with chunks of bacon and bits of sausage to break up the monotony of a creamy gravy, and it is used sparingly on top of the steak. What balanced out the experience was the mashed potatoes, presented like a little volcano holding back the gravy lava that gave the smooth and creamy potatoes a welcomed kick, tying the whole plate
together with a common flavor.

If I could eat meat and potatoes every day of my life, I doubt that I would have anything to complain about. Of course, I would probably be nearly 400 pounds doing so, but at least I wouldn’t fret over what dinner was going to be like, so when I finally cleared some space on the table in front of me to make room for the 12 ounces of Angus rib eye steak that was headed my way, I was looking forward to it. Char broiled, the steak just sagged in my plate, a welcomed sight as I could almost slice into it with the side of my fork. The well tenderized meat was no match, melting in my mouth with very little help from my teeth. If you are a steak lover, you’re missing out if you haven’t had one of these yet (they also offer it in a 20- ounce size for the truly hungry). It came with steak fries and steamed vegetables that could not possible measure up to this steak, and if it came out from the kitchen on a plate all by itself, I don’t think I would have had a problem with that because it needed nothing else…okay, maybe a dab of horseradish. Certainly my favorite.

The fact that Outlaw Larry’s still enjoys some of the trappings of its roots can be seen not only in the pages of its menu—most all of the Texas Loosey’s menu was retained—but in the spirit of the restaurant itself. It’s come a long way from chaps and bikinis to booths filled with young families, its customers can rest assured, Outlaw Larry’s is a place where you can be sure that you’ll get a good traditional steak, hand-picked at the market by Larry himself, and cooked the proper way.

And hey, if you don’t like steak, there’s 219 other items on the menu. You won’t be
disappointed.

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