RESTAURANTS : You Need Giant Appetite or ‘Really Big Dog’ to Eat at Al’s

It’s easy to envision Al’s Steakhouse and Saloon in Montana or Idaho, alongside one of those old highways that some interstate highway made obsolete long ago. It’s a folksy place, vaguely reminiscent of a hunting lodge, with enough stuffed heads on the wall to open a small museum. I wish we’d sat under, rather than across from, the wild boar. I felt like he was staring at me all evening.

Enter Al’s through the saloon, where the local brawn, regulars no doubt, are busy shooting pool and whiskeys simultaneously. We didn’t get a “howdy, pardner” from the waitress, but she did belt out a booming “howareya?” that could have been heard all the way across a desolate gulch.

Now, I’ve often found that the portions you get in a restaurant increase in direct proportion to how loud the service is. That theory certainly holds true in this restaurant. When we asked our waitress for a recommendation from the menu, she told us, “I hope you’re real hungry, or at least have a really big dog.”

It’s a hard menu to choose from because there’s nothing on it that most of us haven’t eaten at least a hundred times. When I pointed this out to our waitress, she just said, “nothin fancy, just food” and unfurled her pad. She wasn’t exaggerating.

The complimentary relish tray was huge, even gigantic, and everyone liked it. It’s little more than a plate of raw vegetables, but everything on it is snappy and fresh. Al’s boasts right on the menu that all the produce is handpicked daily. I’m convinced--carrots crunch; radishes snap. And there are piles of shiny green onions and mounds of ice-cold peppers to boot. Appetizer’s at Al’s are served on giant, cast-iron skillets, the kind grandmothers used to hang above the stove, and there’s only room for two or so of them on the table at one time. Onion rings are the size of chokers. Deep-fried zucchini, cut into baguette-size chunks, are lightly battered and dusted with Parmesan. Glop a spoonful of ranch dressing (what else) on them for extra flavor. The Buffalo wings are as good as any I’ve had ‘round these parts, and the Tabasco in the marinade has been applied with abandon. A homemade bleu cheese dressing rides sidesaddle.

After we gave the appetizers a workout, leaving more than half behind, the waitress came back with one of those knowing looks. You could tell she was already mentally wrapping the leftovers from the main courses. “Still hungry?” she asked.

Like all good steak joints, soup (served in large crocks) or salad (cold and crisp, with croutons the size of golf balls) come with all the dinners. Soup choices change daily, but are apt to be bean, chicken noodle or vegetable. Salad dressings are homemade and include a very good Caesar and that ranch dressing I mentioned, which is so thick that it probably wouldn’t budge in an earthquake.

“I do weight training,” our waitress said, as she hefted five immense platters over to our table. Alongside the steaks lay heaps of sauteed vegetables and bionic baked potatoes. Even a steer wrestler would be hard-pressed to finish these spuds. On top of this, everyone gets a big plate of spaghetti. “Spaghetti is good when you reheat it,” advised the waitress. I don’t see why they just don’t give it to you at the door.

Al’s bills itself as a steak house, but some of the steaks are a letdown. New York and top sirloin are large, specially aged and flavorful, but ours were on the tough side. Better are the sauced or marinated steaks. Teriyaki top sirloin is nicely glazed, and the pepper steak is even better, blackened in a green peppercorn-butter sauce. Mine was cooked exactly the way I requested it.

Barbecued pork ribs are about the best of the non-steak dishes; you get an entire slab o’ ribs with a tomato-rich sauce that clings to the tender, trim meat. Lamb chops would be my second choice here--a cut-up rack of six mini-chops, which have been marinated in garlic and flame broiled. They are easily the equal of most served at twice the price in the more formal dining rooms.

Chicken is cooked barbecue or teriyaki style, and pork chops are about 2 inches thick. The only thing I’d avoid is the mammoth (24-ounce) prime rib. It just didn’t have any flavor.

The restaurant only makes two desserts, a custard-thick bread pudding, and a sticky-sweet apple pie. I wasn’t impressed by either one, but it’s possible that by the time we got to dessert, I was too full to judge. I do recall saying “no thank you,” when our waitress asked if I wanted the pie a la mode. It arrived with at least a pint of vanilla on top. I wonder what she would have brought if I had asked for a double?

Prices are moderate, cheap if you’re weighing your portions. Appetizers start at $2.75, up to $5.95 for a special combo platter. Entrees run from $8.95 to $12.95. The 24-ounce prime rib dinner is $15.95. Happy trails.

AL’S STEAKHOUSE AND SALOON

1602 E. 1st St., Santa Ana

Open daily for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. (until 11 on weekends)

Visa and MasterCard accepted

(714) 550-0847