Barstow California Steak House, Idle Spurs

Don’t you just hate that drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas?  Especially on the weekend when everybody else has the same idea as you do? When you find yourself stuck in that I-15 gridlock moving like a snail out of town, along with seemingly everybody else under the sun?  

Yet, we all still do it, don’t we? 

Slowly you work your way up the Cajon Pass, inching along until you can finally see Victorville ahead, where, if you’re lucky, the traffic lets up for a little while, and you press on steadfastly through the desert.  

Soon you find you are approaching the Tanger Outlet Center, better known as the Barstow Outlets, where everybody seems to feel the need for either gas or food at the same time, and they all create a mass exodus from the freeway racing to fill their tanks or tummies.  

At this point I implore you to resist the urge to merge… keep going… because just up the road is freedom from the same fast food rat race everyone else is experiencing.  Up the road in the booming town of Barstow, California is a hidden gem called the Idle Spurs Steakhouse. 

Just past the Main Street exit at Barstow, still going North on the I-15, you will come to the Old Highway 58 exit.  Trust me… take that exit. 

Keep going along that deserted road, even though you think that there couldn’t possibly be anything living for miles around, until you come to a lone stop sign.  At this point in the adventure you simply veer right and continue for about ½ mile, when suddenly what to your eyes should appear, out of virtually nowhere, is the best darn steak house for miles around, Idle Spurs.

The first thing you will notice is that the restaurant is covered with some kind of vine; I think it is a climbing rose, but frankly, I couldn’t say for sure. Nevertheless, it is totally amazing. Idle Spurs Steak house was actually built around a house, inside you will find that the original gardens, patios, and walls are still intact. I guess this is why you get a feeling that you are eating outdoors, but you are indoors. I would call the décor “Cowboy Eclectic” with a down home rustic feel. There are all kinds of antiques on the wall along with wooden craft items that the owner crafted himself. The tablecloths and napkins are made from simple calico prints, while the food is generously plated on Fiesta Ware Pottery.

The beginning of your meal will always be the same, as your waiter or waitress brings fresh marinated vegetables to your table, complete with jicama, cauliflower, and carrots to appease your growling stomachs, weary from the long time spent on the road. Presented with a menu with a wide variety of choices, you feel your heart start to race as you think of the other suckers who are waiting in line at In-N-Out back at the Outlets.

Now don’t choke, it is true… The Idle Spurs in Barstow even has Lobster.  I know, because I order it all the time, and it is actually really good!  My husband always chooses the house specialty which is the Prime Rib, and has never once been disappointed.  As for my kids, they bounce back and forth between the New York Steak and BBQ Chicken Breast, as their favorite choices.  All in all, we have never ordered anything that we have not found to be good.  They have a great lunch menu that includes burgers and sandwiches, but frankly with all that traffic, we have never been there before dinner once!

By the time you are finished with your dining experience, Barstow style, at the Idle Spurs, the traffic has eased up a bit and you are fortified to press forward… onward to the city of lights.

Don’t things always seem a little easier to face after a satisfying meal?

Now, hit the road! Vegas awaits!