LE MARS, Iowa | Its steak has won raves from Rachael Ray, "Road Food's" Michael Stern and its wine selection was a semi-finalist for the 2014 James Beard Foundation Award.
And yet, Archie's Waeside isn't in New York or Los Angeles or Chicago. The venerable steakhouse is located in Le Mars.
Opened in 1949 by Archie Jackson, the 224 Fourth Ave. NE restaurant was operated by Jackson's daughter Valerie Rand from 1973 to 1994, when her son Bob Rand took over the business.
After 65 years in business, Archie's Waeside is one of the few third-generation restaurants in Plymouth County.
According to Bob Rand, the secret of its success is its steaks.
"My grandpa learned the art of cutting and dry-aging steaks in the packinghouses of Sioux City," Rand explained. "He knew you needed great beef in order to have a great meal."
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Rand, Archie's principal meat cutter since he was 14 years old, said the country's best beef come from Northwest Iowa and Northeast Nebraska.
This is why Archie's menu is loaded with steaks -- top sirloin, rib-eye, porterhouse and a peppered New York.
Yet the steakhouse is equally known for its shrimp, scallops and Alaskan crab legs, which are flown in daily.
"Some of our customers come from the East or West Coast but they say our seafood is the freshest they've ever had," Rand said with a smile.
Such compliments are common, according to Rand's sister, Lorrie Luense.
"We regularly have customers who make the drive from Sioux Falls or Omaha to have a meal at Archie's," said Luense, who works from the front of the house when her brother stays in the kitchen. "For them, Archie's is a destination."
Yet Rand said many of Archie's die-hard customers are local.
"We have customers who come in for dinner three or four times a week," he said. "Many of them have been coming in for years."
What such customers can expect is a deliberately "old school" meal that begins with a relish tray and continues on to salads with made-from-scratch dressings.
"It would be easier to serve pre-made foods," Luense admitted, "but if you had a hand in the making, it simply tastes better."
Most of Archie's staff is as experienced as the owners. For instance, bartender Molly Boever has has worked there for the past 51 years while cook Kim Staab has been there for at least 35 years.
"We have always been blessed by our staff," Luense said. "They're as important to Archie's success as Bob and me."
While Archie's Waeside has made some overtures toward today's lighter meals, Rand said his menu leans more toward the "foodies."
"They say people are less willing to spend money at restaurants but that isn't true at Archie's," he said. "Thirty years ago, a family would come to our restaurant right before a movie. Nowadays, they skip the movie, stay longer at dinner and regard Archie's as their show."
For such customers, Rand makes sure there's plenty of top-drawer wines and specialty craft beers in stock.
"We want any trip to Archie's to be an experience," he added.
Reflecting upon Archie's, Luense knows it's impossible to separate the restaurant's history with her family history.
"I chart each restaurant expansion with an important date in my life," she said. "Oh, I got married when we remodeled the dining room or the birth of my children came about the same time we made remodeled the kitchen."
The steakhouse's homey feeling extends to the front of the cavernous building where mom Val Rand, 84, continues to live.
"Mom still comes by every day, telling us what to do," Rand said with a comforting smile.
Still, Luense acknowledged that Archie's Waeside represented a special place in the lives of their customers.
"We've had customers meet their spouses at Archie's," she said. "We'll see them come back as they marry, have children and, then, grandchildren."
"Archie's is more than just a restaurant to them," Luense said proudly. "It's become a tradition."
