Brad S.
Yelp
When it comes to major cities in Kansas, you're either inside Wichita or you're not. While I wouldn't be able to function in one of those little towns, I like to visit - the drive is usually nice, it's off the beaten path, and you can usually find one or two local places where all the locals hang out. Valley Center is one of these cities, and Big Larry's is the place.
The menu was quite things that go between a bun but aren't beef. I don't know what I was thinking at the time, but while trying to decide on what to order combined with the pressure of being next in line, my eyes settled on the buffalo burger. I associated it with buffalo wings in my mind, but turns out it was actually buffalo meat. I don't think it had all the bunch as the good old cow, but it was nevertheless pretty good, still pretty moist despite how lean buffalo can be, and dressed in Big Larry's standard burger accouterments of mustard, pickle, and onion - two sets of grilled onions, actually, which sandwiched the meat, and which I appreciated for the slight contrast in textures.
Like most, Big Larry's has fresh cut fries, and while they suffer from the same single frying problem as the others, these are cut a bit thinner, so the result is an almost-crispy fry, rather than a soggy limp one. There's also a variety of homemade sauces floating around which can be good to seek out - I had a nice hot sauce on my table which I tried just a little bit, as I didn't want to cover my burger in fire.
What I liked best about Big Larry's is the amount of pride they have for themselves: as I was waiting for my burger, there was a laptop nearby ready for the owner to show me KWCH Channel 12's feature on the restaurant, during which two people unsuccessfully tried to eat six pounds of burgers and fries. Later, as I was eating my burger I overheard her talking to another customer about her attempts to promote her business. It can be quite difficult to make a burger joint stand out in Wichita proper, much less the fifteen minute drive to Valley Center, but sometimes it's fun to explore and find the little jewels like Big Larry's.