Rae’s RBar & Grill Unique Dishes

Rae’s rBar & grill Wife, Mother & Working Restaurant Owner

By Judith Shabram

As an adjective the word destination describes a special place that people visit with a specific purpose in mind. Rae’s RBar & Grill on Main Street in Marble Falls aka RBar is definitely the place to immerse yourself in local color and enjoy unique dishes, many with a backstory, and appreciate the distinctives of Historic Main Street. The owner of Rae’s, Rachel Lorance, is as distinctive as the establishment itself. Known to everyone as Rae, she is the life force behind a restaurant that was once only one of two eating establishments on Main Street.

Rae grew up in Houston and started tending bar when she was only eighteen. “I love bartending because it is so high energy.” After meeting Rae, you can believe that the was probably the local therapist behind the bar in Houston, but her husband had other plans and purchased a pool company in Marble Falls so the family relocated. Rae fell in love with the area considering it a great place to raise kids and decided she never wanted to leave. Because she loved being behind the bar Rae took a part time job at RBar, already a local landmark, 2-3 nights a week. When the owner decided to sell he instantly thought of Rae. In a mad moment she took everything she had and invested it into the restaurant.

“The first day as the owner I saw myself bartending and having fun, I know how to do this job”, but soon discovered that it was also hard work to learn the entire business. “After nine years I still learn something new every day and nothing surprises me; it all makes sense now.”

Rae made a lot of improvements to her restaurant one of which was to move the enormous horseshoe shaped bar out of the middle of the room and put the bar along the wall opening up space for more tables. She also painted the building a softer color and expanded the kitchen.

Rae bought all of the recipes from the original owner but then expanded the menu adding her

own creative ideas. Even though some still refer to her restaurant as RBar she is primarily an eating establishment that employs both of the original cooks.

The menu however has undergone an amazing transformation and has settled itself as “rustic Texas comfort food” like Mama’s Chicken, a house favorite featuring a grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, jack cheese, avocado, and Pico served along with a fresh salad and homemade mashed potatoes. The heart and soul however of Rae’s RBar &Grill is her heart for the locals who frequent the restaurant. When she bought it there was a grilled chicken sandwich on the menu that a young man named Carl urged her to keep, so she did. Carl was later tragically killed in a motorcycle accident and today Rae still has his favorite dish available and calls it Carl’s Cowpoke. You also need to know that Rae’s meats are smoked in house and that almost everything is made from scratch.

Rae Lorance is one of those working owners who jokingly says “I hope that changes someday” but to those who know her, Rae’s RBar & Grill would be inconceivable without Rae Lorance. She is the energy force that “stuck it out” when there was no thriving and vibrant Main Street that we see today and the bartender who still loves creating new and unusual drinks.

The people of Marble Falls must agree because she won the gold in the 2021 Reader’s Choice awards for Best All Round Bar as well as awards for her margaritas and other unique drinks.

Her heart’s desire however is to see everyone on Main Street successful and wages a one-woman campaign on Marble Falls Instagram and Facebook to keep people excited about visiting downtown. Rae also has a passion for celebrating holidays by dressing up and strongly suggesting that the staff join in the fun. In the past they have observed National Tortilla Day, National Kalua Day and a host of other well know and mostly obscure holidays. Rae’s philosophy is “Any holiday will do.” Added to the fun is the fact that Rae’s has the only dog friendly deck in downtown Marble Falls and there are even doggie water bowls and snacks.

Good food, good fun and lots of quirky signs in a laid back and casual atmosphere is how most people describe Rae’s RBar & Grill. However perhaps Rae herself says it best “This is the place that I want to hang out, the place to go with my friends for a night out.” In the future look for weekend music and be sure to call ahead to find out which holiday they are celebrating so you don’t feel underdressed.

Training began in the smaller aircraft with smaller engines and gradually advanced to the bigger and more difficult planes to fly until they eventually moved up to the AT-6 advanced trainer, the most challenging of all. It was said,” if you can fly an AT-6, you can fly anything. “

It would be difficult to overstate the level of courage and the determination that was embedded into the character of these young pilots as they blazed the path that has led to the development of the greatest Air Force in the history of the world. Most of the men and women from WWII are gone now, but thanks to the tireless work of the Commemorative Air Force in our nation, they live on in the legacy they left behind and the planes they flew. Today the Highland Lakes Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force invites you to sample a segment of our history by booking a flight on one of these incredible planes. A favorite is the PT 19 Cornell, a two-seater open cockpit plane that will transport you back in time as you soar through the air with the wind in your face and the bonus of viewing the majestic hill country below. As an all-volunteer organization, the Highland Lakes Squadron is dependent on the community that they serve to help keep the museum doors open, provide funding to maintain the equipment, and to be able to continue to bring in the best entertainment for the annual Bluebonnet Airshow. We live in the

greatest nation on earth, and our thanks go out to those men and women who continue to remind us that there was and still is a cost for the freedoms that we enjoy in America. Please go to the Highland Lakes Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force website, https://www.highlandlakessquadron. com/home/museum-history, for additional information, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook. com/TheHiglandLakesSquadron/ to learn more about the planes that are available or to help support them financially. You can also find information about joining the Squadron if you are interested in history, aircraft, or educating younger generations about the spirit of their great-grandparents Photos by David Matney/ and what they did to preserve our Contributing photographer nation.

The 2022 Bluebonnet Air Show, pictured here, was coordinated by the Highland Lakes Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, who promotes the annual event.