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| - This is a really, really good three stars. :P With a couple of tweaks it could be a four but I don't feel like giving it four yet.
I went with hubby and friends after a fan club event on a Sunday, and the place was empty at about 6 pm. It's a cozy, fun little establishment with lots of warm bright colours. The staff were friendly and quick (although one of our party remembered them being quite scatterbrained on her previous visit there, not bringing her food until it was cold).
They have fancy Mexican-inspired cocktails, good local beer on tap and Mexican beer in bottles, and some mocktails too. We started with chicken-lime soup, which I think was the tastiest thing we had -- strong savoury broth with a tart note from lime, chunks of grilled chicken and avocado, and toasted tortilla strips on top.
The entrees were very tasty and filling although the side dishes were odd. I had chicken mole enchiladas -- yummy and just spicy enough to make me sniffle a bit. The sides were tomato rice, refried beans, and salad, although it was really only a big spoonful of each, and the beans seemed to be unseasoned and unsalted. I'd prefer choosing two of the three and getting bigger helpings, rather than just a taste of all three. The salad was excellent and fresh with a tasty house vinaigrette dressing, and lots of non-lettuce veggies.
Vegetarians take note -- most things on the menu can be ordered meatless, or even with tofu or soy meat.
We got deep-fried ice cream for dessert, which turned out to be a huge ball of ice cream rolled in bits of fried batter (think of something like sweet panko crumbs) and drizzled with honey and cinnamon. Very good and strangely reminiscent of a marshmallow-krispie square. I've had deep fried ice cream before that had a proper whole crust of batter around it, and this was unexpected.
The washrooms are on the main floor but are single-toilet only and rather small. Aaaand I saw a roach in the ladies' room. :/ But it's an older block of buildings downtown and that's probably a constant battle.
Apparently there used to be a Spanish restaurant in here; the Rancho has only been around for about five years. The clues were the Spanish decor elements such as a statue of Don Quixote and a giant painting of windmills, which according to our server were there when they got the place. (When I described it to my inlaws later on they actually remembered having been to the Spanish restaurant with the statue and the windmills about twenty-five years ago, and seeing a lady dance the flamenco upstairs.)
The prices were good; for $60 before the tip hubby and I each had a pint of beer, a bowl of soup, and an entree, and we shared a dessert. Overall it could be a little cleaner, with a little more consistent food quality, and it would definitely get another star. It's still worth a recommendation and a return trip.
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