Ranchos Natural Market

Now that I have a bit of income coming in, Ashton and I can actually GO OUT TO EAT occasionally WITHOUT WORRYING IF WE CAN PAY RENT afterward. It's not even like we go to super nice places, we just enjoy good meals and going out to eat is more expensive than just going to the grocery store. Now that I've dropped that huge bomb of wisdom on you, let me enlighten you to another tidbit of info. Ranchos Natural Market is, as they say, the "shit".

Last night I was craving Mexican in a bad way, so we decided to ride around North Park and explore some places we haven't been yet. We rode past Ranchos on 30th and enticed by the "Mexican and Vegetarian" cuisine we decided this was the place for us. The outside makes it look much smaller than it really is because there's a small fenced in sidewalk patio with huge plants and vine obstructing the view from the street. Incredibly quaint. The inside is a hodgepodge of religious art and authentic Mexican bean and coffee sacks on the walls with a mishmash of kind of matching tables and settings. Basically it looked just like our kind of place. There were enough people in there with smiles on their faces to convince us this was a wise decision.

The real thing I was craving was the salsa that generally comes in Mexican restaurants, and their salsa was not only unbelievable, it was one of the most unique tasting delicacies I've ever experienced. This is coming from someone who really prides herself on the variety of salsas that I've come across and I can say without hesitation this was a top 3 experience. Extremely fresh and just exploding with flavor. I can't identify what it was that made this so exceptional, but I think the mystery of it is part of the allure.

The staff was incredibly pleasant and basically jumped at us whenever we looked up, whether we needed something or not. They were under the impression that we must get drunk immediately or else they weren't doing their jobs. Apparently it was unacceptable that we were both okay with water. A never ending stream of suggestions of "tequila shots?", "tecate?", "pacifico?" etc., all of which were ultimately refused, but duly noted in case we ever decide to go back and get sloshed.

MENU! Breakfast ALL DAY?? Calamari?? Oh man. As a non-vegetarian, I feel as though I have a greater chance of getting a really interesting and glorious tasting meal simply due to the fact that I don't limit the possibility of anything entering my body (within reason, of course... and minus veal but that's a whole other story). So when I DO find exceptional vegetarian options, I feel as though it's my duty to inform my vegetarian friends so that they have the opportunity for a fantastic meal as well. I'm not saying vegetarians can't have good meals, but especially our age group (the "broke" age) often doesn't have the time or budget to experience really high quality vegetarian options, instead eating a lot of potatoes and Morningstar chicken patties. Not the healthiest, but cheaper to be sure.

I've gotten off track. The menu was phenomenal. A great variety beyond any of that I've seen in a standard Mexican restaurant. I mean, really truly great. It took me a little longer than usual to make my selection, but I went big and got the "Tocho Morocho" (The Works) burrito, which was carne asada, lettuce, tomato, cheese, guacamole, rice, sour cream, beans, and your choice of beef, chicken, or shiitake (I went with shiitake). Ashton went for the Lentil, Avocado, and Cheese Burrito. They came fast, but not fast enough to make me question the freshness. Just the right amount of time. Since this wasn't brunch, I wasn't prepared with the camera, but I feel as though the description speaks for itself. This was a place where the emphasis was on the food, not the presentation. I don't mean that in a bad way, the place just didn't have a swirl of beans or pyramid of tomatoes to catch my attention or anything. It didn't need to. It was love at first sight.

My ungodly burrito was probably the size of my forearm and weighed a good pound and a half. Ashton's was slightly smaller but still in the gargantuan range. I almost wept with joy at the first bite. Heaven. The carne asada much closer resembled shredded beef in the way it was prepared, but since carne asada > beef, it was a tasty addition. I got through about half of my burrito before I was about to pop, but Ashton manned up and cleaned his plate like a champ. So proud.

We tottered back out onto the street, happy with life and with our expectations exceeded by about a thousand light years we rode off slowly but merrily.