| El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant
Riverbank, CA (just outside Modesto) Parking: Private Lot Credit Cards: YES |
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El Ranchito is a true gem nestled in the small community of Riverbank, California. I have had the pleasure of eating here four times in the last year and a half. My good friend Chris is from Riverbank and when we go to see his parents and get away from the hustle and bustle of The LBC we retreat to this little northern California town just outside of Modesto. Not only do they provide great food, drinks, and service but the owners are also good friends with Chris’s parents, so we tend to really get the royal treatment. I ate here last weekend for Chris’s birthday and it was as good as ever!
The restaurant is run by the Tinajero family and has been for over 40 years. The food is still made from all of Grandma’s recipes as well as the highest quality ingredients that can be found. One of my favorite things that they have here are the flour tortilla chips. You don’t find flour chips very often. They are fluffy and light, have tons of flavor and make the chips and salsa a much more important part of the meal that at any other Mexican food establishment I have been to in a long time. The other items that will just blow you away, or perhaps put you under the table, are the margaritas. Now these are not big, overly strong, amusement park margaritas like you will find at El Torito. These are served in a nice flute, with ice unless you ask for it to be blended. They taste so good! There isn’t any overpowering tequila taste, and their secret family mix is just fantastic. I am floored after drinking three of them and I can hold my booze, so exercise caution.
While you are enjoying your drink and looking at the menu, remember that everything they serve is great! This family takes immense pride in what they do and it shows all the way. I have had their Chili Colorado which is slow cooked beef in a Colorado sauce. This dish can sometimes have too much cinnamon in it, but at El Ranchito it is right on. The sweet, almost mole sauce penetrates throughout the meat and makes it so tender that you hardly need to chew it. This trip I decided that I was going to try the dish that I see the owner eating most of the time. That is the New York Steak. It was a prime cut of beef, cooked to a perfect medium rare with great seasonings and fajita type onions and peppers on the top, and it was to die for. It was also served with a dinner salad topped with their homemade dressing and a surprisingly good cup of split pea soup. It was almost too much to eat, but I powered through as to not be disrespectful to the owners.
If you are ever in the Riverbank/Modesto area and looking for a great meal, you need to stop into El Ranchito and catch a bite. I promise that you will enjoy your meal! If you decide to get that pitcher of margaritas, make sure that you have a ride home, because you are going to need it.
Until Next Time, Keep Eating California,
Cliv