I met some of my girlfriends for appetizers and drinks Friday night at Mesa Ranch, a seemingly quiet but upscale neighborhood restaurant.
We arrived about 6 pm and were seated immediately outside so we could enjoy the nice evening before the cold front. The hostess (who may have also been the owner of the restaurant) was very polite and enthusiastic about their signature drinks, so we took them up on the offer:
- I ordered the Mexican Martini with the middle grade Hurradurra tequila. The twist here is that they use a splash of Spite in the mix, and I have to say that it gives the drink just a hint of sweetness that I really liked.
- My friend ordered their version of The Manhattan, which she liked but said it was a lot sweeter than what she’s used to with drinks.
- My other friend who doesn’t drink asked for something that would look like a “big girl” drink - club soda with a splash of cranberry juice and a twist of lime. They were very nice, but her drink arrived in literally an iced tea glass, which sort of made her look like a lush but overall we thought it was a little endearing.
The menu is heavy on wild game, somthing that none of us really like, but we chose the location based on proximity to everyone’s houses. We ordered a round of appetizers, careful to avoid things like elk and venison. We ordered:
- Mesa Ranch Quesadillas with Chicken - These are standard quesadillas, but came with about 12 slices on the plate, a much larger portion than standard appetizers. The highlight of this was a corn relish, which was added cold to the quesadillas just prior to cooking.
- Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms - This was two portabello mushrooms stuffed with a poblano stuffing and topped with cheese, and looked to have been baked. I’m not a huge mushroom fan so I only had a bite but my friends raved about it.
- Fried Jalapenos - These were fresh (not pickled) jalapenos stuffed with - get this - goat cheese and bacon. If that sort of richness doesn’t make a person feel sick I don’t know what will, but they were very good when I ate them. The jalapenos appeared to have been dipped in a corn meal batter and then flash fried to create a very crisp outside with a tender middle.
So all that was good and well and I would recommend the restaurant as a slightly off the beaten path, not entirely unlike Ranch 616 date place, but of course no quiet evening is complete without a little excitement. The patio section had several tiki torches light to create a warm ambience, and it was very windy. With one wind gust kerosene spilt onto a lamp and we then had a nice torch that was quickly snaking down the torch to the deck railing.
I went inside to let the waitstaff know that the fire department may make a surprise visit if they didn’t do something, and the hostess from earlier came out to investigate. She found a planter with potting soil (and no plant), and poured that on the fire to put it out. Now, I don’t know what was in that planter, but I’m assuming it must have been full of fertilizer because the minute she did that the fire got bigger and managed to make it down to the ground.
Then the calvary came in. Several waiters came with pitchers full of iced tea and water and began pouring it on the flames, but with each pour the kerosene spread making the fire worse. My friend started handing them our glasses of water, but to no avail the fire wouldn’t go out. Finally the hostess instructed a waiter to grab the tiki torch, take it out to the parking lot and lay it down, and I believe they poured sand on it and the fire went out.
We politely asked them to put out the other tiki torches and proceeded to enjoy the rest of our visit.
Bottom line: This is a nice little place that seems to be good for dinner and conversation, and has an interesting menu if you like game. The wait staff is friendly and solid, and you really feel welcome in this establishment.
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