Out to Lunch: Mi Ranchito

Step into Mi Ranchito and you feel like you've crossed the border. Lively fiesta music plays in the background, and the tables are covered with striped Mexican tablecloths, adding to the feeling that you've left town.

The restaurant is made up of two rooms — the front (somewhat dark) one with a bar, and the larger (and brighter) high-ceilinged second room with doors that open onto the front patio. In warm weather, you can also sit on one of the two patios — one in the front overlooking Manorhaven Boulevard (as the charming restaurant, at 195 Manorhaven Blvd., is located right across the street from Manorhaven Pool and Park), and one in the back. The patios are decorated with wrought iron tables and chairs and Mexican clay chimineas.

Lunch is served on Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (excluding holidays). On the day of my visit, only one other table was occupied. My companion and I were seated in the bright and cheery second room by the windows. While we perused the extensive menu, the waiter brought us a basket of chips and some salsa.

The chips, though somewhat greasy, were made of either very finely ground corn or wheat — they were different than the standard "tortilla chips," but very good. The salsa came in two very small cups (the sort of cup you'd get tartar sauce in). The size of the portion however was made up by the quality of the salsa. One was a red salsa — sweet and smoky, smooth and not too spicy. The other salsa was my favorite, a quite spicy green tomatillo salsa. I'm a big fan of tomatillo salsa, and it's hard to find one that meets my standards. This one really did — it was spicy, tangy and complex, slightly vinegary and salty. All the sauces that I tried at Mi Ranchito were excellent. The chef really pays attention to flavor.

The lunch menu is huge. There is something for everyone (assuming you like Mexican food), including many vegetarian and non-red meat choices here as well. Ten salads are available at lunch ranging from $5 for the Ensalada Mixta (mixed salad) to $13 for the shrimp and chicken salad. Appetizers, including Taquitos (rolled up tortillas filled and fried), Empanadas (beef patties), and Jalepeno Poppers (stuffed fried Jalepeno peppers) are available for around $7.

Like Burritos? There are 10 varieties to choose from during lunch ranging from a chorizo burrito to a chipotle fajita style burrito. All burritos are $8. Nine different types of Quesadillas are available also for $8, including five vegetarian types. Fajitas are available for $11 to $14, depending on the type. Choices include chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, vegetable, or a combination.

If that isn't enough, Mi Ranchito offers two dozen lunch platters ranging in price from $8 to $13. Lunch platters include yellow rice and refried beans. Choices include typical Mexican fare — tacos, enchiladas and chimichangas, of all varieties — as well as some specialties, such as the Mi Ranchito Kebab.

I opted for a vegetarian choice, the grilled vegetable tacos. My companion had the steak fajitas. The waiter was happy to accommodate my special request (no cheese or sour cream on my food). My tacos were composed of grilled zucchini, red pepper, yellow squash and thick slices of ripe avocado, wrapped in a soft flour tortillas (the order included two tacos).

Aside from the chips, I felt pretty virtuous — this seemed like a fairly healthy lunch choice. The sauce on the tacos is what made them really special. It was listed as a "green mole sauce" which I found a little odd because mole sauce (which sometimes contains chocolate in addition to chili peppers) is usually a dark color. This thin green sauce was clearly made with tomatillos in addition to the mole. It was delicious — I wish I could have taken home a jar of it. The refried beans were thin and pedestrian, nothing special there, but the yellow rice was fluffy and delicious.

My companion's fajitas arrived on a sizzling plate — the meat was well browned as were the onions and peppers. The portion was extremely large. The meat was excellent — my companion noted that it tasted grilled. I tried a piece as well, and found the meat to be of much better quality and flavor that one usually finds in fajitas. It was served with tortillas, rice, beans, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. The serving size was big enough for my companion to bring half home for lunch the next day. (His roommate also had a chance to try it and agreed that the meat was delicious).

Mi Ranchito is known for its margaritas, but as it was lunchtime, my friend and I stuck to iced tea, inexplicably served in plastic daiquiri glasses. Parking is available on the street (there was no problem finding parking), although it may be more challenging in the summer when more people are at the pool and the park. We were in and out in under an hour — service is quick and polite. Lunch for two with tax and tip was $34.

It might be appropriate for a more casual business lunch, but the festive music and (on the day when we were there) the small child running around yelling might preclude it for a more serious business lunch spot. It's worth a visit though, if for nothing else than to try the green salsa and the excellent steak fajitas.