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 Post subject: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 2:58 pm 
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:18 pm
Posts: 1244
Some good friends wanted to go out dinner, and it was their turn to pick the restaurant. They chose the Ranchero Supper Club in teeny, tiny Webster, MN (population 1,595). Naturally we Googled it before they came to pick us up and it was not encouraging. The name of the place is misleading--I was thinking some watered-down Tex-Mex joint with a "spicy" salsa that made ketchup seem downright hot. However, it's a German/American restaurant. They have daily German specials (pork schnitzel, wiener schnitzel, etc.) plus American steakhouse fare.

Entering the establishment did not improve my feeling about the place. It was 1970s + hints of Germany: cheap paneling, "old world" looking flimsy light fixtures (the lights on the wall had cast iron Grain Belt beer trivets underneath masquerading as ornate sconces), metal chairs with red vinyl cushions, and plastic red checked tablecloths. However, the smells coming from the kitchen were really good. And they had a few good German beers on tap, plus their "short" beer is half a liter.

I decided to be brave and try the Swedish meatballs (yeah, I know, not German). Greg had the pork schnitzel. We had sides of red cabbage, sauerkraut, and spaetzle. To our infinite surprise, the food was really, really good. The cabbage was braised in something with a hint of sweetness (I think apple cider), the sauerkraut was fresh and had bits of bacon or possibly salt pork. To gild the lily the spaetzle was topped with cheese and broiled. Each table gets a "veggie tray" of pickles, olives, carrots, celery and pickled beets, plus a basket of bread. The bread was nondescript but the beets were tasty.

So if anyone is in the area, ( :P ), stop by for a treat from a real dive. Oh, and make reservations because the place is packed.


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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Wed Apr 04, 2012 2:20 am 
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Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:55 am
Posts: 516
Location: Cordillera, Luzon, Philippines
Yeah for you! Years ago there was a small German themed buffet style restaurant that produced, for me, the best stuffed pork chops it has been my privilege to piggy out on. Of course, while I knew they were good, I was young and it was years before I realized just how good.

What I love is not just the unexpected, but the "better than expected". Looks like Darcie happened into just such a place.

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Ancient Amerikano Adventuring Abroad: another fat guy up a mountain in the Philippines


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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 2:37 pm 
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Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2012 1:51 am
Posts: 121
Mi Fiesta Market in Carpinteria, Ca.

I used to work in Carpinteria back in the late 1980's to early '90s. Carp is a tourist town and has many neat places to eat. BUT this little local corner market is one of the best kept secrets anywhere. It's on the edge of town, very out of the way. It looks like a run of the mill local Mexican market that you'd go to for milk and bread; from the outside it's completely uninteresting. Initially when you enter this small market, you see shelves of canned or packaged Mexican foods and refrigerators in the back stocked with the standard sodas and beer.

But in the back left corner is a tiny kitchen that is easily overlooked. They have this big copper pot bubbling hot with oranges floating on top. In the pot: carnitas, old-school. And not just pork, but chicken, beef, in various forms, whole onions, seasonings, stuff.

The way it's setup, is to go to the front of the store where the cashier is. There is a menu of stuff with pricing. I might order the lengua burrito (beef toung), extra spicy with rice and pinto beans, extra salsa, cilantro and a fine-diced serrano. I pay for the order and take my ticket back to the cook. He makes this GIANT burrito that's got to be 3 pounds. I'm a guy weighing about 180 pounds, but this burrito is so massive that I can only eat half.

The menu is large, almost anything you'd expect is there. If it's not, just ask; they'll accommodate you with any special order.

I've been in southern California all my life, and this is THE BEST Mexican food I've ever had. Order whatever you want -- it's all amazing.

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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 8:01 pm 
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 1:03 am
Posts: 5280
Location: Portland, OR
Generally, when we're in a small California or Oregon town, and we want Mexican food, we find the ratty-looking place with many ancient, mud-spattered pickup trucks in front. This has worked for us repeatedly: Crescent City, Gilroy, San Luis Obispo. Go where the ag workers and contractors eat!

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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2012 8:08 pm 
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Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2008 10:45 pm
Posts: 1531
Location: Ottawa, ON
I did that (the grubby taqueria) in San Diego and had, by a fair margin, the best basic Mexican food I've ever had. OTOH, I went to the quite hip Urban Taco in Dallas and also had wonderful "Mexico City" style mexican food (much more 'modern') which was also wonderful, but admittedly very different.


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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2012 7:13 am 
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:18 pm
Posts: 1244
Went back to the Ranchero again...took our friend who was visiting from Australia and who wanted an "off the beaten path" experience. He loved it, kitsch and all.


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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2012 1:55 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:41 pm
Posts: 1884
Location: Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Gio Rana's old location in Toronto (known to locals as "the nose" due to the large paper mache nose as the only signage) used to be decorated like someone's basement...of the unfinished variety. Tables didn't match, ditto to plates, chairs, etc. The fridge at the back was repeatedly opened for food for the tiny kitchen at the front and high up on the shelves were the boxes of pasta, olive oil, wine, etc. I brought a VP from a major bank there for dinner and I think she thought I was nuts right up until we got the first course.
His new location is an old bank, and not much as changed except it's way larger and there's no laundry hanging on the line above you, nor do you step through a shower curtained doorway to find the bathrooms. When he knocked into the unitl next door for a new room he took out the ceiling between the 2 stories but left a walkway around. There's a toilet (no idea if it's only decorative or that's just where the bathroom was on that floor) and assorted odd items all around the perimiter of that room. Makes for interesting conversations.

Food is still excellent and our favourite place to eat out.


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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 2:10 pm 
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Paul Kierstead wrote:
I did that (the grubby taqueria) in San Diego and had, by a fair margin, the best basic Mexican food I've ever had. OTOH, I went to the quite hip Urban Taco in Dallas and also had wonderful "Mexico City" style mexican food (much more 'modern') which was also wonderful, but admittedly very different.

San Diego has some of the greatest Mexican food because it is so close to Mexico. The best thing about San Diego Mexican food is the California burrito, which they do better than anyone else down there. And you are right, you can always find great dives when it comes to Mexican food that have excellent food.

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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 2:15 pm 
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Joined: Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:50 am
Posts: 44
IMO the best no decor restaurant on the East Coast is Mama Zu's in Richmond. Serving traditional Italian food.

The reviews:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/mamma-zu-richmond


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 Post subject: Re: You can't always judge a restaurant by its decor...
PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:24 pm 
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:18 pm
Posts: 1244
Was just introduced to another hole in the wall nearby, Grace's. It is in the midst of a light industrial area in a nondescript building. When you walk inside you suspect that it's either going to be very good or very bad. Luckily it was good. It's a Tex-Mex place - doesn't claim to be authentic anything, but it's pretty good grub - homemade flour tortillas, 6 different homemade salsas, an intriguing enchilada sauce that was creamy and spicy but not tomato-based. A bit dumbed down, but then again this is Minnesota.


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