Rancho's Cocina



Rancho's is a fantastic, authentic in flavor, but healthier than the usual, Mexican food restaurant. They have an extensive menu with lots of vegetarian options, but also plenty of meat. You can get heart attack on plate, with lots of cheese and beef, or you can get a vege-licious vegan meal. Rancho's has it all!

One of the more disappointing menu items is, amazingly, the avocado enchilada. Any dish featuring avocado should be divine, but somehow this dish manages mediocrity. Know, however, that is the only dish I have ever felt disappointed by. Typically dishes range from expected to extraordinary.

The vegetarian tortilla soup is hands down my favorite menu item, a delicious steaming bowl of soup at a moderate price. Don't forget to try their home made horchata - so delicious and not too sweet like the pre-made kind. Also try their tostadas for a sample of the simple, fresh flavors of Mexico.

You can eat a great meal there for ten bucks or less, including a non-alcoholic beverage. They also have a decent selection of imported beers, fairly priced.

The decor is charming, with burlap sacks from coffee beans lining the ceiling, and various plants and natural materials abounding around the restaurant. The service varies, sometimes slow, sometimes fast, but the staff is always friendly and helpful.

Overall, a highly recommended stop for affordable, healthy, and tasty eats.

Also note that the North Park location has a Rancho's Market next to the restaurant.

Ocean Beach
1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd
San Diego, CA 92107
(619) 226-7619

North Park
3910 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
619.574.1288

Ritual Tavern

In the blossoming heart of North Park, another new restaurant (among the many) has recently opened. Ritual Tavern has reason to stand out among the up-and-coming North Park scene.

The owners, Michael Flores and Stacy know their food. They both have extensive experience in the many facets of the restaurant business, but more importantly they have a strong style and impeccable taste. The menu excludes the use of corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils, and emphasizes fresh and local ingredients when possible.

The Ritual Tavern has a subtle gothic feel to it, evoking a sense of magic when you enter. This is a surprise from the outside, which looks, on the contrary, vaguely diner-like. The decor is rich and warm, making you wonder if outside it is a sunny San Diego afternoon or a blustery evening in London.

Of course the most important thing to mention is the food. While the menu is currently limited, plans to expand the options are scheduled as the Ritual only recently opened. Still, even with the current short list, they serve up dishes for a wide variety of tastes and needs, from the rich (and gluten-free) shepard's pie with Colorado lamb (after all, who eats lamb from anywhere else?) to the home made veggie burger that I warn you to NOT put ketchup on because you don't want to miss out on the delicious flavors! They also have fish and chips (what kind of tavern would be without this?), and of course a wide variety (and continually windening) of beers, wines, and other refreshments.

The Ritual emphasizes local fare, and this extends to their list of beers from San Diego breweries (like Ale Smith and Ballast Point). The wine list is also nice, though doesn't currently feature California wines. They even serve Mexican Coca-cola for being made closer to San Diego and featuring real can sugar!

The final note: Don't miss dessert! At the Ritual they truly serve the best for last (and it starts off pretty damn good). The strawberry shortcake is truly shortcake, and it is divine. The buttery cake crumbles in your mouth and pairs perfectly with the gelato they serve. The bread pudding is delectable, with a bourbon caramel sauce that takes it to another level compared to most bread puddings.

Ritual Tavern
4095 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92104
619-283-1618
http://www.ritualtavern.com/

Spread – revised


After my return to Spread the Restaurant for the first time in about a year, I am happy to report that changes have been made. Not that it wasn’t good to begin with (it was), but now it’s even better.

They have changed their serving style to be more in the tapas approach. Each dish is served individually, set in the middle of the table, and all diners try everything. The menu still changes daily, as the chef-owners shop for fresh produce to feature, as it is available and in season. The highlight of our night was the flowering herbs that were interspersed or sprinkled on top of almost every dish. Who doesn’t like to eat flowers? It’s what they serve in heaven, alongside the milk and honey.

We started with drinks, made with fresh squeezed juice and top shelf liquor. It was citrus season, so we had blood orange juice and oro blanco (AKA grapefruit) mixed with champagne and sweet potato vodka, respectively. Then we had a wilted spinach salad with an avocado vinaigrette and flowering herbs. Divine!

We then had a fresh, house made pasta with wild mushrooms and flowering herbs headlining. Third course was a potpie made with corn bread crouton as the crust, and again featuring wild mushroom and other in season vegetables. I don’t even like mushrooms, and this pie was amazing. For dessert, we had a creamed ricotta (delivered daily to Spread) with a caramelized fruit topping. It was simple, but it was out of this world!

The grand total for this 4-(small)-course meal with drinks: $35 a person (after tax and tip). You really can’t beat it. However, they did stop with their peanut butter samples, it seems. Still, I recommend going to Spread first chance you get for this divine and continually evolving restaurant.

Spread
2879 University Avenue
San Diego, California 92104
Tel. (619) 543-0406

Tuesday through Saturday evenings from 5:30pm-11pm
Sunday brunch 10am-3pm

Spread

This North Park restaurant, located on University Avenue just west of 30th next door to the remodeled theater and across from Clare de Lunes.

This is one of the few locavore restaurants that is also vegetarian. They use eggs and dairy, but not meat. The decor seems to be in transition; it began as a funky pop place, with plastic chairs and flatware, and live DJs on the weekends, even during brunch. They seem to be moving towards something more classic modern, with large square (ceramic) plates that are used to make beautiful food displays.

The food is inspired and fresh, with their daily menu changing as the seasons change. I most recommend the breakfasts, with a few staples like spicy Thai omelettes and almond French toast, and specials like purple potato breakfast tacos. Whatever you order, they serve water fro ma pitcher filled to the brim with the seasons finest fruits and herbs, from watermelon and rose petals to rosemary and citrus.

Did I mention that peanut and other nut butters are their specialty? They actually started out as a gourmet peanut butter company, selling exclusively at farmers markets. Now they include these gourmet nut butters in many of their recipes, like the chili lime peanut butter that makes their omelette spicy and Thai. And the almond butter that makes their French toast nutty.

While you wait for your meal they usually bring out a sampler plate with a nibble of several different flavors of the nut butters to try while you wait. They are fun and delicious, and it's great marketing because I inevitably buy one before leaving.

The prices for the menu are average, though the nut butter are a bit inflated. Overall, it is a highly recommended find in San Diego locavore dining.

Spread: 2879 University Avenue • San Diego, California 92104 • Tel. (619) 543-0406.