TARZANA'S RANCH BLESSING.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic LIKE GARLIC? If you do you'll certainly like the new Ranch House BBQ BBQ barbecue & Grill in Tarzana, a little, no-frills, down-to-earth storefront restaurant that also denotes some south-of-the-border spicy influences. The Ranch House kitchen makes pizzas, pastas, salads and sandwiches (including hamburgers) and specializes in mesquite wood-fired barbecue, all at very moderate cost. One day recently I enjoyed a superb seafood salad ($6.95 at lunch, $7.95 at dinner), fresh as all get up, rife with firm pieces (rings and tails) of chewable calamari, crunchy crunchy - floppy disk shrimp and scungilli, chopped red onion, celery, all bathed in a garlicky gar·lick·y adj. Containing, tasting of, or smelling of garlic. Adj. 1. garlicky - relating to or tasting or smelling of garlic; "garlicky sauce" lemon dressing. Though the promised (on the menu) roasted red pepper red pepper: see pepper. didn't show with the salad, it wasn't missed. In fact the seafood mixture didn't seem to need anything else at all. Ranch House bakes lovely rolls daubed daub v. daubed, daub·ing, daubs v.tr. 1. To cover or smear with a soft adhesive substance such as plaster, grease, or mud. 2. To apply paint to (a surface) with hasty or crude strokes. with garlic and olive oil olive oil, pale yellow to greenish oil obtained from the pulp of olives by separating the liquids from solids. Olive oil was used in the ancient world for lighting, in the preparation of food, and as an anointing oil for both ritual and cosmetic purposes. and serves them warm and immediately. And don't worry, as soon as you've eaten them, more are on the way. If you order soup ($2.50), for example, you'll receive a fair-size bowl of steaming, flavorful goodness - one time it was a fine rendition of pasta e fagiole - and before you know it, you've consumed at least two (or two more) of those addictive rolls. Leaving room for the main course is a real challenge here. Gotta admit it, the barbecued food is certainly a bargain at the Ranch House. And the portions more than generous for the price. I couldn't even finish a hefty, cube-shaped, tri-tip roast ($8.95) one night. And I consider myself a fairly hearty eater. It was so nicely glazed on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. Thinking back, with those good baked beans baked beans Noun, pl haricot beans, baked and tinned in tomato sauce baked beans npl → judías fpl en salsa de tomate baked beans bake npl and well-turned mashed potato sides included, it was a heckuva heck·uv·a adj. Slang Used as an intensive: You've done a heckuva good job. [Alteration of heck of a.] dinner plate for under $10. Baby back fanciers can have a ball here. This little Ranch House cafe does them as well as any of the many local higher-priced barbecue places and charges a lot less. In fact, a full rack is obtainable here for only - hold on to your seat - $12.95. I happen to really like the way the kitchen prepares baby backs with a Mexican accent. The ribs arrive rubbed with an arbol chile and tomatillo sauce ($7.95), and in case you want more of this particular sauce, there's a small container of it perched on your plate. If you like diversity, a combo plate of regular barbecued baby backs with a moist and tender half chicken for $11.95 is another Ranch House lure that we tried one time. As commendable as any Italian restaurant's effort, those extra-garlicky shrimp served here scampi style, swimming in a white wine and chopped, fresh garlic liquid, come with a separate, heaped plate of angel hair pasta, with more garlic, fresh basil and tomato. And of course, there are those garlicky rolls, too. All good stuff. There are bonuses, too. Get a house Caesar salad caesar salad n. A tossed salad of greens, anchovies, croutons, and grated cheese with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and a raw or coddled egg. here as an accompaniment for the table (enough for three or four) and it's only $3.95. A cob of fresh-roasted corn right off the mesquite wood-fired grill is worth the extra $1.50. Also, there's the house offering of fresh vegetables to add to the feast (also $1.50 a serving), cooked the way you want it. In garlic butter Noun 1. garlic butter - butter seasoned with mashed garlic paste, spread - a tasty mixture to be spread on bread or crackers or used in preparing other dishes . What else? RANCH HOUSE BBQ & GRILL Food: Three stars. Service: Three stars. Value: Three and one half stars. Where: 18621 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. How much: Starters and pizzas from $2 to $7, pastas and entrees from $7 to $13, desserts from $1.50 to $4. No alcohol license. AE, MC, V, Discover. Recommended items: Soup, fried calamari Fried calamari is a popular seafood dish served in many Mediterranean countries' restaurants such as Greece, Italy, Spain and Turkey. It is a relatively simple dish, which consists of batter coated, deep fried squid, often fried for under two minutes to prevent it from becoming too , Caesar salad, seafood salad, scampi with pasta a la checca, tri-tip roast, baby backs a la tomatillo, barbecued baby backs, barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes n. pl. 1. Potatoes which have been boiled and mashed to a pulpy consistency, usu. with sparing addition of milk, salt, butter, or other flavoring. It is a popular accompaniment to a meat course [U.S., 1900's], providing bulk and calories to a meal. . Reservations: Taken. Call (818) 774-9400. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Andres Felix, left, and Carlos Rodriguez, co-owners of Ranch House BBQ & Grill in Tarzana, serve up some specialties. Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion