didordied

Last Saturday, I hit a little Mexican joint in Sherman Oaks.  I also ate at a Mexican restaurant called El Rancho.

El Rancho is a small restaurant with a walk-up counter for ordering.  Don’t expect great service or service at all at this place.  You have to go to the counter even to get a cup of water.  Plus, they charge you for chips and salsa.

But what they lack in warmth and hospitality, they make up for in taste and price.  I ordered a combination plate consisting of a chicken burrito, chicken taco, rice, and beans.  My friend ordered a combination plate consisting of enchiladas and a taco, but they forgot his taco . . . so did he.  We also ordered chicken nachos.  My friend’s dad and his date ordered albondigas and chile verde.  All together, and including 4 sodas, the meal only cost about $45.

I really enjoyed my food and don’t remember anyone else complaining.  The nachos were particularly tasty.  I guess the burrito could have used a little more kick.

The problems with El Rancho:  (1) no alcoholic beverages served; (2) the television is impossible to see if you’re sitting on the right side of the restaurant; and (3) no bathroom . . . never a plus when eating Mexican food.  Although, the absence of a bathroom made for one of the more awkward moments of the evening when my friend’s Dad’s girlfriend asked his Dad to walk with her to the bathroom in the nearby Starbucks and he passed.  Go thank women’s lib!

Overall, El Rancho scored highly in my book.  It’s probably my favorite Mexican place in the San Fernando Valley, short of the OSH in Van Nuys   I don’t want to receive any comments that Casa Vega has it beat when Casa Vega costs a small fortune for slop and you have to wait 20 minutes for a table.

El Rancho . . . I did it . . . and you should too!