Rancho Loma

Since this year was a special birthday (yes, I turned 30!), Phillip wanted to do something special for me. He made reservations at Rancho Loma and arranged for my parents to babysit. We'd heard about the restaurant (mainly due to its proximity to our house) and were curious about it. It was incredible! It's one of those places where your reservation is for the evening and the menu is set. I think the dining room would seat 22 people.

We started the evening with a Pine Nut, Currant & Fontina Cheese pizza with a balsamic vinegar. A nice light appetizer. Then we moved on to the second course...Fresh Pasta with tomatoes and basil oil. Yummy! The salad was a spinach salad with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic chips and warm garlic dressing with bread with goat cheese. I'd never had sun-dried tomatoes or goat cheese, but both were wonderful. The main dish was Akaushi Beef Short Ribs and polenta, but it was more like roast...incredibly tender roast. It was one of the most tender cuts I've had in a long time. (Akaushi is a Japanese breed of cow raised in south Texas.) Then, dessert. Ah, dessert....Chocolate Panna Cotta. It was a lot like chocolate pudding, but thicker and no after-taste, like some chocolate desserts leave.

It was an incredible evening of wonderful food, wonderful company and a wonderful atmosphere. The best part, though, was that it was all free. When Phillip originally made the reservations (for 11/8), the owners comfirmed them, but then realized they would be in New York that weekend and wouldn't be open. So...because Phillip had a confirmed reservation, they gave us our next meal on the house. It was incredible!

(And, Emily did just fine with her first babysitters. She played for a bit, got a bath, had a bottle and went to bed. Thanks, Mom & Daddy!!)