Rancho Grande Taqueria

My lunch destinations are always a surprise for me. Some days I will just drive until I find something interesting, other times I have an idea of what kind of food I feel like that morning and I'll be cosmically drawn to a restaurant. Or days like today, I am willing to take recommendations from friends, strangers, co-workers, and even the occasional nemesis.

Recommended by Lani, today I visited the Rancho Grande Taqueria in Pleasanton. I'm always very skeptical of any Mexican Food establishment located anywhere outside of the "San Joaquin Central Valley". It's almost a curse, if you have ever had authentic Mexican food either in Mexico or homemade by your Best Friend's Mom. Then you know what the flavors "should" taste like. However, you almost have to dumb your palate down to eat Mexican Food anywhere else. So, I go in with lowered expectations.

Most people would sample a burrito, or perhaps even a couple of tacos. Instead, I opt for two of my favorite items, chile verde and a chile rellano.


Most Taqueria's have you order at the counter, pay and have a seat. Here at the "Big Ranch" it was no different. My food arrived surprisingly fast actually. First I tried the rice and beans. Expecting to be "underwhelmed" with flavor I was surprised to find the rice was quite tasty and the beans were, they were, well...not boring.


Next was the chile verde, chunks of pork slow simmered for hours in a green sauce that combines tomatillos, garlic, limes, and chiles. The flavor of the chile verde was great, there was a nice tartness that I enjoy, however, it didn't even register on the Scoville scale (a measurement of the hotness of a chile pepper). Perhaps they should rename their version of this dish to Tomatillo Verde flavored pork?

The chile rellano was great. I was curious why it arrived with no sauce, which if done right is a vital part of this dish. However, if you have bad sauce it can also ruin it, maybe they were doing me a favor.

Rancho Grande serves up great portion sizes and pretty good food. Two people could easily split a combination plate. Shucks, with the all you can eat chips and salsa bar in addition to the 10 tortillas they serve with your meal, this taqueria offers a fantastic value for your lunchtime feria.


Also worth mentioning, their salsa bar included many varieties of fresh salsas, limes, guacamole, pickled vegetables, and honestly the best tortilla chips I've had in the bay area (still warm, and a touch greasy, just the way 1/4 Mexican's like them).

You can visit Rancho Grande Taqueria online at:

http://www.ranchograndetaqueria.com/index.html

Or in person in Pleasanton at:

2707 Hopyard Rd.
Pleasanton, CA 9456