Message: | The Ranch House, to me, tastes like Chez Panisse, but in the countryside. The area is so rural (and I say that in the most respectful city-boy way) that on my first time there, I drove right by it. Who would have thought what looks like a small brown house with nothing else around it would be the facade for such good eats?
All the baked goods are baked on site. There is even a little doorway next to the main entrance where you can buy the daily bread and other baked goodies, but you have to hurry because the locals (I presume) get to them early, and pretty quickly. All the herbs are harvested from the herb garden next to the patio.
The patio is one of the reasons to eat at The Ranch House. Like a communal with nature, it is replete with an ancient bougainvillea that provides most of the canopy over the patio area, a stand of bamboo that makes the space seem intimate, and meandering streams around the patio to complete the peaceful environment. During or after dinner, you can commune with nature further by crossing the bridge and walking the paths amongst the trees.
Of course, the main reason to go is the food. I wish I could give you details on it, but my last meal there was three or four years ago. I can barely recall three or four months, much less years, so please forgive me as I sidestep the details. I do remember, however, that it was Sunday brunch (the only time The Ranch House is open during the day), and I was celebrating Valentine's Day with my honey.
Nonetheless, I've never been disappointed in all the times I've been there. Sure, it's California cuisine, which is regarded as cliche, but it is good California cuisine. Never mind the details, it is hard to shake the overall "feeling of yumminess" from inventive and unpretentious preparations.
As I typed the above paragraph, I do recall escargot, unique in that they are fresh Ojai snails, prepared with not much more than cream and garlic. Mmmm.... I think I'll be heading back soon. :-) |