The Ranch Smokehouse and Grille is a recently new barbecue place located in Town Center. The Ranch Smokehouse is located next to Raising Cane’s. They serve barbecue style entrees and have a bar for those of age.
I was a little skeptical to try The Ranch. Before heading to the restaurant, I did a little research about the place. On Yelp, The Ranch received mixed reviews. Some people said that the place was too expensive for the quality of the food. Others said they loved it and had a great and wonderful experience. There is only one way to know the truth: find out for yourself.
On Monday March 5, my boyfriend and I arrived at The Ranch at 6:30p.m. The place was fairly slow, only a few other families were eating. We were seated right away and the host allowed us to choose our own table. It was nice to be offered to choose our own seat. After we were seated, our drink orders were taken by the server quickly and brought out within the first few minutes after ordering them.
The server gave us several minutes before asking if we were ready to order or if we needed extra time. I ordered the brisket sandwich with sides of sweet potato fries and baked beans. My boyfriend ordered a rib appetizer with waffle fries and potato salad.
Once our orders were taken, the food came out within 15 minutes. The plate looked and smelled delicious. However, on my plate instead of having a side of sweet potato fries, I was given coleslaw. Once I realized the mistake, I asked for the correct side. The mistake was fixed quickly and graciously.
The brisket sandwich was incredible. The brisket was fatty and cooked to perfection. The BBQ sauce was a perfect mix of sweet and savory. The bread wasn’t soaked in sauce either, so the sandwich stayed crisp.
The sweet potato fries weren’t particularly memorable. However, they weren’t bad either. The baked beans were decent. Onion slices were added to the bowl with the beans. In my personal opinion, the onions were not my favorite. They added a flavor that was a little too overbearing for my taste. The coleslaw wasn’t particularly creamy and didn’t harbor much flavor.
My favorite side for sure was the potato salad. It was creamy and delicious. I would certainly go back and order three sides of potato salad. It was that good.
My total for my meal was $15.57 including a $3.00 tip. The place was definitely a little more expensive than a place I would regularly eat. Although, you definitely get what you’re paying for. The meal definitely filled me up and even allowed me to pack up some food for leftovers. My boyfriend’s rib appetizer was huge and much cheaper than mine.
One thing to keep in mind is that when we were served, the place was slow. The server attentiveness and the quickly prepared and served food may be changed when the place is much more busy, on a Friday or Saturday night for example.
My overall rating of The Ranch is an 8/10. My experience with them was great. The service overall was good, the server was nice and attentive, and checked on us regularly even after we had ordered and got our food. The food was incredible overall. Some sides were not particularly for me, but not terrible. The Ranch is a little on the pricey side but you get large portions of food. This is definitely a place I would return for more.
Caitlyn Tsukamoto, Editor in Chief
