Dishing out Mexican, Puerto Rican delights
Taqueria El Ranchito has long occupied a spot on Northampton Street in Easton, serving up a mixture of Puerto Rican and Mexican dishes at its downtown outpost. The restaurant has expanded to a second location, and now shoppers at the Palmer Park Mall can enjoy the Ranchito fare while they’re shopping.
That’s thanks to their latest endeavor, The New Ranchito, which opened in the Palmer Township shopping mall in January. The New Ranchito took over a space once housed by Arby’s.
The colorful new spot serves up the same excellent food, with appetizers like pastellilos (meatstuffed pastries), alcapurias (Puerto Rican fritters) and tostones (fried plantains). In addition, you can choose from a list of nine different taco options, flautas (rolled tacos), tostadas, soups and mofongos (mashed, fried plantains).
There are also several entrée options, which come served with rice, beans and a salad, including roasted pulled pork, burritos, whole fried fish, pepper steak and breaded shrimp.
If you’re looking for something hand-held, there’s also pork, steak and chicken sandwiches. Rounding out the menu are Jaritos sodas, Malta Goya, horchata, tres leches cale (cake) and rice pudding for dessert.
Setting and decor: The New Ranchito is brightly decorated with lime green color throughout the restaurant, providing a vivid motif. Murals on the walls display desert scenes with a cactus wearing a sombrero and another with a nighttime scene of the Puerto Rican coast — resembling Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
The restaurant is fairly large, with a dining area sporting tables and booths. Extended seating lines the length of one side of the restaurant. Plastic decorations display the colors of the Mexican flag and many green plants provide pleasant ambiance.
Entrées: My wife and I decided to get a feast of different items to split, starting off with a beef pastellilo ($2.50). It was piping hot and large, with a crispy, golden pastry exterior and a filling of well seasoned ground beef and cheese.
Next up, we had a trio of chorizo tacos ($6.95), which
came chock full of onions and cilantro on top of a dark, rich heap of meat. Unlike many chorizos, Ranchito’s version wasn’t very spicy, but featured a delicious earthy flavor. That went well with the house sauces. One was a chunky verde sauce with a mild spice, the other a watery rojo sauce — a fiery and numbing delight.
We continued on with chicken tostadas ($6.95 for two) which came heaped with lettuce, tomatoes, far too much sour cream and a coating of crumbly queso fresco. The fried tortilla was crunchy and delightfully messy; the chicken provided a flavorful base for the other ingredients.
We finished our spread with the roasted pernil, or pork sandwich ($7.50). Perfectly sized for one person, the sandwich was served on a toasted, lightly charred fresh roll. Slices of onion, tomato halves and pale iceberg lettuce sat atop the delicious pork chunks.
I could have done without the spread of mayonnaise, and the vegetable toppings, which served as a distraction from the meat that easily could’ve stood on its own.
I also had the horchata ($2), which was really the only disappointment of our meal. It tasted watery and was topped with a ton of cinnamon, which became clumpy and unappetizing as I drank it. The creamy Mexican drink is usually far more rich, with the spices blended and incorporated into a smooth and refreshing drink — so this version was a bit of a letdown.
Service: There were only a few other diners in the restaurant during our visit, so our food was delivered quite quickly. Our waiter was friendly, delivering our food and checking in on us frequently throughout our meal. He was affable and answered questions we had about the menu — making for an enjoyable lunch.
Bottom line: The New Ranchito continues on the success of its first location by dishing out a wide array of Mexican and Puerto Rican delights. It’s the perfect spot to grab lunch while shopping at the mall, and its extensive offerings of appetizers, small plates, entrees and desserts offer something for everyone.
Lunch for two totaled $29.30.
Glenn Koehler is a freelance writer. He attempts to remain anonymous during restaurant visits. clarimer@mcall.com Twitter @cklarimer 610-778-7993