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Rancho Relaxo is the Whole Enchilada
By Lorette C. Luzajic
Just as I was about to settle in for the cozy luxury of TV night with the Grammy Awards and a pot of hot tea, I was seized with an overwhelming craving for Mexican food. Weighing in on whether the Jonas Brothers live or some blazing jalapeño appetizer was more important was an easy choice. So I climbed out of my pajamas and onto the College streetcar, heading to Rancho Relaxo.
Even if you aren’t in a great mood upon arrival, it will be hard to resist the infectious joviality of this colourful, cluttered enclave at College and Spadina. A few fishbowl pina coladas or margaritas will finish off the trick. Yellow, red, and orange is offset by those neon striped blankets slash ponchos, ubiquitous to Latin America, as tablecloths, upon which will land a big bowl of corn chips with salsa along with your menus. The homey place is a cheerful bonanza of dutiful flamenco paraphernalia and piñatas and sombreros, along with wrought iron lanterns and lizards, chunky ceramics, and inexplicably, bunches of plastic lemons.
Manager Alecia is just as colourful. Don’t confuse her with Alecia Moore, as in Pink, though you might, because she’s a huge fan and looks quite like her. Alecia, too, has sacrificed the Grammy Awards, and she’s missing Pink’s red carpet appearance, to serve up some of the best soul food in the city. “I love working here,” she said. “I’m not one of those people who work just to work. I have to love what I do.” She deftly multitasks food service and cash outs with the far more important stuff- cheerful conversation with each and every patron. Though she knows the menu inside out, she’s clearly not bored by it, and eagerly answers my questions.
I soon find out that Rancho Relaxo is a paradise for gluten-free folks, and Alecia knows what ‘gluten-free’ means without guessing, and she knows what dishes to safely recommend. You don’t have to be allergic to wheat to enjoy them- it’s just much of authentic Mexican cuisine is not based around wheat flour, and here, at least half the dishes adhere to corn-only starches. If you’re trying to avoid all of the big business grains or eat low carb, it’s easy to avoid the corn as well. And we don’t just get the token menu items- we get the cream of the crop: the carne Rancho Relaxo is a gorgeous charbroiled rib eye smothered in napalitos- cactus strips- and cheese. Though usually I prefer steak naked save for salt, this is a contender for the best meat I’ve ever put in my mouth. You can get the rib eye Diablo style, sliced and soaked in chipotle garlic salsa, or Mar Y Tierra, with shrimps, dressed in garlic and white wine.
If you prefer chicken, the Pollo Borracho comes sautéed in tequila and salsa, and a handful of other variations. All of the fish, shrimp, and enchilada dishes are also gluten-free, and for other dishes, just ask- the house is happy to accommodate you if it’s possible.
Guacamole lovers won’t be enraged by the spit-cup size most restos pathetically offer. This comes in that heavy guac bowl everyone loves, overflowing. Insist on the green tomatillo salsa as a side for everything- but only if you like an undertone of cilantro. I soak my rice in this, but I could eat it with a spoon like soup. Instead, I ordered the garlic soup. It says it comes soaking in cheese, but it’s a clear broth when it arrives. Just as well, given my hip size, and its simplicity is surprisingly delicious. This is a must-have for winter colds- chicken garlic broth with tiny onion and avocado squares.
There are the usual classic to make sure you’ll come 50 times just to try everything on the menu- flautas, fajitas, chili con carne, quesadillas, tamales. If you’re one of those strange ducks who likes your chiles with chocolate, you can order the mole enchilada. Chicken, beef, sweet and sour pork, or veggies come drenched in spicy chocolate. While this is one gourmand adventure I just don’t get and find inedible, to each their own. The cactus on the other hand was delightful in texture and taste, and I’ll have it again. If you’re vegetarian, most entrees have a variation for you. If you’re not sure what to get, ask Alecia, who is on Team Veggie, too.
Finally, few are aware of the Rancho’s Blazing Kitchens. The resto’s catering arm feeds film and TV personalities each and every day, and if you have a big hungry army at the office, on set, or an opening of some sort, consider their food. The menu includes but is not limited to Mexican food: New Orleans short ribs, peas and basil, Tomato Jalapeno Chicken w/ Hominy and Lime, Sambucca and Cranberry Pasta, Grouper with Avocado Dressing are a few mouthwatering possibilities. Tons of gluten-free options, or request all of it that way.
It won’t be long before I develop another onslaught of uncontrollable cravings, and head back west for the Bandera Mexicana. That’s one chicken, one vegetable, and one bean enchilada baked with one red, one green, and one white salsa. Otherwise known as the whole enchilada.
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